Alessandro Poglietti

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Alessandro Poglietti (died July 1683) was a Baroque organist and composer of unknown origin. Although he was one of the most important composers of keyboard music in south Germany and an acclaimed teacher during his lifetime, Poglietti's music is rarely performed or recorded today.

[edit] Life

Few facts are known about Poglietti's early life; that he may have been born in Tuscany, cannot be ascertained and according to the current state of research it is very likely, that he was actually born in Bohemia and italianized his real name "Hendel". Towards the 1660s he settled in Vienna and became organist and Kapellmeister at the Jesuit church Zu den neun Chören der Engel (Nine Choirs of Angels). On July 1, 1661 he was appointed organist of the court Kapelle under Leopold I (a post previously held by Froberger, who served there under Ferdinand III). He retained that post for 22 years; his reputation was so high that the emperor later raised him to the ranks of aristocracy and the pope created him a Knight of the Golden Spur. He also enjoyed the friendship of Johann Kaspar Kerll and formed close ties with a Benedectine abbey in Lower Austria, where his only surviving opera was performed in 1671. In 1672 he inherited estates near the residences of Count Anton Franz von Collalto and the Prince-bishop of Olomouc, two other close friends. Poglietti died in Vienna in 1683 during a Turkish invasion, commemorated by Kerll in his Missa in fletu solatium.

[edit] Works

Together with Kerll, Poglietti represents a vital link between the styles and techniques explored by Frescobaldi and Froberger, and the keyboard music of the late Baroque era. Particularly important are the 12 organ ricercares (found in numerous copies) and Rossignolo, a collection of diverse keyboard pieces completed in 1677. Poglietti's keyboard music is often programmatic (given descriptive titles, titled subsections, etc. and describing a particular event), harmonically and structurally adventurous and frequently portraying his interest in all kinds of musical imitation: from harpsichord imitations of other musical instruments to imitations of folk music traditions of different regions and countries and works based on bird cries (canary, cuckoo, nightingale, etc.). Numerous pieces contain highly original treatments of the form: movements of the Binder Gigue from an A minor suite begin with repeated chords and include octave triplets in the left hand; the toccatas as well as any other piece may feature rapid modulations to completely foreign keys, highly contrasting sections and sections built on various kinds of repetition.

Poglietti's other music includes chamber music (mostly suites and sonatas), sacred vocal works (masses, motets, Litaniae Lauretanae for two SATB choirs) and a single opera (Endimione festeggiante, 1677). Compendium oder kurtzer Begriff und Einfuhrung zur Musica (1676) is a treatise on keyboard composition; a sketchbook survives which also serves as a guidance to keyboard students.