Composed: unknown
Premiered: unknown
Duration: 20 minutes

Telemann was a prolific composer in his time – his complete catalogue includes more than 3,000 compositions, half of which have been lost and many that have not been performed since the 1700s. He was almost completely self-taught as both a musician and composer, and one of the instruments he learned to play was the viola da gamba. Informally called the gamba, this instrument was the precursor to the cello. While it’s similarly held between the legs, the viola da gamba has six strings (versus the cello’s four) and frets, much like a guitar.