Alessandro Marcello

Ignazio Alessandro Marcello ( born February 1, 1673 Venice, † June 19, 1747 ) was an Italian poet, composer and philosopher. Today, he is like his brother Benedetto Marcello is known primarily as a composer of the Baroque.

Life and work

Alessandro Marcello came from a Venetian patrician family. He studied mathematics and philosophy at the University of Padua. In addition, he trained in painting, poetry and composition. As a composer, he created 12 cantatas op 1 (Venice 1708), several solo concerts and some plant collections with instrumental music, including 12 Concerti a cinque (Amsterdam 1717), six concertos under the name of La Cetra for 2 oboes, 2 violins, viola, bassoon and Harpsichord ( Augsburg 1738), 12 solo sonatas ( Suonate a violino solo di Eterio Stinfalico ) for Violin and Continuo ( published in 1738 when publisher and engraver Johann Christian Leopold in Augsburg ) and in the same year, another twelve published in Augsburg violin sonatas. As a member of the Academy of the Arcadia, he published his works under his " Arcadian " pseudonym Eterio Stinfalico.

His most famous work is the Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra in D minor by Johann Sebastian Bach later arranged for harpsichord solo ( BWV 974 ).

In his last years, Marcello devoted mainly of spiritual poetry. He died at the age of 77 years in Venice and was buried in the Villa Giusti in Padua.