Composer, Politician. Born in Venice into a distinguished noble family, he was obliged to study law while pursuing music as a hobby. From 1708 to 1730 he served as a magistrate in the Venetian Council of Forty, but political indiscretions led to his exile as Governor of the Istrian district of Pola (now in Croatia). In 1738 he was appointed Treasurer of Brescia, where he died. The inscription on his tomb calls him "The Michaelangelo of Music". Though few would make that extravagant claim for him today, Marcello was an important and influential figure for many years. Since he did not have to rely on music for a living, he was free to develop a unique style that paid scant lip service to the Baroque trends of his time. His insistence on simplicity and structural cohesion presaged the Classical movement. Most of Marcello's music was written before he was 40. The "Estro poetico-armonico" (8 volumes, 1724 to 1726), a paraphrase of the first 50 Psalms for male voices and instruments, is his masterpiece. These were internationally esteemed and still being taught as models of vocal setting in the late 1800s. Outstanding among his instrumental works are the "12 Concerti, Op. 1" (1708), one of which was transcribed by J.S. Bach. Among his approximately 400 other compositions are fine settings of the "Salve Regina" and "Miserere", solo cantatas, and music for the stage. Marcello also wrote the prose text "Il teatro alla moda" (1720), an amusing satire of contemporary opera that tells us much about the musical practice of his era.
Composer, Politician. Born in Venice into a distinguished noble family, he was obliged to study law while pursuing music as a hobby. From 1708 to 1730 he served as a magistrate in the Venetian Council of Forty, but political indiscretions led to his exile as Governor of the Istrian district of Pola (now in Croatia). In 1738 he was appointed Treasurer of Brescia, where he died. The inscription on his tomb calls him "The Michaelangelo of Music". Though few would make that extravagant claim for him today, Marcello was an important and influential figure for many years. Since he did not have to rely on music for a living, he was free to develop a unique style that paid scant lip service to the Baroque trends of his time. His insistence on simplicity and structural cohesion presaged the Classical movement. Most of Marcello's music was written before he was 40. The "Estro poetico-armonico" (8 volumes, 1724 to 1726), a paraphrase of the first 50 Psalms for male voices and instruments, is his masterpiece. These were internationally esteemed and still being taught as models of vocal setting in the late 1800s. Outstanding among his instrumental works are the "12 Concerti, Op. 1" (1708), one of which was transcribed by J.S. Bach. Among his approximately 400 other compositions are fine settings of the "Salve Regina" and "Miserere", solo cantatas, and music for the stage. Marcello also wrote the prose text "Il teatro alla moda" (1720), an amusing satire of contemporary opera that tells us much about the musical practice of his era.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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