# Giovanni Legrenzi



## philoctetes (Jun 15, 2017)

Giovanni Legrenzi (1626-1690)

Organist at Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo
Maestro di Capella, Ferrara

20 operas, 10 oratorios, 18 opus numbers, + manuscripts

Legrenzi's music represents trends in Italian music that were quickly overshadowed by more popular trends. There is commitment to counterpoint that stands out, of the sonata for 4 viols: "two models, one of which was dance music, while the other was based on the polyphonic music of prima pratica". This results in music that is a bit more somber, more recerche, than one might expect, linking Gabrielli to Vivaldi with a nod to Monteverdi...

Recommended recordings:




























There is also an old Harnoncourt on Vanguard with one or two sonatas that is worth hearing. I do not recommend the set on Ricercar by Clematis but mileage may vary.


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

Legrenzi was mostly famous for his operas and oratorios. Bach and Handel paid their respects to Legrenzi by using a number of his melodies for thematic material in their own works. The most obvious example is Bach's Fugue on a theme of Legrenzi (BWV 574). According to André Pirro, Bach was 'captivated' by Legrenzi's music which served as an important influence not only on Bach's sonatas and concertos but also on Alessandro Scarlatti, Torelli, and Legrenzi's pupil, Antonio Vivaldi.


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