Silvius Leopold Weiss: The Three Principal Manuscripts
An analysis of the major sources of Weiss’s works through the lens of the Le Luth Doré® editions
The Genius of Silvius Leopold Weiss
Silvius Leopold Weiss (1687–1750) was not only the greatest lutenist of his time; he was also a composer whose artistic stature rivals that of his illustrious contemporaries, Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, and Jan Dismas Zelenka.
While his reputation during his lifetime rested on his legendary improvisations and his mastery of the continuo, posterity now recognizes an extraordinary catalogue of more than six hundred pieces for solo lute.
Contrary to many of his contemporaries, Weiss published virtually nothing during his lifetime. Access to his work therefore relies entirely on the preservation of precious manuscripts, copied by students, friends, or admirers.
It is in this spirit of absolute fidelity to the sources that the Urtext editions of Le Luth Doré® are conceived. Drawing on the three principal documentary pillars—the manuscripts of London, Dresden, and Moscow—these editions shed light on the fascinating musical transition from the late Baroque to the galant style.
I. The London Manuscript (Vol. I & II)
Physical Description and History
The London Manuscript (British Library, Add. MS 30387) is often regarded as the primary point of reference for understanding the stylistic development of Weiss. Acquired by the library in 1877, this volume of 317 pages brings together French tablatures for 11-, 12-, and 13-course lute.
The history of this document leads us back to Prague, where it was assembled by the collector Johann Christian Anthoni von Adlersfeld. Weiss, during his stays in the city (1717, 1719, 1723), personally supervised certain parts of the manuscript. One also finds a rare autograph certification on folio 78v: “Véritable original S.L. Weis”.
Between Tradition and the Galant Style
This manuscript captures a pivotal moment. It contains 26 solo sonatas and unique ensemble pieces, including concertos for lute and flute. Musically, one observes a gradual shift from rigorous counterpoint toward the cantabile of the galant style. Weiss makes use of the 13-course lute (of which he was a key instigator) to create harmonic progressions and textures that truly sing.
In this video, Evangelina Mascardi performs the London Suite IV by Silvius Leopold Weiss, offering a reading of great stylistic refinement. This interpretation highlights the elegance of Weiss’s musical language as well as the polyphonic clarity characteristic of the London corpus.
The London Manuscript | Volumes I & II
€240,95 EUR
II. The Dresden Manuscript (Vol. I–V)
The Monumental Corpus
The Dresden Manuscript (Sächsische Landesbibliothek, Mus. 2841-V-1) is the “Holy Grail” of the lutenist. Covering Weiss’s career from 1706 to 1750, these six volumes reflect his status as the highest-paid musician at the court of Dresden, the “Florence of the Elbe.”
Philological Challenges and Reconstruction
This manuscript has endured the upheavals of history, notably water and fire damage during the bombings of 1945. The five-volume edition by Le Luth Doré® represents a remarkable achievement of reconstruction. It addresses the complexity of multiple “hands” (Weiss, a principal copyist, and a third scribe) in order to establish a reliable musical text. It is here that one finds works of absolute maturity, dense and technically formidable.
In this video, Nigel North performs the Overture in B-flat major by Silvius Leopold Weiss, an emblematic work from the late corpus preserved in the Dresden manuscript. This interpretation highlights the broad and orchestral writing of Weiss, as well as the polyphonic clarity characteristic of the Baroque lute in its courtly context.
The following excerpt is essential: it consists of sonatas drawn directly from this manuscript, performed by one of today’s leading lutenists. In his recording Pièces de luth, Hopkinson Smith offers a benchmark interpretation of this repertoire, combining stylistic rigor with polyphonic clarity and musical depth.
The Dresden Manuscript, Lute Sonatas | Volumes I–V
€261,95 EUR
III. The Moscow Manuscript (Vol. I)
The Russian Legacy
The Moscow Manuscript (M.I. Glinka Museum, MS 282/8) is a fascinating chronological anomaly. Compiled around 1755 in Saint Petersburg by Timofei Bielogradski, a Tcherkessian pupil of Weiss, it preserves from oblivion pieces found nowhere else.
This volume contains late partitas and rare pedagogical sections (24 scales) that demonstrate the chromatic capabilities of the instrument. The Le Luth Doré® edition brings together these treasures in a single volume, thus completing the “trinity” of Weissian sources.
An exemplary illustration of the musical density characteristic of late or peripheral sources, as found in the Moscow manuscript: Silvius Leopold Weiss – Suite in G minor (Moscow manuscript): Courante, Paisane. Alberto Crugnola, Baroque lute.
The Moscow Manuscript, Lute Pieces and Partitas
€56,95 EUR
IV. An Editorial and Scholarly Collaboration
The production of these critical editions is not merely a matter of engraving; it is the result of a close collaboration between experts, combining instrumental mastery, music engraving, and philology.
The Artisans of the Edition: Musical Realization
Passionate about the Baroque era and a self-taught lutenist, Jean-Daniel Forget has devoted nearly twenty years to the copying and study of forgotten manuscripts from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
His career as a computer science expert has enabled him to develop a unique approach to music engraving, applying programming logic to the transcription of tablatures for plucked string instruments.
In collaboration with Guy Grangereau, he has made thousands of tablatures accessible through his website, which has become an essential resource for lutenists worldwide.
At the request of Miguel Serdoura, he continues today to contribute his technical and editorial expertise to the preparation of modern critical editions.
A professional musician trained in Paris with Turibio Santos and at the École Martenot, Guy Grangereau has pursued a long career as a teacher. His instrumental research has led him to perform on a unique 16-string guitar (lute-guitar), designed to allow, through tuning in thirds and a theorbo-like neck, the faithful transcription of works originally written for solo harpsichord.
Also a Baroque lute and theorbo player, he has collaborated since 2010 with Jean-Daniel Forget on the copying of German manuscripts. He contributes to this editorial work, and particularly to the works of Weiss, with a musical expertise and a performer’s ear essential to the validation of editorial decisions.
Scholarly Expertise and Critical Apparatus
Beyond the technical aspects of editing, this project is grounded in particularly rigorous scholarly work, informed by the careful examination of sources and by numerous corrections established with a constant concern for stylistic and textual coherence. The contributions of Markus Lutz have played a decisive role in the clarification and stabilization of the musical text.
Deceased in 2023, Markus Lutz remains a discreet yet central figure in contemporary research on the Baroque lute. His monumental work was devoted to the in-depth study of the major manuscript sources (London, Dresden, Moscow, Vienna).
Co-author of the Steur–Lutz reference catalogue and an active member of the Deutsche Lautengesellschaft, he provided scholars with essential documentary tools. Within the framework of the Le Luth Doré® editions, Markus Lutz played a role that went well beyond that of a corrector.
His encyclopedic knowledge made it possible to establish a critical apparatus of rare precision, correcting historical readings and clarifying relationships between sources. He leaves behind a major philological legacy.
Reference Editions
The three manuscripts—London, Dresden, and Moscow—are not merely archival sources; they constitute a living testimony to Weiss’s artistic achievement. Through the combined work of Jean-Daniel Forget, Guy Grangereau, and the late Markus Lutz, the Le Luth Doré® editions now offer musicians a reference version, restoring Weiss’s music in its full richness and original complexity.
