Biber - Battalia à 10

 Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber was born in 1644 in Wartenberg, Bohemia (now in the Czech Republic) He is historically recognized as an Bohemian-Austrian. He composed mainly for his instrument, the violin, and was very influential in techniques that he used like multiple stops, and scordatura (deliberate mis-tuning of the violin). He also composed other instrumental music as well as sacred music. As an adult he played in a few different royal courts (even left one illegally) and ended up in Salzburg in 1679 as assistant Kapellmeister for Leopold I, and in 1684 became Kapellmeister. He spent the rest of his life there, and died in 1704. 

 His Battalia à 10 is chamber music written for 3 violins, 4 violas, 2 violones and continuo. No one is certail why Biber wrote the work, but there are some scholars that argue that it is his reaction and feelings toward the 30 Years War, a war that was most horrible for the region of Germany, as upwards of 50% of the military and civilian population died as fatalities of war, disease, and famine.  It is in 8 sections:

I - Sonata (Presto 1) - This is in a simple AB form, with sections of the B part being instructed to play col legno, with the wood of the bow, and example of Biber's extended techniques. 

II - Die liederliche Gesellschaft von allerley Humor (The Profligate Society of Common Humor) - The movement from this work that is most often seen. It is an example of Biber's humor and creativity. There 8 separate melodies in different keys that end up playing at the same time, as well as some in 12/8 time, others in 4/4 time. The resulting cacophony is explained by Biber in a footnote in Latin-  hic dissonant ubique, nam enim sic diversis Cantilenis clamore solent (here it is dissonant everywhere, for thus are the drunks accustomed to bellow with different songs). We have been listening to drunkards in a tavern, each singing his own different song! One of the songs Biber uses Kraut und Rüben haben mich vertrieben (Cabbages and turnips have driven me away) is the same one J.S.Bach used in the 30 variation of The Goldberg Variations, the Quodlibet.

III - Allegro (Presto 2) - A short movement in A-A-B-B structure that has the violins play pizzicato with the left hand on open strings. It is a restless piece that ends with little resolution. Some have commented that this might represent an inner restlessness of troops waiting for battle while outwardly they are joking around. Seems a stretch to me...

IV - Der Mars (The March) - The violin and violone play, and as the violin plays runs and trills, the violone imitates a snare drum by placing paper between the strings and fingerboard. 

V - Presto 3 

VI - Aria

VII - Die Schlacht (The Battle) - The use of snap pizzicato on the violones represents musket fire. Snap pizzicato was an almost unknown string technique until Béla Bartók began to use it in 1928 in his 4th String Quartet

VIII - Lamento Adagio -  Another suggestion is that this is a lament for the dead and wounded. 

I've inserted a video of the group Voices Of Music, a group that performs Renaissance and Baroque music on original instruments. They seem to have a good time performing it, very much in the spirit of Biber's intent I think.