Musical contribution – January 2021

Allegro Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751)

First of all, we would like to wish you all – from all over the world – a happy and musical 2021. We hope you continue to enjoy playing organs in general, and of course the organs of Johannus and the Global Organ Group in particular.

We start this year by commemorating the 350th anniversary of the birth of Tomaso Albinoni. He was born into a wealthy family in Venice, but despite the fact that he was a great composer, we know very little about the rest of his life. Bach was a great admirer of Albinoni and composed four fugues on themes by the Italian grandmaster.

His most famous work is his Adagio in G minor for organ and strings. This piece of music was published by Giazotto in 1958 as a newly discovered work. It later turned out that this musicologist had written it himself.

The German organist Johann Gottfried Walther has arranged two concertos by Albinoni for organ. This month we will put the first movement of one of these two concertos onto the music desk: a cheerful allegro written for two manuals to show off the interaction between tutti orchestra and solo instrument. The Great division can be registered quite solidly, while the other manual can benefit from a light touch. Some examples include 8’ + 4’ or 8’ + 2’ or 8’ + 4’ + 2’.

The other two parts may be offered later.

Warm regards,

André van Vliet