Contents:
Suite in B-flat Major
Preludium de Reusner
Sonatina de R.
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Aria de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in B-flat Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in B-flat Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Gavotte de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Canarie de R.
Ciacona de R.
Suite in B-flat Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Gavotte de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in C minor
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Gavotte de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in F Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Ballett de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in D minor
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Aria de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in E minor
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Aria de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in G minor
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Ballett de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in G Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Aria de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in A minor
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Aria de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in A Major
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Gavotte de R.
Gigue de R.
Suite in D Major
Sonatina de R.
Allemanda de R.
Courant de R.
Sarabanda de R.
Gavotte de R.
Gigue de R.
Passagalia de R.
Editor(s): Jean-Daniel Forget & Anna Wiktoria Swoboda.
Esaias Reusner (1636-1679)
Esaias Reusner Jr. was born in Löwenberg (Lwówek Slaski), Silesia on 29 April 1636. He grew up in a musical family: his grandfather was a chamber musician at the Elector of Brandenburgs court, but, more importantly, his father also named Esaias Reusner was a lutenist and his first teacher. The fathers only known work is Musicalischer Lust-Garten, published in 1645 in Breslau (Wroclaw). In the preface, we are informed that the author was employed as a lutenist at the court of the Duke of Bernstat in Schlesien.
In 1655 he found employment at the court of Duke Georg III von Brieg (Brzeg) until his employers death in 1664. During this period, he married Maria Böhme, with whom he had three sons. Then he appeared for a short time in Breslau, and in 1665 entered the service of the next member of the Silesian noble Piast family - Christian, Duke of Brieg. During his seven years of duty he most probably undertook a journey to Vienna, where he performed for the Emperor Leopold I Habsburg, who was very pleased with his playing.
He became one of the two favorite and best-paid musicians of the Great Elector. On 1 May 1679, after a long agony, Reusner died there at the age of 43.
Reusner is an author of 3 collections of solo lute music: Delitiae testudinis 1667 (reprinted twice as Erfreuliche Lauten-Lust).
Neue Lauten-Früchte 1676, Hundert geistliche Melodien 1678, and 3 books of chamber music with a lute: Musicalische Taffel-Erlustigung 1668, Musicalische Gesellschaffts-Ergötzung 1670, Musikalischer Blumenstrauß 1673 (lost).
Some of the copies of Neue Lauten-Früchte include, on verso pages, copperplate with landscapes and the authors copy contains additional new handwritten pieces. The collection opens with a very informative Preface, with an explanation of playing techniques and ornament signs. Almost all of the 13 Suites consist of the core allemandecourantesarabandegigue, which is the composers undoubted contribution to establishing the classical suite form.
This pieces clearly show that Reusner Jr. was not only an eminent predecessor of his famous compatriot S.L. Weiss, but was also a very important link between the French school (using style brisé, inégalité, thin harmonic texture, non mesuré preludes) and the German virtuoso baroque style, with its fondness for cantabile and more complex harmonic language the combination which a hundred years later J.J. Quanz will call Stile misto.
Anna Wiktoria Swoboda Le Luth Doré ®2015
