We were bowled over by these when we came across them. Franck takes the intrada, far beyond its simple origins.
Excellent material for any wind or string ensemble.
In these pieces each section is given a very distinct character in a way that is unknown in other contemporary Intradas.
And the interplay between the two top parts is remarkably satisfying.
Melchior Franck was born around 1579 at Zittau, near Dresden, where he probably came under the influence of Christoph Demantius. In 1601 he moved to Nürnberg, where the leading light was Hans Leo Hassler.
A year or two later he became Kappellmeister at the nearby court of Coburg, and it seems that he spent the remainder of his working life there, until his death in 1639.
