Carl Friedrich Abel (1723–1787) was a German composer and viola da gamba player from Köthen who began his career in the court music tradition and later worked in London, composing and performing within the late Baroque and early Classical (galant) idioms. His output includes solo, chamber and orchestral works that bridge Baroque contrapuntal technique and the galant emphasis on melody and elegant texture, and he was active in London's public concert scene where he helped sustain interest in the viol repertoire.
