Albinoni was considered a slightly marginal figure in Venetian society because he was a musician not from the musical fraternity, and prosperous but not a gentleman.
Historical Context
The music publishing industry changed significantly around 1710, with northern European publishers like John Walsh and Estienne Roger 'pirating' Italian works or directly commissioning them.
Composer Biography
Tomaso Albinoni's father was a playing card manufacturer who left the business to his son, but Albinoni pursued music instead.
Composition History
Albinoni made his reputation primarily as an opera composer, with possibly as many as eighty works to his credit, rather than as an instrumentalist.
Composer Biography
Despite his musical career, Albinoni was theoretically a 'maker of cards' until the end of his life, similar to Schubert's official profession as a 'schoolmaster'.
Composition History
Many 'unofficial' collections of sonatas and concertos by eminent composers, including Albinoni and Vivaldi, appeared without proper opus numbers or with bogus ones due to publishers acquiring manuscripts without the authors' knowledge.
Composition History
The 'Sonate da chiesa, Op 4' on this album were originally published by Roger without an opus number, and the 'Opus 4' designation was added later by the publisher, as Albinoni's true Opus 4 was a set of cantatas.
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