Andrys Basten wrote:

>Chris L Beckwith wrote:
>
>>I've picked up the two disc set of Biber's Violin Sonatas (Romanesca
>>Ensemble, Harmonia Mundi) and am wonderfully impressed.  ...
>
>The Mystery Sonatas? Or the Rosary?

I believe the set that Mr. Beckwith is talking about contains the 1681
"Sonatae Violino Solo".  And of course, "Mystery" and "Rosary" are both
alternate names for the same set of sonatas.

Bill H.

 [Bill's right, of course.  Biber was actually a fairly prolific
 composer, though the sonatas depicting the mysteries of the Rosary have
 been performed the most.  In recent years we've been lucky enough to
 hear a number of his other sonatas, and this exposure seems to have
 done nothing less than increase Biber's modern reputation substantially.
 In addition to numerous individual works, I'm aware of all or part of
 the following collections being currently or at one time available on
 CD (in chronological order):

    7  Partitas "Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa"  (16??)
   12? Sonatas "tam Aris, quam Aulis servientes"  (1676)
   12? Sonatas a 5 and a 8  (1676)
    8  Sonatas "Sonatae a violino solo"  (1681)
   15  Sonatas "Rosary"  (1681)
   12  Sonatas "Fidicinium Sacro-Profanum"  (1683)
    6  Sonatas "Mensa Sonora"  (1683)

 -Dave]