Albinoni/Giazotto, Adagio in G Minor

Here’s a question. How important is the identity of a composer to the listening experience? Do we need to know who he is, or what he wanted to accomplish, or as I sometimes say, what he had for breakfast?

We have very 19th-century notions about composers and those who create masterpieces in literature and art. Beethoven established the stereotype of the struggling, heroic artist, bucking trends and expressing his unique personality through music. The theory suggests that if you understand Beethoven, you will better understand his music. We want the music to be “about” something: his elation, his anguish. We want context.

You can find some useful context in a composer’s biography, but I think there is greater danger of giving it too much significance and overlooking more important types of context. This is what concerns me about approaching classical music as a study of the great composers. The music does not come from the composer’s whim as much as it does from the prevailing forces of economics, politics, geography, and artistic fashions.

What if Francis Bacon really wrote the Shakespeare plays? Would it change how you think of Macbeth? If the identity of the composer or author really matters, we would be left with an inability to fully appreciate an anonymous work.

Which is essentially the question surrounding the Adagio in G Minor. Its provenance is in doubt. Was it composed by Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) and arranged by Remo Giazotto (1910-1998), or did Giazotto compose it? You can read about the controversy, but the facts and questions won’t change the music.

As you listen, ask yourself whether you would hear this differently depending on who wrote it, or whether the music itself transcends that issue.

Our Friday Performance Pick series will go on hiatus during the Advent season, as it did last year, while we focus on Professor Carol’s Advent Calendar.