Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (June 8, 1671, Venice, Italy РJanuary 17, 1751, Venice) was an Italian baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, some of which is regularly recorded. His "Adagio in G minor", actually a later reconstruction, is one of the most frequently recorded pieces of Baroque music. June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... Venice is known for its waterways and gondolas Gondola. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Adam Smith is appointed professor of logic at the University of Glasgow March 25 - For the last time, New Years Day is legally on March 25 in England and Wales. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 to 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... A composer is a person who writes music. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Op̩ra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ... Composed by Remo Giazotto (20th century) based on some parts for violin by Albinoni ...

Life

Tomaso Albinoni

Born to Antonio Albinoni (1634–1709), a wealthy paper merchant and nobleman in Venice, he studied violin and singing. Relatively little is known about his life, especially considering his contemporary stature as a composer, and the comparatively well-documented period in which he lived. In 1694 he dedicated his Opus 1 to the fellow-Venetian Pietro, Cardinal Ottoboni (grand-nephew of Pope Alexander VIII); Ottoboni was an important patron in Rome of other composers, such as Arcangelo Corelli. Albinoni was employed in 1700 as a violinist to the Fernando Carlo, Duke of Mantua, to whom he dedicated his Opus 2 collection of instrumental pieces. In 1701 he wrote his hugely popular suites Opus 3, and dedicated that collection to Grand Duke Ferdinand III of Tuscany. Image File history File links Albinoni. ... Location within Italy Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venexia) 45°26′N 12°19′E, the city of canals, is the capital of the region of Veneto and of the province of Venice in Italy. ... The violin is a bowed stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a perfect fifth apart, the lowest being the G just below middle C. It is the smallest and highest-tuned member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello. ... Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, often constrasted with speech. ... Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. ... Pietro, Cardinal Ottoboni, the Cardinal Ottoboni (1667–February 29, 1740), was a member of the noble Venetian family and the grand-nephew of the Venetian Pope Alexander VIII(1689–1691). ... Alexander VIII, né Pietro Vito Ottoboni (April 22, 1610 - February 1, 1691), pope from 1689 to 1691, was born of a noble Venetian family, and was the son of Marco Ottoboni, chancellor of the Republic of Venice. ... Arcangelo Corelli (February 17, 1653 – January 19, 1713) was an Italian violin player and Baroque music composer. ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ... The Duchy of Mantua was ruled by the Gonzaga family from 1328 to 1708. ... Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, or, more fully, His Imperial and Royal Highness Ferdinando III Giuseppe Giovanni Baptista Grand Duke of Tuscany, Archduke of Austria, Prince of Hungary and Bohemia, (May 6, 1769 - June 18, 1824; born and died in Florence, Italy), was the son of Leopold II of...

In 1705 he was married; Antonino Biffi, the maestro di cappella of San Marco was a witness, and evidently was a friend of Albinoni's. Albinoni seems to have no other connection with that primary musical establishment in Venice, however, and achieved his early fame as an opera composer at many cities in Italy, including Venice, Genoa, Bologna, Mantua, Udine, Piacenza, and Naples. During this time he was also composing instrumental music in abundance: prior to 1705, he mostly wrote trio sonatas and violin concertos, but between then and 1719 he wrote solo sonatas and concertos for oboe. Events Construction begins on Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England. ... San Marco di Venezia, as seen from the Piazza San Marco St Marks Basilica (Italian: Basilica di San Marco) is the most famous of the churches of Venice and one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. ... Location within Italy Christopher Columbus monument in Piazza Aquaverde Genoa (Italian Genova, Genoese Zena, French Gênes, German Genua, Spanish Génova, Galician Xénova) is a city and a seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. ... Bologna (pronounced , from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines. ... Location of the city View of the city, Alps in background Udine (Friulian Udin, Slovene Videm) is a city in the north-east of Italy, capital of the historical region of Friuli, in the middle of Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic sea and the Alps (Alpi Carniche), 20... Piacenza (Placentia in Latin and old-fashioned English, Piasëinsa in the local dialect) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. ... Naples panorama Naples (Italian Napoli, Neapolitan Napule, from Greek Νέα Πόλις - Néa Pólis - meaning New City; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is the largest city in southern Italy and capital of Campania Region and the Province of Naples. ... The trio sonata is a musical form which was particularly popular around the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. ... A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin and orchestra. ... Sonata (From Latin and Italian sonare, to sound), in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to cantata (Latin cantare, to sing), a piece sung. ... Modern Oboe The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

Unlike most composers of his time, he appears never to have sought a post at either a church or court of nobility, but then he was a man of independent means and had the option to compose music independently. Then, in 1722, Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria, to whom Albinoni had dedicated a set of twelve concertos, invited him to direct the Elector's operas. Church in Villach, Austria. ... A royal or noble court, as an instrument of government broader than a court of justice, comprises an extended household centered on a patron whose rule may govern law or be governed by it. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... // Events Abraham De Moivre states De Moivres theorem connecting trigonometric functions and complex numbers Publication of the first book of Bachs Well-Tempered Clavier Fall of Persias Safavid dynasty during a bloody revolt of the Afghani people. ... Maximilian II Emanuel (July 11, 1662 - February 26, 1726) was a Wittelsbach ruler of Bavaria and an elector (Kurfürst) of the Holy Roman Empire. ... In classical music, the word concerto (pl. ... The foyer of Charles Garniers Opéra, Paris, opened 1875 Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the lyrics. ...

In 1742 a collection of Albinoni's violin sonatas was published in France as a posthumous work, and scholars long presumed that meant that Albinoni had died by that time. However it appears he lived on in Venice in obscurity; a record from the parish of San Barnaba, where he was born, indicates a Tomaso Albinoni died in 1751, "age 84" (presumed to be a mistake), of diabetes.

Music and influence

He wrote some fifty operas, of which 28 were produced in Venice between 1723 and 1740, but today is most noted for his instrumental music, especially his oboe concertos. An instrumental is, in contrast to a song, a musical composition or piece without lyrics or any other sort of vocal music; all of the music is produced by musical instruments. ... Modern Oboe The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ...

His instrumental music greatly attracted the attention of Johann Sebastian Bach, who wrote at least two fugues on Albinoni's themes and constantly used his basses for harmony exercises for his pupils. Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together almost all of the strands of the baroque style and brought it to its ultimate maturity. ... In music, a fugue is a type of piece written for counterpoint for several independent musical voices. ... Bass (IPA: [], rhyming with face), when used as an adjective, describes tones of low frequency. ... Harmony is the use and study of pitch simultaneity and chords, actual or implied, in music. ...

Much of Albinoni's work was lost in World War II with the destruction of the Dresden State Library, thus little is known of his life and music after the mid 1720s. Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... Events and Trends Manufacture of the earliest surviving pianos. ...

The famous Albinoni Adagio in G Minor is a 1945 reconstruction by Remo Giazotto of a fragment from a slow movement of a trio sonata he discovered among the ruins of the State Library. The piece has been used most notably in the 1981 film Gallipoli, which is set in the World War I battle of the same name. Composed by Remo Giazotto (20th century) based on some parts for violin by Albinoni ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Remo Giazotto (born in Rome, Italy in 1910, died Pisa, 1998) was an Italian musicologist, mostly known through his systematic catalogue of the works of Tomaso Albinoni. ... The trio sonata is a musical form which was particularly popular around the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The film Gallipoli (1981) is an account of several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian armed forces during World War I. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Battle of Gallipoli. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million World War I...

Published works

• Op. 1 1694 12 Sonata a tre.
• Op. 2 1700 6 Sinfonias & 6 Concerti a 5.
• Op. 3 1701 12 Baletti de Camera a tre.
• Op. 4 1704 6 Sonates da chiesa for violin & B.C. 1708 published by Roger à Amsterdam.
• Op. 5 1707 12 Concertos pour violin & B.C.
• Op. 6 1711 12 sonata da camera.
• Op. 7 1716 12 Concertos for 1 or 2 oboe and strings.
• Op. 8 1721 6 Sonates & 6 Baletti a tre.
• Op. 9 1722 12 Concertos pour 1 or 2 oboe and strings.
• Op. 10  ?? 12 Violin Concertos

Contemporary performances and popular culture use

The Adagio in G minor has achieved a level of fame such that it is commonly transcribed for other instruments, and used in popular culture (for example, it has had several occurrences as background music for television programs, and as music in advertisements). One example of a transcription is the recording of the Adagio by classical guitarist Dominic Miller, an Argentine born musician who tours with Sting. It should be noted that the Adagio itself is a transcription and reconstruction of a portion of a single movement of a work, most of which is lost. Composed by Remo Giazotto (20th century) based on some parts for violin by Albinoni ... Dominic Miller is an Argentine guitarist. ... Sting in Budapest, 2000 Gordon Matthew Sumner, CBE (born October 2, 1951), usually known by his stage name Sting, is an English musician from Newcastle upon Tyne. ...

The Doors 1978 album "An American Prayer" made use of the theme from the Adagio in G Minor. During the 1980s Swedish born guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen used the same work in the composition Icarus Dream Suite, which he later used live during the intro for Far Beyond the Sun, which can be heard on the Trial by Fire album. It was also used effectively at the very sad end of the aforementioned film Gallipoli, which starred Mel Gibson as a World War I soldier. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... Yngwie Johann Malmsteen (IPA: /ɪŋ.veɪ/) (born Lars Johann Yngve Lannerbäck, June 30, 1963) is a virtuoso guitarist from Sweden who achieved widespread acclaim in the 1980s due to his technical proficiency and fusion of classical music elements with heavy rock guitar. ... Trial by fire refers to: A form of trial by ordeal; An album by Bachman-Turner Overdrive An album by Journey; Trial by Fire An album by Yngwie J. Malmsteen; see Trial by Fire An episode of The Outer Limits television show The second game in the Quest for Glory... Gallipoli is a 1981 film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War. ... Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American-born Australian-reared actor, Academy Award winning director and producer best known for acting in the Mad Max movie series, the Lethal Weapon series, acting in and directing the Academy Award winning Braveheart and directing the 2004 blockbuster The... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million World War I...

External links

• Free scores by Tomaso Albinoni in the Werner Icking Music Archive
• Easybyte - free easy piano arrangement of "Adagio in G Minor" plus midi sound file

The Werner Icking Music Archive, often abbreviated WIMA, is a web archive of public domain sheet music. ...

References

• Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Venetian Instrumental Music, from Gabrieli to Vivaldi. New York, Dover Publications, 1994. ISBN 0486281515
• Michael Talbot: "Tomaso Albinoni", Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed June 25, 2005), (subscription access)