Heinrich Biber facts for kids
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber von Bibern (born August 12, 1644 – died May 3, 1704) was a famous Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. He was known as the best German violinist of his time. Biber is especially famous for the beautiful music he wrote for the violin, called sonatas.
Life of Heinrich Biber
Heinrich Biber was born in a small town in Bohemia. This area is now part of the Czech Republic. We don't know much about how he learned music when he was young.
Around the mid-1660s, Biber started working for Prince-Bishop Karl. This prince loved music and had many musicians at his court.
In the winter of 1670-1671, Biber joined the music group (called a Kapelle) at the Salzburg court. He got married there in 1672. At Salzburg, he played the violin and taught music to the choirboys. He also wrote a lot of music. He likely met other famous musicians there, like Georg Muffat.
Even though Biber was a great virtuoso (a very skilled musician) for his time, he didn't travel much to perform.
In 1690, Biber was given a special honor and became a member of the nobility. Towards the end of his life, he spent a lot of time writing music for plays and for church services.
Related pages
Images for kids
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frameless
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A panorama of Salzburg around 1712, by J. B. Homann
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Biber's special violin setup for the Resurrection sonata
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Different tunings for the 16 pieces of Mystery Sonatas
See also
In Spanish: Heinrich Ignaz Biber para niños
