Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni ?

Source: Edition HH

The image above is a zoom of an oil painting of the composer holding a manuscript universally accepted to be a portrait of Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni, though it seems to be equally universally unknown who painted it when. It may well be Albinoni or in the vicinity, but if it's like another famous work supposedly of him then it could be a self-portrait of the artist pretending only parts of it to be Albinoni. Which is the curious case of 'Adagio in G minor', a work for which Albinoni is famous even as it is yet contested just how much, if any, that he actually had to do with it. There is also the masquerade of '6 Sonate da chiesa' as Albinoni's Op 4.

In the meantime one finds Albinoni in his prime a hundred years or so into the baroque period. The rise of music in medieval Europe had largely been a French affair in both the sacred music of the Catholic Church (Notre Dame) and the secular contributions of troubadours seeking the patronage of royalty. The secular aspect behind the Renaissance, though sacred in terms of gods, was its humanistic reawakening of the ancient classical, as in matters Greek. This eventually culminated in the emergence of the baroque in Italy about 1600, bringing with it such as a formal emphasis on instrumentation beginning with measuring basso continuo, and a whole new approach to voice finding vehicle in opera.

By the time of the Renaissance the world had ceased to belong to the Church or monarchs alone. A merchant class had long since been in the business of building dynasties increasingly powerful in relation to Church or sovereign. Ample example is the banking empire of the Medicis during the 15th century, affording their own rise to nobility during the Renaissance, not to mention multiple cardinals and Pope Leo X. With the increasing wealth of royalty based in owning real estate came increasing detachment from pressing need to attend to it, paving the path to the "dilettante" or, one whose "delight" or "devotion" is the arts. One illustrious example of such during the first century of baroque was exiled Queen of Sweden, Christina (1626-89), darling of the Catholic Church in Rome and foremost patroness of the arts who, with no kingdom to oversee, surrounded herself with culture instead. Christina was in her forties when Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was born to a rich paper merchant in Venice, staunch ally of Rome, on 6 June 1671. Albinoni referred to himself as "Dilettante Veneto," that is, Venetian amateur in the arts, for he had no financial need, at least for a time, to pursue music professionally. His father's wealth, however, was of commercial industry, and even kings like Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) with all his entertainments in all his pomp had to attend at least somewhat to matters by which his power was wrought. Just what Albinoni's father thought of his son's greater interest in violin, singing and composition than the craft of a stationer is speculation. Along with properties Albinoni's father owned multiple shops at which he sold such as playing cards and stationary. Though he was the oldest of his brothers his father's death in 1709 saw his businesses run by them as Tomaso continued to dedicate himself to music. This sweet source of income, however, wasn't to last, for his father had old debts for which the brothers' properties were seized by lawsuit in 1721, Tomaso losing his wife that year as well.

Big name Venetian contemporaries of Albinoni were Antonio Lotti (1667-1740) and Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). Albinoni himself composed operas, cantatas, concerti and sonatas as well as sinfonias, ballets (balletti) and chamber music (armonici per camera). A main source of knowledge about Albinoni had been handwritten manuscripts held at the Dresden State Library until they were destroyed during the World War II bombing of Dresden. Enter here the odd case of 'Adagio in G minor' aka 'Albinoni’s Adagio'. It was 1945 when Remo Giazotto (1910-98) claimed to have recovered a fragment of a trio sonata of 1708 ('Sonata da chiesa') by Albinoni from the ruins of the library, that consisting of six bars of melody with basso continuo. In 1958 Giazotto published 'Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ on Two Thematic Ideas and on a Figured Bass by Tomaso Albinoni', which quickly became Albiinoni's most famous piece, a beautiful creation as completed and copyrighted by Giazotto, until suspicions arose as early as 1968 that no such fragment might exist, that in reply by Barbara Wiermann of the Saxon State Library to inquiry by the Italian publishing house, Ricordi. Upon Giazotto's death in 1998 the claim of six bars of melody for violin along a score for basso continuo was repeated by Giazotto's assistant, Muska Mangano, finding among Giazotto's papers not physical fragments, but a photocopy of a modern transcription by an anonymous editor bearing a Dresden stamp. That was reproduced in 2007 in a dissertation by Nicola Schneider titled 'La tradizione delle opere di Tomaso Albinoni a Dresda'. Still, where were the fragments? Each with their own reasons, two camps continue to contest whether Giazotto finished what Albinoni had begun or composed the entire piece himself, only pretending to be derived from Albinoni. Giazotto had been a respected music historian at the University of Florence. Prior to publishing 'Adagio in G Minor' he had written a biography of Albinoni (among others like Vivaldi) including a catalogue titled 'Musico di Violino Dilettante Veneto', and would through the years hold multiple distinguished positions in academia and radio. The general consensus is that it would have been out of character for Giazotto to have invented the existence of what wasn't, regarded an honest scholar. Among reasons to think otherwise are cited the adagio's small resemblance to other works by Albinoni, and the considerable royalties Giazotto earned from the composition due to association with Albinoni. That is, though Giazotto's work is surely a beauty, remove Albinoni's name and its far less likely that it would have achieved to so great success or reputation that it has. One thing, anyway, is certain: however much Albinoni is in Giazotto's 'Adagio in G minor' it was at least inspired by him.

Albinoni's opuses are ten, that is, ten published books, all instrumentals excepting Op 4 for solo voice. As Albinoni's instrumentals are in general more esteemed than his vocal works we focus on those publications herein rather than operas or other voice not published. Instrumental works without opus (WO), that is, not published, are designated by other than Op number such as Si for sinfonia, Co for concerto and So for sonata.

Albinoni dedicated his Opus 1, '12 Sonate a tres', to Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni in 1694, published in Venice. J.S. Bach borrowed from sonatas therein for several of his works. Albinoni produced his first opera in 1694 as well: 'Zenobia'. The next several years saw the increase of his popularity throughout Italy as he traveled to stage his operas of which he authored above fifty over the years.

Opus 1: '12 Sonate a tre'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

12 trio sonatas for 2 violins w continuo

Published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala 1694

Dedication to Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni

Performance: L'Arte dell'Arco

This album: 'Trio Sonatas Op.1' on Brilliant Classics 94784 / 2016

Albinoni's Op 2, '6 Sinfonie e 6 Concerti a cinque', appeared in 1700 dedicated to Charles IV, Duke of Mantua. J.S. Bach borrowed from the concluding allegro of Sonata (Sinfonia) No.5 for the second allegro in his Third Brandenburg Concerto. Nearly sixty concerti appeared in five of Albinoni's published works.

Opus 2: 'Sei Sinfonie e Sei Concerti a cinque'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

This recording: 6 sonatas (sinfonie) for strings w continuo

Published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala 1700

Dedication to Principe Ferdinando Carlo da Mantua

Performance: Ensemble 415 / Chiara Banchini / 2009

Albinoni's Op 3, '12 Balletti de camera a tre', arrived in 1701 in dedication to Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany.

Opus 3: '12 Balletti à tre'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

12 trio balletti for 2 violins & cello w continuo

Published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala 1701

Dedication to Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici

Performance: Ensemble Benedetto Marcello

This album: 'Balletti a tre op. 3' 2006

Albinoni's Op 4, '12 Cantate da camera a voce sola', was published in 1702. This is the collection for solo voice actually gathered by Albinoni, the "real" Op 4 that was published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala. These were written six for soprano and six for alto. The second "Op 4" is an unauthorized collection called '6 Sonate da Chiesa' published in Amsterdam by Éstienne Roger in 1708. This was a pirating of violin pieces which Roger labeled "Opera Quarta" for reasons unclear. "Pirating" was a practice by publishers of printing compositions from beyond national boundaries, remuneration to their authors not absolutely requisite. A printer in England could sell Italian works by simply copying them. Nor could Italian and Venetian publishers satisfy the demand for Italian and Venetian works. To reach a wider audience authors and composers often switched from local publishing firms to houses elsewhere. Albinoni would trade his Venetian publisher for Roger in Amsterdam in 1711.

Cantatas 1, 3, 5 ,7 , 9 & 11 of Opus 4: '12 Cantate a voce sola'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

Published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala 1702

Dedication to Francesco Maria de' Medici

Soprano: Barbara Schlick   Countertenor: Derek Lee Ragin

Harpsichord: Roderick Shaw   Violoncello: Nicholas Selo

This album: 'Complete Cantatas Op. 4' on Etcetera 1999

Albinoni's Op 5, '12 Concerti a cinque', saw print in 1707.

Opus 5: '12 Concerti a cinque'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

For 2 violins & 2 violas w basso continuo

Published in Venice by Giuseppe Sala 1707

I Musici w violin by Pina Carmirelli   1974

Albinoni's Op 6, '12 Sonate da camera for violin and bass', was Albinoni's first volume to be published in Amsterdam rather than Venice in 1711, as would be the remainder.

Opus 6: '12 Trattenimenti armonici' ('12 Harmonic Entertainments')   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

 12 chamber sonatas for violin w basso continuo

Published in Amsterdam by Estienne Roger 1711

Violin: Piero Toso   Harpsichord: Edoardo Farina   Cello: Susan Moses

German Evangelical Church in Paris   June 1979

Albinoni's Op 7, '12 Concerti a cinque for strings and oboe(s)', saw print in 1716.

Opus 7: '12 Concerti a cinque'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

 For violin or oboe(s) & strings w continuo

Published in Amsterdam by Estienne Roger 1715

Berlin Chamber Orchestra

Albinoni's Op 8, '6 Balletti & 6 Sonate a tre', arrived to print in 1722, composed for two violins with basso continuo. Albinoni also traveled to Munich in 1722 to direct the opera, 'I veri amicia', for Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria of the Holy Roman Empire. His Op 9, '12 Concerti a cinque for strings and oboe(s)', was possibly authored while visiting Maximilian. This may be Albioni's most appreciated work, published in 1722 as well.

Opus 9: '12 Concerti a cinque'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

 For solo violin w orchestra: 2 violins, 1 or oboes, viola & cello w continuo

Published in Amsterdam by Michel-Charles Le Cène 1722

Dedication: Elector of Bavaria Maximilian II Emanuel

I Musici   Recorded in Rome 1966/67   (bonus Adagio recorded 1960)

This album: 'Albinoni: Concerti op. 9 | Adagio' on Philips Classics 1997

Albinoni's Op 10, '12 Concerti a cinque', saw print in 1735.

Opus 10: '12 Concerti a cinque'   Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

 For solo violin w orchestra: 2 violins, viola & cello w continuo

Published in Amsterdam in 1735/36

Dedication: Marchese Luca Fernando Patigno del Castelar

I Musici   Roberto Michelucci

We wrap this presentation of Albinoni with the famous 'Adagio in G minor' by Remo Giazotto published in 1958, said to be from a fragment possibly of about 1708 but never produced as proof. Again, this is said to be from a line for basso continuo with six bars of melody but never come to light. If it wasn't derived from any factual Albinoni manuscript, it was at least certainly inspired by him. Though it may witness no actual Albinoni, this verily lovely work which holds the heart is, ironically, for what Albinoni is most well-known, used in multiple recordings, films, advertisements, et al. Whatever Giazotto did here, who in occupation was far more the scholar than composer, he crowned himself a master in it.

 'Adagio in G minor' aka 'Albinoni's Adagio'   Remo Giazotto

 Possibly derived from claimed but never forthcoming Albinoni fragment

Published 1958

London Philharmonic Orchestra   David Parry

Albinoni died in Venice on 17 Jan of 1751 of diabetes.