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.