Sylvius Leopold Weiss

1687 - 1750

Such are the tectonic plates of history that the most renowned German lutenist of his (or perhaps any other) was in fact born in Grodków in what is now Poland. Not that Weiss would have ever considered himself Polish for a moment.

But wait! Life is a little more nuanced than that.

Yes he was introduced to the Bach family and met with J.S. (he arranged one of Weiss’s pieces). Yes from 1718 he settled in Dresden as a member of the Dresden Hofkapelle.

BUT…..

In his earlier life the young Sylvius, already a renowned performer on the lute, was granted a position as both a musician and valet to the Polish Prince Alexander Sobiesky, son of King Jan Sobieski III of Poland. Alexander himself was put forward, unsuccessfully, as a candidate for the Polish throne.

It was with Sobiesky, that he travelled to Rome and became familiar with Italian music, especially that of Alessandro and Scarlatti.

Weiss moved seamlessly from the court of the young Sobieski to that of his mother, Queen Maria Casimira. This allowed him an even longer stay in Rome!

Weiss was the most prolific composer of lute music, certainly of his age and almost certainly of all time. And it is the fusion of German and Italian influences that made his compositions stand out.