Almost an exact contemporary of Bach, Silvius Leopold Weiss (16871750) was renowned in his day as one of the most proficient lutenists in Europe. Born in Grottkau, now part of Poland, he soon established himself in the service of Prince Elector of Saxony August the Strong, based in Dresden, where he eventually became the highest paid musician of the court. Over his lifetime he composed over 200 sonatas, and, remarkably, many of them remain conserved and unplayed to this day. The manuscripts can be found in various libraries scattered across Europe, and the London Manuscript, held in the British Library since 1877, contains a staggering 26 solo sonatas as well as other individual and ensemble works with flute. The sonatas are not like the typical Classical sonatas that would appear in Mozarts time; they are structured more like a Baroque suite, normally comprising six individual movements, lively gigues and courantes as well as allemandes and slow sarabandes. Although Weisss lute music has been compared to that of J.S. Bach, there is a wealth of originality here that is not always found in Bachs works, due to Weisss deep understanding of the instrument. Weiss utilised unusually sophisticated harmonies, particularly in the later works, where he frequently employed diminished seventh chords and bold enharmonic changes. His ensemble works for flute and lute add a striking new voice, leading to lively interplay between the two instruments.