ABSTRACT

Abel, Carl [Karl] Friedrich

German composer, viola da gamba player

(b. 22 Dec 1723, Cöthen; d. 20 Jun 1787,

London).

Son of a composer and viola da gamba

player who gave him his first musical

instruction, he may have studied in

Leipzig with *J.S. Bach after his father’s

death in 1737. As a gamba player in

the court orchestra in Dresden (under

Hasse) he would have had contact with

W.F. Bach (who was organist there) and

J.S. Bach (who was court composer)

and composed his first pieces. A few

years of travel brought Abel to London

where he became prominent in the city’s

musical life for his own concerts and his

involvement (usually as director) in those

of others. He was granted a royal privilege

as a music-publisher in 1760. In 1763, he

and *J.C. Bach became associates, having

both been appointed chamber musicians

by Queen *Charlotte and instigating the

‘Bach-Abel’ series of concerts – between

10 and 15 per annum. These were a fixture

in London musical life for some 15 years

and their success led to the building

of the Hanover Square concert room,

which opened in 1775. The series, which

featured many continental musicians,

thanks to Abel’s travels, finished in 1782

in the face of rivalry from other series.