Jan Dismas Zelenka A Bohemian Musician at the Court of Dresden

Only in the latter half of the twentieth century did the star of Jan Dismas Zelenka begin to ascend. Why did this major Bohemian composer of the Baroque era - who was known to, and esteemed by Johann Sebastian Bach - remain in the shadows for so long? Although most of Zelenka's music wascomposed to serve the Catholic liturgy, he left a handful of secular compositions, including six remarkable chamber sonatas. When these were first published in the 1960s, the resurrection of the almost-forgotten Zelenka was heralded. Drawing upon surviving musical materials, contemporary accounts, and Jesuit documentation, this volume presents insights into Zelenka's life and his music and the brilliant context in which he worked - the Dresden court during the reigns of the Kings of Poland and Electors of Saxony, FriedrichAugust I and II. A catalogue of Zelenka's compositions is also included.

Janice B. Stockigt is Research Fellow at the Faculty of Music, University of Melbourne, Australia.