Adagio in G minor
Encyclopedia
The Adagio in G minor for violin
, strings and organ
continuo
, is a neo-Baroque
composition popularly attributed to the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni
, but composed by the 20th-century musicologist and Albinoni
biographer Remo Giazotto
and based on the disputed discovery of a manuscript fragment from Albinoni.
portion) from a slow second movement of an otherwise unknown Albinoni trio sonata
. According to Giazotto, he obtained the document shortly after the end of World War II
from the Saxon State Library
in Dresden
, which − though its buildings were destroyed in the bombing raids of February and March 1945
by the British and American Air Forces − had evacuated and preserved most of its collection. Giazotto concluded that the manuscript fragment was a portion of a church sonata (sonata da chiesa
, one of two standard forms of the trio sonata
) in G minor composed by Albinoni, possibly as part of his Op. 4 set, around 1708. In his account, Giazotto then constructed the balance of the complete single-movement work based on this fragmentary theme. He copyrighted it and published it in 1958, under a title which, translated into English, reads "Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ, on Two Thematic Ideas and on a Figured Bass by Tomaso Albinoni". Giazotto never produced the manuscript fragment, and since his death in 1998 no official record of its presence in the collection of the Saxon State Library has been found. However, the discovery by musicologist Muska Mangano, Giazotto's last assistant, of a modern but independent manuscript transcription of the figured bass portion and six fragmentary bars of the first violin, "bearing in the top right-hand corner a stamp stating unequivocally the Dresden provenance of the original from which it was taken," provides some support for Giazotto's account that Albinoni was his source. The scholarly consensus is that the Adagio is Giazotto's composition, whatever source may have inspired him.
The piece is most commonly orchestrated for string ensemble and organ, or string ensemble alone, but has achieved a level of fame such that it is commonly transcribed for other instruments. The Italian conductor Ino Savini (1904–1995) transcribed the Adagio for a large orchestra and conducted the piece himself in Ostrava in 1967 with the Janacek Philharmonic.
The composition has also permeated popular culture, having been used as background music for such films as Gallipoli
, in television programmes, and in advertisements.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, strings and organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
continuo
Figured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
, is a neo-Baroque
Musical historicism
Musical historicism signifies the use of historical materials, structures, styles, techniques, media, conceptual content, etc., whether by a single composer or those associated with a particular school, movement, or period...
composition popularly attributed to the 18th-century Venetian master Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, such as the concertos, some of which are regularly recorded.-Biography:Born in Venice, Republic of Venice, to Antonio Albinoni, a...
, but composed by the 20th-century musicologist and Albinoni
Tomaso Albinoni
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni was an Italian Baroque composer. While famous in his day as an opera composer, he is mainly remembered today for his instrumental music, such as the concertos, some of which are regularly recorded.-Biography:Born in Venice, Republic of Venice, to Antonio Albinoni, a...
biographer Remo Giazotto
Remo Giazotto
Remo Giazotto was an Italian musicologist, music critic, and composer, mostly known through his systematic catalogue of the works of Tomaso Albinoni...
and based on the disputed discovery of a manuscript fragment from Albinoni.
Provenance
Although the composition is often referred to as "Albinoni's Adagio," or "Adagio in G minor by Albinoni, arranged by Giazotto," the attribution is incorrect. The ascription to Albinoni rests upon Giazotto's purported discovery of a tiny manuscript fragment (consisting of a few opening measures of the melody line and basso continuoFigured bass
Figured bass, or thoroughbass, is a kind of integer musical notation used to indicate intervals, chords, and non-chord tones, in relation to a bass note...
portion) from a slow second movement of an otherwise unknown Albinoni trio sonata
Trio sonata
The trio sonata is a musical form that was popular in the 17th and early 18th centuries.A trio sonata is written for two solo melodic instruments and basso continuo, making three parts in all, hence the name trio sonata...
. According to Giazotto, he obtained the document shortly after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from the Saxon State Library
Saxon State Library
The Saxon State Library in Dresden is the Staatsbibliothek of Saxony and the academic library of the Technische Universität Dresden. It is one of the main public archival centers of Germany. Its treasures, collected over four centuries, were located in the Japanisches Palais and in temporary...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, which − though its buildings were destroyed in the bombing raids of February and March 1945
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
by the British and American Air Forces − had evacuated and preserved most of its collection. Giazotto concluded that the manuscript fragment was a portion of a church sonata (sonata da chiesa
Sonata da chiesa
Sonata da chiesa is an instrumental composition dating from the Baroque period, generally consisting of four movements. More than one melody was often used, and the movements were ordered slow–fast–slow–fast with respect to tempo...
, one of two standard forms of the trio sonata
Trio sonata
The trio sonata is a musical form that was popular in the 17th and early 18th centuries.A trio sonata is written for two solo melodic instruments and basso continuo, making three parts in all, hence the name trio sonata...
) in G minor composed by Albinoni, possibly as part of his Op. 4 set, around 1708. In his account, Giazotto then constructed the balance of the complete single-movement work based on this fragmentary theme. He copyrighted it and published it in 1958, under a title which, translated into English, reads "Adagio in G Minor for Strings and Organ, on Two Thematic Ideas and on a Figured Bass by Tomaso Albinoni". Giazotto never produced the manuscript fragment, and since his death in 1998 no official record of its presence in the collection of the Saxon State Library has been found. However, the discovery by musicologist Muska Mangano, Giazotto's last assistant, of a modern but independent manuscript transcription of the figured bass portion and six fragmentary bars of the first violin, "bearing in the top right-hand corner a stamp stating unequivocally the Dresden provenance of the original from which it was taken," provides some support for Giazotto's account that Albinoni was his source. The scholarly consensus is that the Adagio is Giazotto's composition, whatever source may have inspired him.
The piece is most commonly orchestrated for string ensemble and organ, or string ensemble alone, but has achieved a level of fame such that it is commonly transcribed for other instruments. The Italian conductor Ino Savini (1904–1995) transcribed the Adagio for a large orchestra and conducted the piece himself in Ostrava in 1967 with the Janacek Philharmonic.
The composition has also permeated popular culture, having been used as background music for such films as Gallipoli
Gallipoli (1981 film)
Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the...
, in television programmes, and in advertisements.
Film
The Adagio was used:- as an underlying score for Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' 1962 film adaption of KafkaFranz KafkaFranz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
's The TrialThe Trial (1962 film)The Trial is a 1962 film directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay based on the novel of the same name by Franz Kafka... - in the 1962 film Sundays and CybeleSundays and CybeleSundays and Cybele is a 1962 French film directed by Serge Bourguignon. Its original French title is Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray , referring to the Ville-d'Avray suburb of Paris. The film tells the tragic story of a 12-year-old French orphan girl who is befriended by an innocent but emotionally...
(original title Les dimanches de Ville d'Avray) - as a recurring theme in Rudolf Thome's 1969 film Rote Sonne
- in the 1974 Werner HerzogWerner HerzogWerner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
film The Enigma of Kaspar HauserThe Enigma of Kaspar HauserThe Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is a 1974 West German drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog about the legend of Kaspar Hauser. Its original German title is Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle, which means "Every man for himself and God against them all"... - in the original 1975 version of the film RollerballRollerball (1975 film)Rollerball is a 1975 American dystopian fiction film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by William Harrison, who adapted his own short story "Roller Ball Murder", which first appeared in 1973 in Esquire magazine.-The Game:...
- in the 19811981 in film-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
Peter WeirPeter WeirPeter Lindsay Weir, AM is an Australian film director. After playing a leading role in the Australian New Wave cinema with his films such as Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Last Wave and Gallipoli, Weir directed a diverse group of American and international films—many of them major box office...
film GallipoliGallipoli (1981 film)Gallipoli is a 1981 Australian film, directed by Peter Weir and starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, about several young men from rural Western Australia who enlist in the Australian Army during the First World War. They are sent to Turkey, where they take part in the Gallipoli Campaign. During the... - in the 1981 film DragonslayerDragonslayerDragonslayer is a 1981 fantasy movie set in a fictional medieval kingdom, following a young wizard who experiences danger and opposition as he attempts to defeat a dragon....
- in the 1982 animated Captain HarlockCaptain Harlockis a fictional character created by manga artist Leiji Matsumoto.Harlock is the archetypical romantic hero, a space pirate with an individualist philosophy of life. He is as noble as he is taciturn, rebellious, stoically fighting against totalitarian regimes, whether they be earthborn or alien...
film Arcadia of My YouthArcadia of My Youthis an anime film depicting the origin of Leiji Matsumoto's seminal character Captain Harlock. At one time, it was considered to be the central hub of the so called Leijiverse with other works such as Galaxy Express 999 and 1978's Space Pirate Captain Harlock television series occurring sometime... - in the 1983 Rowan AtkinsonRowan AtkinsonRowan Sebastian Atkinson is a British actor, comedian, and screenwriter. He is most famous for his work on the satirical sketch comedy show Not The Nine O'Clock News, and the sitcoms Blackadder, Mr. Bean and The Thin Blue Line...
short "Dead On TimeDead on Time (1983 film)Dead on Time is a 1983 British short film directed by Lyndall Hobbs and written by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. The film is a comedy which tells the story of Bernard Fripp a man who, on attending a routine check-up, is diagnosed by his doctor as having a rare disease leaving him only 30...
" - in the 1983 film FlashdanceFlashdanceAnother song used in the film, "Maniac", was also nominated for an Academy Award. It was written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky, and was inspired by the 1980 horror film Maniac. The lyrics about a killer on the loose were rewritten so that it could be used in Flashdance...
- in the 1989 Russian animated film Adagio by Garry Bardin
- in the 1989 Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
version of The Phantom of the OperaThe Phantom of the Opera (1989 film)The Phantom of the Opera: The Motion Picture is a 1989 horror film directed by Dwight H. Little and based on Gaston Leroux's novel of the same name....
, as the Phantom's masterpiece "Don Juan TriumphantDon Juan TriumphantDon Juan Triumphant is the name of a fictional piece of music written by the title character in the novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the musical adaptation, the concept is expanded as an opera within a musical.-The novel:...
" (with lyrics added) - in the scenes meant to portray cellist Vedran SmailovićVedran SmailovicVedran Smailović , known as the "Cellist of Sarajevo", is a musician from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a former cellist in the Sarajevo String Quartet....
in the 1997 film Welcome to SarajevoWelcome To SarajevoWelcome to Sarajevo is a British war film from 1997. It is directed by Michael Winterbottom. The screenplay is by Frank Cottrell Boyce and is based on the book Natasha's Story by Michael Nicholson.- Synopsis :... - in the 1998 Swedish film Show Me Love (original title Fucking Åmål)
- as the main theme of Norman McLarenNorman McLarenNorman McLaren, CC, CQ was a Scottish-born Canadian animator and film director known for his work for the National Film Board of Canada...
's film Ballet Adagio, a slow-motion study on ballet - in Turkish director Zeki DemirkubuzZeki DemirkubuzZeki Demirkubuz is a contemporary Turkish film director, screenwriter, producer and film editor.- Biography :...
's 2009 film Kıskanmak (Envy)Envy (2009 film)Envy is an 2009 Turkish drama film, written and directed by Zeki Demirkubuz based on the novel of the same name by Nahit Sirri Orik, about a married woman who has an affair with the son of a rich man... - in the 2011 Finnish film Kotirauha
Television
- in the Monty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python's Flying CircusMonty Python’s Flying Circus is a BBC TV sketch comedy series. The shows were composed of surreality, risqué or innuendo-laden humour, sight gags and observational sketches without punchlines...
sketch Funniest Joke in the World, the piece is unsuccessfully used in order to prevent fatal hilarityFatal hilarityRecorded cases of death from laughter date back to ancient Greece.- Pathophysiology :Death may result from several pathologies that deviate from benign laughter. Infarction of the pons and medulla oblongata in the brain may cause pathological laughter....
from reading the joke. This is an anachronism, as the sketch is situated in World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
-era Britain, over a decade before the composition was published. - as background music in the 1975 science-fiction series Space: 1999Space: 1999Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
(1975–77) (Episode Dragon's Domain) - as background music in the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy/drama series ButterfliesButterflies (TV series)Butterflies is a British sitcom written by Carla Lane broadcast on BBC2 from 1978–83.The situation is the day-to-day life of the Parkinson family in a bittersweet style. There are both traditional comedy sources and more unusual sources such as Ria's unconsummated relationship with the...
(1978–83) - as the theme music for the 1980 BBC version of Thérèse RaquinThérèse RaquinThérèse Raquin is the title of a novel and a play by the French writer Émile Zola. The novel was originally published in serial format in the journal L'Artiste and in book format in December of the same year.-Plot introduction:Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to...
.
Popular music
The piece was used in pop music by :- RenaissanceRenaissance (band)Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...
, in their song "Cold Is Being" on the album Turn of the CardsTurn of the CardsTurn of the Cards is a 1974 album by progressive rock band Renaissance.-Information about the album:* "Things I Don't Understand" was founder member Jim McCarty's last contribution to the band; it had already been performed live for several years when it was finally recorded.* "Running Hard" quotes...
(1974). Also recorded by frontwoman Annie HaslamAnnie HaslamAnnie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
as "Save Us All" on her second solo album Still LifeStill Life (Annie Haslam album)Still Life is the second solo album by Renaissance vocalist Annie Haslam, recorded with Louis Clark and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 1985....
(1985) - The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
, in "Feast of Friends" on the album An American Prayer (1978) & as a 40th anniversary bonus track on the album Waiting for the SunWaiting for the SunWaiting for the Sun is the third studio album by the American rock band The Doors. It was released in 1968 and became the band's first and only number one album and spawned their second US number one single, "Hello, I Love You". It also became the band's first hit album in the UK, where it peaked...
(1968) - Yngwie Malmsteen, in Icarus Dream Suite Op. 4 (1984)
- Sarah BrightmanSarah BrightmanSarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
has a vocal version, "Anytime, Anywhere" on the album EdenEden (Sarah Brightman album)Eden is a 1998 album by English soprano Sarah Brightman. It was released under license by Nemo Studios to Angel Records.Like Brightman's later album, La Luna, Eden juxtaposed mostly English pop songs with mostly Italian opera songs. This was a departure from her previous albums which was almost...
(1998) This was then covered by Will MartinWill MartinWill Martin is a New Zealand-born classical crossover singer.Martin's first album, released in his native New Zealand, went platinum in 6 weeks. The album, called A New World, featured songs such as "Into the West", "If" and "Going Home".Will commented on his success with “I am an entertainer; I...
in 2007. - In 1999, Lara FabianLara FabianLara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
recorded a crossoverCrossover-Fiction and media:* Fictional crossover, a storyline combining characters or settings from separate fictional properties** Fictional crossovers in video games* Crossover , a 2002 documentary by Justin Lin...
in both EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, named "Adagio" (later coved by Il DivoIl DivoIl Divo is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music...
). - In 2011, RussianRussiansThe Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
singer VitasVitasVitaliy "Vitalik" Vladasovich Grachyov , better known by his stage name Vitas , is a Russian singer-songwriter.Known for his high falsetto voice, he has been given the nickname "Prince of the Dolphin Voice" in China...
covered an ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
version of "Adagio" for his new program Say You Love.