Alessandro Marcello (1669 - 1747) was an Italian
nobleman, poet, philosopher, mathematician and
musician. A contemporary of Tomaso Albinoni, Marcello
was the son of a senator in Venice. As such, he enjoyed
a comfortable life that gave him the scope to pursue
his interest in music. He held concerts in his hometown
and also composed and published several sets of
concertos, including six concertos under the title of
La Cetra (The Lyre), as well as cantatas, arias,
canzonets, and violin sonatas. Mar...(+)
Alessandro Marcello (1669 - 1747) was an Italian
nobleman, poet, philosopher, mathematician and
musician. A contemporary of Tomaso Albinoni, Marcello
was the son of a senator in Venice. As such, he enjoyed
a comfortable life that gave him the scope to pursue
his interest in music. He held concerts in his hometown
and also composed and published several sets of
concertos, including six concertos under the title of
La Cetra (The Lyre), as well as cantatas, arias,
canzonets, and violin sonatas. 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.
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 both Alessandro
Marcello's brother Benedetto Marcello and to Antonio
Vivaldi. Johann Sebastian Bach made the piece famous by
writing a transcription of the piece in C minor for
harpsichord (BWV 974).
I took creative license with this piece and adapted the
Adagio (movement II) for Viola & Concert (Pedal) Harp.