Rosenkranz

Biber mentions already in the dedication to his employer, the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, that the violin must be tuned differently for each of the 15 sonatas. The so-called scordatura (mistuning) was nothing new and continued to be used well into the 18th century after Biber - think of the Suite No. V for cello by Johann Sebastian Bach. Biber himself had used the technique frequently before. However, there is no other work that employs it so consistently and with such a deliberate concept. The pinnacle is Sonata XI, the Resurrection: the middle two strings are switched or crossed. Through Jesus' crucifixion, mankind is redeemed - scarcely more symbolism is possible.