Alessandro Marcello
Encyclopedia
Alessandro Marcello was an Italian
nobleman, poet, philosopher, mathematician and music
ian.
. He composed and published several sets of concerto
s, including six concertos under the title of La Cetra
(The Lyre), as well as cantata
s, aria
s, canzonets, and violin sonata
s. Marcello, being a slightly older contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi
, often composed under the pseudonym Eterio Stinfalico, his name as a member of the celebrated Arcadian Academy (Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi). He died in Padua in 1747.
Alessandro's brother was Benedetto Marcello
, also a composer, who illegally married his singing student Rosanna Scalfi
in 1728. After his death she was unable to inherit his estate, and in 1742 she filed suit against Alessandro Marcello, seeking financial support.
concertos are "unusual for their wind solo parts, concision and use of counterpoint within a broadly Vivaldian style," according to Grove, "placing them as a last outpost of the classic Venetian Baroque concerto."
A concerto
Marcello wrote in D minor for oboe
, string
s and basso continuo is perhaps his best-known work. Its worth was affirmed by Johann Sebastian Bach
who transcribe
d it for harpsichord
(BWV
974). A number of editions have been published of the famous Oboe Concerto in D minor. The edition in C minor is credited to Benedetto Marcello.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
nobleman, poet, philosopher, mathematician and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
ian.
Biography
Marcello held concerts at his hometown of VeniceVenice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
. He composed and published several sets of concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
s, including six concertos under the title of La Cetra
La Cetra
The Cetra was a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in ancient times, belonging to the chordophone family. The instrument was initially constructed in wood, similar to the lyre, but with a larger harmonic case....
(The Lyre), as well as cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
s, aria
Aria
An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...
s, canzonets, and violin sonata
Violin sonata
A violin sonata is a musical composition for violin, which is nearly always accompanied by a piano or other keyboard instrument, or by figured bass in the Baroque period.-A:*Ella Adayevskaya**Sonata Greca for Violin or Clarinet and Piano...
s. Marcello, being a slightly older contemporary of Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
, often composed under the pseudonym Eterio Stinfalico, his name as a member of the celebrated Arcadian Academy (Pontificia Accademia degli Arcadi). He died in Padua in 1747.
Alessandro's brother was Benedetto Marcello
Benedetto Marcello
Benedetto Marcello was a Venetian composer, writer, advocate, magistrate, and teacher.-Life:...
, also a composer, who illegally married his singing student Rosanna Scalfi
Rosanna Scalfi Marcello
-Life:Rosanna Scalfi was a gondola singer of Venetian arie di battello, and was taken as a singing student by Italian nobleman, magistrate, writer and composer Benedetto Marcello about 1723. The two were secretly wed in a religious ceremony on 20 May 1728, but his marriage to a commoner was...
in 1728. After his death she was unable to inherit his estate, and in 1742 she filed suit against Alessandro Marcello, seeking financial support.
Works
Although his works are infrequently performed today, Marcello is regarded as a very competent composer. His La CetraLa Cetra
The Cetra was a stringed musical instrument well known for its use in ancient times, belonging to the chordophone family. The instrument was initially constructed in wood, similar to the lyre, but with a larger harmonic case....
concertos are "unusual for their wind solo parts, concision and use of counterpoint within a broadly Vivaldian style," according to Grove, "placing them as a last outpost of the classic Venetian Baroque concerto."
A concerto
Concerto for Oboe and Strings in D minor
The Concerto for Oboe and Strings in D minor by Alessandro Marcello is one of the most performed oboe concertos in the repertory. It was written in the early 18th century and has become Marcello's most famous work. In the past, and continuing to the present, it has been mistakenly attributed to...
Marcello wrote in D minor for oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
, string
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s and basso continuo is perhaps his best-known work. Its worth was affirmed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
who transcribe
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
d it for harpsichord
Harpsichord
A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It produces sound by plucking a string when a key is pressed.In the narrow sense, "harpsichord" designates only the large wing-shaped instruments in which the strings are perpendicular to the keyboard...
(BWV
BWV
The Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis is the numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. The prefix BWV, followed by the work's number, is the shorthand identification for Bach's compositions...
974). A number of editions have been published of the famous Oboe Concerto in D minor. The edition in C minor is credited to Benedetto Marcello.
External links
Marcello's birth/death dates are given as 1684 to 1750 in The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.Source
- The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, Oxford University Press, 1994