The Bach–Abel London Series

"The small is great when it is written naturally..." - Leopold Mozart, of J.C. Bach

Thoroughbass:
Shaun Ng (viola da gamba), Stephen Freeman (violin), Shaun Warden (violin) and Diana Weston (harpsichord).

Bach’s youngest son Johann Christian made a successful career for himself for over 20 years in London, most of that in partnership with his compatriot the viola da gambist Carl Friedrich Abel. Together they ran a subscription series numbering about 15 concerts a year. The fodder for this was provided by themselves and their colleagues in the form of symphonias, concertos, songs and chamber works. Taking into account the taste of an English public eager to hear the latest, Christian produced music of an exceptionally lyrical kind—far removed from his revered father’s learned style, while Abel was no slouch in contributing beautiful works of his own.

Sample some of this delightful easy-to-listen-to music so admired by Mozart as we present a selection for two violins, viola da gamba and keyboard—a sonata for gamba and continuo, a quartet for violins and gamba, and some fantasias for gamba by Abel, together with an unusual sonata for keyboard with violin accompaniment, a quartet for two violins and gamba, and a concerto for harpsichord and strings by Johann Christian dedicated to ‘the Queen of Great Britain’.