Little is known about the life of Dietrich Steffkins. He worked during the apogee of solo music practice and was considered an extraordinary viola da gamba virtuoso. His compositions are collected in some funds together with the works of other musicians, and are still to be fully rediscovered. The purpose of this album is to testify to the compositional practice of an author who still offers great expressive possibilities through the research and use of the viol used in its various forms.

A leading German cellist and viola da gamba player with training from the top conservatories, Dietmar Berger is primarily known for his performances of early chamber music for strings. Berger has been a member of the Delos Trio Köln, and he has been featured as a soloist in several recordings, such as his Manchester Gamba Book (2012) and Berlin Gamba Book (2015), both released by Naxos, and Music for the Medieval and Renaissance Fiddle, released by Urania (2018).