Ignác František Mára (1709–1783) was a Bohemian

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

of late

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

to Classical transition era.

Life

Ignác František Mára (also commonly Ignaz or Ignatius Mara) was born in Havlíčkův Brod,

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

, where he began his musical education. In 1742 he began his employment as a chamber musician at the Royal Court in Berlin, where he received an annual salary of 600 thaler. In his youth Mara was known as a fine soloist, whose tone and manner of performance were extremely moving. By 1779, while no longer performing as a soloist, he was noted as an excellent orchestral musician. He died in Berlin in 1783. Ignác's son, Johann Baptist also became a cellist and composer, active in Berlin. Johann Baptist was involved in a difficult marriage to the soprano

Gertrud Elisabeth Mara Gertrud Elisabeth Mara (née Schmeling) (23 February 1749 – 20 January 1833) was a German operatic soprano. Life She was born in Kassel, the daughter of a poor musician, Johann Schmeling. From him she learnt to play the violin, and while st ...

. Ignác's younger brother, Kajetan, was an organist, choir director and composer of sacred music in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague.

Works

Mara was said by Gerber to have been the most "correct" composer for the cello and composed many solos, duets and concertos for it. The only work which can be attributed with certainty to Ignác Mara is a Concerto in E-flat for viola, strings and continuo. The Concerto survives in two manuscript sources in the archive of the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, and is ascribed in both sources to "Ignazio Mara". Any attempt to attribute further works to either Ignác, or his son Johann Baptist, is hampered by the fact that all other manuscripts are signed only "Mara". This is even more difficult by the fact that both musicians composed in similar genres; solo and chamber works for cello and a stylistic evaluation is yet to be undertaken. Below is a list of these works. * Oboe Sonata in B-flat major "Dell Sigr Mara" in Sing-Akademie zu Berlin (attributed to Ignác Mara in RISM) * Cello Sonata in E major "di Mara" in Musik- och teaterbiblioteket, Stockholm: Wallenbergs Samling * 4 Cello Sonatas "del Sigr Mara" in Musik- och teaterbiblioteket, Stockholm * Cello Concerto in F major in Musik- och teaterbiblioteket, Stockholm: Alströmer Samling. Also listed in Breitkopf's catalogue * Cello Concerto in C major in Musik- och teaterbiblioteket, Stockholm: Alströmer Samling * Viola Sonata in C major "di Mara" in Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (attributed to Johann Baptist Mara in RISM) * Duetto in G major for 2 Violas in Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (attributed to Johann Baptist Mara in RISM) Lost works attributed to "Mara" listed in Breitkopf's catalogues include: * 6 Cello Sonatas * Duetto violin and cello * Cello Sonata in D major

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mara, Ignac Frantisek 1709 births 1783 deaths Musicians from Havlíčkův Brod 18th-century Bohemian musicians Czech expatriates in Germany Czech Baroque composers Czech male classical composers Czech Classical-period composers Czech classical cellists German male classical composers German classical composers German classical cellists 18th-century classical composers German Baroque composers 18th-century German composers 18th-century German male musicians