Advent and Christmas (23): Concerto F major (Albinoni)

Walther's arrangements of Italian concerts were probably equally suited for organ lessons of the Weimar prince as well as for performances in the court orchestra or the city church. Due to his own statement, he transcribed 78 concerts of various masters of keyboard instruments; unfortunately most of them are lost.

The Venetian Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) first completed a teaching in the parental Paper mill. He studied violin, singing and composition by teachers unknown to us. 1694 he started composing instrumental music, cantatas and operas which steadily increased his fame. His last collection of Concerti he published in 1736. Albinoni's concerts were, due to their imaginative settings, cantable melodies and average technical requirements popular throughout whole Europe. Using the three-movement form in his concerts was innovative, many other composers assumed his idea. After death forgotten, Albinoni is now one of the most known composers of Venetian Baroque.

The Concerto F major proves Albinoni's ingenuity as well as the fine artistic sense of the editor: Walther transfers the violinistic texture to the organ, without significantly changes of the original substance; only the leading melody is occasionally embellished. The festive organ concert with its energetic opening, unusually with a septime-chord beginning Adagio and his cheerful dancing final Allegro is one of my earliest memories to a Christmas organ concert.
Enjoy!

0.00 Allegro
2.24 Adagio
3.41 Allegro