You know Berlin the city, but have you ever heard of Berlin, the composer? Today, music of not just one, but two composers by that name: Johann Heinrich Berlin and his father, Johan Daniel Berlin.

Johan Daniel: Jack-of-all-trades

Johan Daniel was born in 1714 in in a part of the German kindgom of Prussia on the coast of the Baltic Sea in a town that is now Klaipeda, Lithuania. He was only four when his family moved further east to what was then a part of Russia but is now Latvia. At the age of 16, Johan Daniel made his way across the Baltic Sea to Copenhagen, Denmark where he apprenticed as a town piper and studied math, acoustics and theory. He landed a job in 1737 further north in Trondheim where he made his home for the rest of his life building a reputation as not only a Norwegian organist and composer, but also a keen inventor, writer and jack of all trades.

In addition to his role with the city’s Music Society Orchestra, Johan Daniel was the town fire chief, and later the water inspector. He built not only his own fire hose, but also a piano with pedal, and constructed in 1746 a bowed keyboard instrument he called a ‘cembalo da gamba verticale’ a keyboard viola da gamba. He drafted plans for the construction of an addition for a school building, he drew maps, and did land surveys.

Johan Daniel was contantly tinkering to improve things. He invented a water regulator valve, and an agricultural threshing machine to streamline harvests for farmers; for himself, he rigged his harpsichord with a device to allow for greater loud and soft dynamics. In 1744, Johan Daniel funded his own publication of Musicaliske Elementer , one of Norway’s first elementary theory and technique books for wind and string players.

Johann Daniel’s violin concerto was probably written around 1760, about the same time as his D Major Sinfonia-a composition that gives a leading role to the cornetto. It is interesting because the cornetto especially flourished in the Reniassance and early baroque. 1760 though is quite late in the cornetto's repertory—having gone largely out of style by this time of transition from the late baroque to the early Classical.

Norwegian Baroque Orchestra

Who better to perform the music of Johan Daniel than the Norwegian Baroque Orchestra. Led by Gottfried von der Golz, this world premiere recording was released in 2014 by Simax Classics.

Johan Heinrich: Berlin "the younger"

Three of Johan Daniel’s sons also became musicians, eventually taking over Johan Daniel’s musical duties at different Trondheim churches and cathedrals. In addition to music by Johann Daniel, the recording we’re hearing also includes a little classical sinfonia by the 1741 Norwegian born Berlin the younger, Johan Heinrich.