Musical Snapshots

During the time of Christoph Graupner and others there were a few Italians who allegedly wrote at least one symphony each; by the names of Giuseppe Matteo Alberti (1684-1751), Francesco Manfredini (1684-1762) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757). Their symphonic contributions were so minimal, however, that we’ll be skipping over them for the sake of this episode’s featured composer of seven sinfonia, also from Italy: Benedetto Marcello. Born approximately one year after Bach, Scarlatti and Händel, young Benedetto began to plot his course toward a career in law. This was partly because of his father’s wishes. Observing, though, how he eventually combined music with law and public service, rather than abandon the whole thing for music or other pursuits, Benedetto seems to have shared his father’s passion (for him).

Perhaps you recall the term “dilettante” from earlier; the word used by 18th century chroniclers. They applied it also to Benedetto Marcello, as an aristocrat who (also) pursued musical composition as a sideline. You may have guessed that his symphonies were not and are not his most famous compositions. After all, he did write nearly 400 cantatas, some oratorios, operas, and nearly one hundred small chamber works for singers. In fact, his “Estro poetico-armonico” (1724-1726) possibly was his most well-known work; a go-to for music students in Europe at the time, and popularly known as the “Psalmi.” Second-in-fame to that one was his “Il teatro alla moda” (1720), a satire valuable as a contribution to the history of opera.

A number (many) of instrumental works believed by Marcello were probably written by others; (such as pieces written by his older brother Alessandro, and vice-versa between the two, or in the case of posthumous instrumental arrangements of the “Psalmi”). Was the “Sinfonie a 4” indeed rightly attributed to the very Benedetto Marcello?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9kr5eKIfR0

All information derived from the website of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra / Bach Cantatas Website (All Music Guide, author: Uncle Dave Lewis).

Applause to the listeners!

     Christoph Graupner was born in Kirchberg, Saxony (Germany), in 1683. Due to the threat of an invasion from Sweden, Christoph at age twenty-three sought refuge in Hamburg,* where, under an individual by the last name of Keiser (pardon my pronunciation), he was harpsichordist at the opera (replacing Schieferdecker** in June of 1707). The following few years brought about the opportunity to become chapelmaster in Hesse-Darmstadt; a decade later he was offered the cantorship of (or Kantor at) Saint Thomas’s in Leipzig. This offer he declined, as had Georg Ph. Telemann (forgive my pronunciation--again), and who should be “next in line” but the well-known Johann Sebastian Bach.

Musical compositions include:

8 operas

24 secular cantatas

44 concerti

66 trio sonatas (including forty-one Partita for Harpsichord)

86 overtures

113 symphonies

1,418 sacred cantatas.**

     He produced copies of other musical works, as J. S. Bach is known to have done,** extending his repertoire even further. One stark difference that may set this man apart from virtually all other composers was his request for all of his music to be burned after his death. Ultimately this request was not carried out in the fullest.

*Britannica – Arts & Culture

**Bach Cantatas Website

Applause to the listeners!

(1678–1741 or 1680-1743*)

Italian violinist, teacher, cleric, and composer of 21 string sinfonie. The time of his greatest influence and success was bookended by two well-known works: L’estro armonico [Harmonic Fancy] concertos, Opus 3 and Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione concertos Opus 8, the latter containing “The Four Seasons”.

J. S. Bach deeply admired Vivaldi’s music to the point of taking over some of the features of formal construction from his concertos, and also arranged several of his compositions for organ or clavier (Bach transcribed three of the solo violin concertos* from L’estro armonico, for example).

The nickname “il prete rosso” may be familiar to you, “the red priest” in English. In spite of most images that show up when you conduct your research of whatever kind, Vivaldi’s hair underneath his typical 1700’s wig was apparently of the fiery persuasion. Was he a priest, then? Well, Mr. Vivaldi was trained on the violin, but particularly employed for most of his life in the cathedral of Saint Mark, in Venice, Italy. His musical services went beyond there, as he also directed the Ospedale della Pietà*. This was a charitable institution where orphaned girls were trained in various fields of music. Examples of his twenty-one [symphonies] include RV 112, which you will hear in a moment; RV 146, in G-major; RV 717 was a C-major sinfonia from “il Giustino,” and so on; the other eighteen are out there somewhere. Oh, yes: and RV stands for Ryom-Verzeichnis, named after the Danish musicologist Peter Ryom* who created the standard catalog of A. Vivaldi’s music.

Audio credits:

The Four Seasons; Summer, Presto – Voices of Music (2017) produced by Meg Bragle

Sinfonia C dur RV 112 – Barocco sempre giovane (2010, Czech Republic)

Sources (in order of *asterisk* appearance):

1 - Wikipedia; The World Book Encyclopedia, respectively

2 - “Antonio Vivaldi: L’Estro armonico, Op. 3”, Boston Baroque Performances – Program Notes

3 - Brian Wise, “Explore Classical Music – VIVALDI AND LA PIETA”

4 - “RV in Music”, ©2023 THEMUSICDICTIONARY.ORG – Mavis Osinski

Applause to the listeners!