In 1696, the Salzburg court conductor Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber described his print of 7 chamber suites ("Partien") for two string instruments and basso continuo as "artfully melodious" in stilted Latin. These trio sonatas are of a special kind, because the two upper voices are not limited to the typical imitations that were practiced in Italy at the time, but Biber presents the solo voices in a different light in virtuosic interplay above the bass foundation. New tonal colors are added through the use of violin, viola, and viola d'amore in various combinations and the "mistuning" of the strings (scordatura).