Carl Friedrich Abel

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Portrait of Carl Friedrich Abel by Thomas Gainsborough, 1777
Portrait of Carl Friedrich Abel by Thomas Gainsborough, 1777

Carl Friedrich Abel (December 22, 1723 – June 20, 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. He was a fine player on the viola da gamba, and composed important music for that instrument.

Abel was born in Cöthen, the son of Christian Ferdinand Abel, the principal viola da gamba and cello player in the court orchestra of Johann Sebastian Bach. There is no proof that he studied at Thomasschule Leipzig, but it was on Bach's recommendation that in 1748 he was able to join Johann Adolph Hasse's court orchestra at Dresden where he remained for 10 years. In 1759 he went to England, and became chamber-musician to Queen Charlotte. He gave a concert of his own compositions in London, performing on various instruments, one of which, the pentachord, was newly invented.

In 1762, Johann Christian Bach, the eleventh son of Johann Sebastian Bach, joined him in London, and the friendship between him and Abel led, in 1764 or 1765, to the establishment of the famous Bach-Abel concerts, England's first subscription concerts ever. In those concerts, many famous guest artists appeared, and the works of Haydn received their first English performance.

For ten years the concerts were organized by Mrs. Teresa Cornelys, a retired Venetian opera singer who owned a concert hall at Carlisle house Soho Square, then the height of fashionable events. In 1775 the concerts became independent of her, to be continued by Abel unsuccessfully until a year after Bach's death in 1782. After the failure of his concert undertakings Abel still remained in great request as a player on various instruments new and old, but he took to drink and thereby hastened his death, which occurred in London.

One of the most widely known works of Abel became famous due to a misattribution: in the 19th century, a manuscript symphony in the hand of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, was catalogued as his Symphony no. 3 in E flat, K. 18, and was published as such in the first complete edition of Mozart's works by Breitkopf & Härtel. Later, it was discovered that this symphony was actually the work of Abel, copied by the boy Mozart--evidently for study purposes--while he was visiting London in 1764. That symphony was originally published as the concluding work in Abel's Six Symphonies, Op. 7.

Contents

[edit] Works list

WK 1 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.1 in B flat major
WK 2 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.2 in C major
WK 3 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.3 in D major
WK 4 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.4 in E flat major
WK 5 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.5 in F major
WK 6 \ Symphony Op. 1 No.6 in G major
WK 7 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.1 in D major
WK 8 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.2 in B flat major
WK 9 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.3 in E flat major
WK 10 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.4 in C major
WK 11 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.5 in G major
WK 12 \ Symphony Op. 4 No.6 in D major
WK 13 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.1 in G major
WK 14 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.2 in B flat major
WK 15 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.3 in D major
WK 16 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.4 in F major
WK 17 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.5 in C major
WK 18 \ Symphony Op. 7 No.6 in E flat major
WK 19 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.1 in E major
WK 20 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.2 in B flat major
WK 21 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.3 in E flat major
WK 22 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.4 in C major
WK 23 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.5 in D major
WK 24 \ Symphony Op. 10 No.6 in A major
WK 25 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.1 in C major
WK 26 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.2 in E flat major
WK 27 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.3 in D major
WK 28 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.4 in B flat major
WK 29 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.5 in G major
WK 30 \ Symphony Op. 14 No.6 in E flat major
WK 31 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.1 in E flat major
WK 32 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.2 in B flat major
WK 33 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.3 in D major
WK 34 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.4 in C major
WK 35 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.5 in B flat major
WK 36 \ Symphony Op. 17 No.6 in G major
WK 37 \ Symphony in C major
WK 38 \ Symphony in B flat major
WK 39 \ Symphony in E flat major
WK 40 \ Symphony in B flat major
WK 41 \ Symphony in D major
WK 42 \ Sinfonia concertante for oboe quartet in B flat major
WK 43 \ Sinfonia concertante for oboe quartet in D major
WK 44 \ Periodical Overture in D major
WK 45a \ Overture to 'Love in a village' in D major
WK 45b \ Overture to 'The summer's tale' in B flat major
WK 46 \ Flute Concerto No.1 in C major
WK 47 \ Flute Concerto No.2 in E minor
WK 48 \ Flute Concerto No.3 in D major
WK 49 \ Flute Concerto No.4 in C major
WK 50 \ Flute Concerto No.5 in G major
WK 51 \ Flute Concerto No.6 in C major
WK 52 \ Cello Concerto in B flat major
WK 53 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.1 in F major
WK 54 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.2 in B flat major
WK 55 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.3 in E flat major
WK 56 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.4 in D major
WK 57 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.5 in G major
WK 58 \ Keyboard Concerto Op. 11 No.6 in C major
WK 59 \ Flute Concerto No.7 in D major
WK 60 \ Cello Concerto in C major
WK 61 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.1 in F major
WK 62 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.2 in B flat major
WK 63 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.3 in E flat major
WK 64 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.4 in D major
WK 65 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.5 in A major
WK 66 \ String Quartet Op. 8 No.6 in F major
WK 67 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.1 in C major
WK 68 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.2 in A major
WK 69 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.3 in F major
WK 70 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.4 in D major
WK 71 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.5 in B flat major
WK 72 \ Flute Quartet Op. 12 No.6 in G major
WK 73 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.1 in E major
WK 74 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.2 in C major
WK 75 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.3 in E flat major
WK 76 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.4 in G major
WK 77 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.5 in F major
WK 78 \ String Quartet Op. 15 No.6 in A major
WK 79a \ Raccolta for keyboard in C major
WK 79b \ Raccolta for keyboard in B flat major
WK 80 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.1 in G major
WK 81 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.2 in C major
WK 82 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.3 in B flat major
WK 83 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.4 in D major
WK 84 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.5 in A major
WK 85 \ Trio Sonata Op. 3 No.6 in E flat major
WK 86 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.1 in A major
WK 87 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.2 in C major
WK 88 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.3 in G major
WK 89 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.4 in B flat major
WK 90 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.5 in D major
WK 91 \ Trio Sonata Op. 9 No.6 in F major
WK 92 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.1 in G major
WK 93 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.2 in D major
WK 94 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.3 in C major
WK 95 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.4 in A major
WK 96 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.5 in D major
WK 97 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16a No.6 in G major
WK 98 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16b No.1 in G major
WK 99 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16b No.2 in D major
WK 100 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16b No.3 in C major
WK 101 \ Trio Sonata Op. 16b No.4 in G major
WK 102 \ Trio Sonata for 2 violins & cello in A major
WK 103 \ Trio Sonata for 2 violins & cello in A major
WK 104 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in G major
WK 105 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in D major
WK 106 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in G major
WK 107 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in F major
WK 108 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in C minor
WK 109 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in G major
WK 110 \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in G major
WK 110a \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in D major
WK 110b \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in G major
WK 110c \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in C major
WK 110d \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in B flat major
WK 110e \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in C major
WK 110f \ Trio Sonata for 2 flutes & cello in C major
WK 111 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.1 in C major
WK 112 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.2 in F major
WK 113 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.3 in D major
WK 114 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.4 in B flat major
WK 115 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.5 in G major
WK 116 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 2 No.6 in E flat major
WK 117 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.1 in B flat major
WK 118 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.2 in G major
WK 119 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.3 in E major
WK 120 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.4 in C major
WK 121 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.5 in A major
WK 122 \ Keyboard Trio Op. 5 No.6 in F major
WK 123 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.1 in C major
WK 124 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.2 in G major
WK 125 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.3 in G major
WK 126 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.4 in E major
WK 127 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.5 in F major
WK 128 \ Flute Sonata Op. 6 No.6 in G major
WK 129 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.1 in G major
WK 130 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.2 in F major
WK 131 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.3 in A major
WK 132 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.4 in B flat major
WK 133 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.5 in C major
WK 134 \ Violin Sonata Op. 13 No.6 in E flat major
WK 135 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.1 in G major
WK 136 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.2 in A major
WK 137 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.3 in C major
WK 138 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.4 in E flat major
WK 139 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.5 in B flat major
WK 140 \ Violin Sonata Op. 18 No.6 in F major
WK 140a \ Violin Sonata in C major
WK 140b \ Keyboard Sonata in B flat major
WK 141 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 1 in C major
WK 142 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 2 in A major
WK 143 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 3 in D major
WK 144 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 4 in G major
WK 145 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 5 in A major
WK 146 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 6 in E minor
WK 147 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 7 in G major
WK 148 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 8 in A major
WK 149 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No. 9 in G major
WK 150 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.10 in E minor
WK 151 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.11 in C major
WK 152 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.12 in G major
WK 153 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.13 in G major
WK 154 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.14 in D major
WK 155 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.15 in G major
WK 156 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.16 in D major
WK 157 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.17 in E minor
WK 158 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.18 in D major
WK 159 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.19 in G major
WK 160 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.20 in D major
WK 161 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.21 in D major
WK 162 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.22 in C major
WK 163 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.23 in A major
WK 164 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.24 in A major
WK 165 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.25 in D major
WK 166 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.26 in D major
WK 167 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.27 in G major
WK 168 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.28 in D major
WK 169 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.29 in D major
WK 170 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.30 in C major
WK 171 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.31 in G major
WK 172 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.32 in D major
WK 173 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.33 in A major
WK 174 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.34 in G major
WK 175 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.35 in A minor
WK 176 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.36 in F minor
WK 177 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.37 in A major
WK 178 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.38 in G major
WK 179 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.39 in A major
WK 180 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.40 in D major
WK 181 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.41 in D major
WK 182 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.42 in G major
WK 183 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.43 in A major
WK 184 \ Sonata for viola da gamba No.44 in C major
WK 185 \ Arpeggio for viola da gamba in D major
WK 186 \ Allegro for viola da gamba in D major
WK 187 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 188 \ Tempo fi minuetto for viola da gamba in D major
WK 189 \ Adagio for viola da gamba in D major
WK 190 \ Vivace for viola da gamba in D major
WK 191 \ Andante for viola da gamba in D major
WK 192 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 193 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 194 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 195 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 196 \ Fuga for viola da gamba in D major
WK 197 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 198 \ Allegro for viola da gamba in D major
WK 199 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 200 \ Tempo di minuetto for viola da gamba in D major
WK 201 \ Tempo di minuetto for viola da gamba in D major
WK 202 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 203 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D major
WK 204 \ Con variatione for viola da gamba in D major
WK 205 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D minor
WK 206 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D minor
WK 207 \ Allegro for viola da gamba in D minor
WK 208 \ Piece for viola da gamba in D minor
WK 209 \ Adagio for viola da gamba in D minor
WK 210 \ Minuetto for viola da gamba in D major
WK 211 \ Allegretto for viola da gamba in A major
WK 212 \ Allegro for viola da gamba in A major
WK 213 \ Minuet for keyboard in C major
WK 214 \ Minuet for keyboard in D major
WK 215 \ Minuet for keyboard in G major
WK 216 \ Minuet for keyboard in G major
WK 217 \ March in F major
WK 218 \ March in F major
WK 219 \ March in F major
WK 220 \ March in F major
WK 221 \ March in F major
WK 222 \ March in B flat major
WK 223 \ March in F major
WK 224 \ Andante for string quartet in E flat major
WK 225 \ Flute Quartet in F major
WK 226 \ Flute Quartet in D major
WK 227 \ Flute Quartet with viola da gamba in G major
WK 228 \ Cello Duet in D major
WK 229 \ Concertino for 2 clarinets in E flat major (lost)
WK 230 \ 5 adagios for string quartet
WK 231 \ Dolly's eyes are so bright
WK 232 \ 4 soli for flute (lost)
WK deest \ Frena le belle lagrime

[edit] Selected works by opus number

(adapted from the listing in the article on Abel at fr.wikipedia.org)

  • Op. 1: 6 Overtures or Sinfonias (1761)
  • Op. 2: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin and Cello (ad libitum) (1760)
  • Op. 3: 6 Trio Sonatas for 2 Violins and Basso Continuo (1762)
  • Op. 4: 6 Overtures or Sinfonias (1762)
  • Op. 5: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin and Cello (ad libitum) (1762)
  • Op. 6: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and Flute (1763)
  • Op. 7: 6 Symphonies (1767)
  • Op. 8: 6 String Quartets (1768)
  • Op. 9: 6 Trio Sonatas for Violin, Cello and Basso Continuo (1771)
  • Op. 10: 6 Symphonies (1771)
  • Op. 11: 6 Concerti for Keyboard and Strings (1771)
  • Op. 12: 6 Flute Quartets (1774)
  • Op. 13: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin (1777)
  • Op. 14: 6 Symphonies (1778)
  • Op. 15: 6 String Quartets (1780)
  • Op. 16: 4 Trio Sonatas for 2 Flutes and Basso Continuo (1781)
  • Op. 16: 6 Trio Sonatas for Violin, Viola and Cello (1782)
  • Op. 17: 6 Symphonies (1785)
  • Op. 18: 6 Sonatas for Keyboard and Violin (1784)

[edit] References

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