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Baroque Italian

MARCELLO, Alessandro

Born in Venice, Aug 24, 1673
Died in Venice, June 19, 1747

  • Alessandro Marcello was more a dilettante than composer. He came from a noble Venetian family and pursued many fields of study during his lifetime, including music, painting, poetry, and law.
    • While his compositional output was relatively small, his scores were (and continue to be) highly respected.
  • As a composer, Marcello used the pseudonym “Eterio Stinfalico.” His best-known work is his Oboe Concerto in d minor.1

“He is a distinguished student of mathematics.  He composes verses in Latin and Italian . . . has a knowledge of many languages . . . is most ingenious in working with mathematical instruments and globes, and even in drawing and painting.  He plays many instruments and knows a good deal about music, which has enabled him to send to press twelve cantatas . . . He dresses impeccably and is incomparably kind.”

Eleanor Selfridge-Field, Venetian Instrumental Music (source)

Learn More:

Biography from Bach Cantatas

Sources

  1. Eleanor Selfridge-Field, “Marcello, Alessandro,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed February 16, 2023, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000017715.