Famous for "Albinoni's Adagio"1Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (1671-1751) was a great Baroque composer.1671November 8stHe was born in Venice, Italy in 1911. Not only was he famous as an opera composer during his lifetime, but he also left behind many instrumental works, and today his oboe concertos are particularly well performed.
Albinoni "Oboe Concerto in D minor Op.9 – 2"
Now, he had a rare characteristic for a composer of his time. As you know, most composers at that time were employed by someone and were forced to write songs that their employers liked, but Albinoni was the son of an aristocrat and was wealthy, so he was able to continue writing his own favorite songs independently. I think this can also be seen in the advanced nature of his works. Let's listen to the bold chromatic progression in the theme of the second movement Allegro of "Trio Sonata in B minor Op. 1694 No.1", one of his debut works written in 8.
Albinoni "Trio Sonata in B minor Op.1 – 8"
At the time, there was a composer who was attracted to his music. Johann Sebastian Bach, 14 years younger than Albinoni, wrote a fugue on a theme by Albinoni.2It is also said that he often used Albinoni's bass exercises to help his students practice harmony.
The last piece I'd like to introduce today is one of these, Fugue BWV 951, composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. This piece is thought to have been composed during his Weimar-Köthen period (1710-20), and is based on the theme of the second movement Allegro of the Trio Sonata in B minor, Op. 1 No. 8, which I introduced earlier. Please listen to it.
JS Bach "Fuga in B minor BWV 951"
footnote
- However, as I have written before, "Albinoni's Adagio" is not composed by Albinoni, but a neo-Romantic piece from 1958 composed by Louis Giazotto.Albinoni's Adagio is not composed by Albinoni!
- "Fugue in C major BWV946","Fuga in A major BWV950","Fugue in B minor BWV 951"