Jacob Kremberg - Musicalische Gemüths-Ergötzung, oder Arien, Dresden, 1689 (Cantar alla Viola)

Information

Composer: Jacob Kremberg

• Musicalische Gemüths-Ergötzung

Cantar alla Viola

    Nadine Balbeisi, soprano

    Fernando Marín, viola da gamba

Date: 2025

Label: Da Vinci Classics

_____________________

Titled “Musical Soul’s Delight,” this newly rediscovered 1689 Dresden publication by Jacob Kremberg contains 40 arias offering a rare glimpse into the German cantare alla viola tradition. Designed for voice with basso continuo or solo accompaniment on instruments such as lute, viola da gamba, or guitar, the collection features richly textured viola da gamba parts written in tablature. These parts intertwine the vocal line with full harmonies and expressive double stops, making purely instrumental renditions equally viable. Since the complete work has never been recorded, this project undertakes the significant task of capturing both the vocal–viola duo and solo viola da gamba versions in full for the first time.

Jacob Kremberg (born c.1650 in Warsaw, buried 1715 in London) was a Polish-born composer, lutenist, and music copyist who worked across Europe before settling in England. After studies at Leipzig University (1672), he served as chamber musician in Magdeburg, at the Stockholm royal court, and as an alto in Dresden (1682–91). He later directed the Hamburg opera and may have written the libretto for Georg Bronner’s Venus. By the late 1690s, he was active in London, organizing concerts and performing for the king, though often unpaid. Despite limited compositional skill, he produced operatic scenes and was recognized as a leading lutenist and skilled copyist.

Formed in 2004 by soprano Nadine Balbeisi and viol player Fernando Marín, Cantar alla Viola is dedicated to reviving the art of singing with a viol—a practice that flourished from the 14th century to the early Baroque. Their work combines over seventeen years of research and performance, using historically accurate instruments such as the Spanish vihuela de arco and English lyra-viol. With attention to authentic materials, construction, and bowing techniques, they achieve a sound that merges seamlessly with the human voice. The duo performs internationally, championing rare and forgotten repertoire through concerts, recordings, and scholarly exploration.