Alessandro Poglietti (early 17th century – July 1683) was aBaroque organist and composer of unknown origin. In the second half of the 17th century Poglietti settled in Vienna, where he attained an extremely high reputation, becoming one ofLeopold I's favorite composers. Poglietti held the post of court organist for 22 years from 1661 until his death during the Turkish siege that led into theBattle of Vienna.
Poglietti is primarily important for his keyboard music, particularlyRossignolo (1677), a collection of diverse pieces forharpsichord that includes a large number of imitations of natural sounds, and a collection of 12ricercares, which was widely copied during his lifetime.
Nothing is known of Poglietti's origins and early life.Tuscany[1] andBohemia[citation needed] have been suggested as his possible birthplace. He may have received musical training inRome orBologna. Towards the 1660s Poglietti settled inVienna: in early 1661 he became organist and Kapellmeister at theJesuit churchZu den neun Chören der Engel (Nine Choirs of Angels), and on 1 July 1661 he was appointed organist of the court Kapelle underLeopold I (a post previously held by none other thanJohann Jakob Froberger).
Poglietti held the court position until his death and apparently enjoyed a high reputation. The Emperor (who wasa composer himself) was particularly fond of Poglietti, ennobling him and bestowing upon him the titleComes palatinus Caesareus, and the composer was also favored by the Pope, who made him aKnight of the Golden Spur, i.e., a member of the second highest Order ofPapal Orders of Chivalry. Poglietti also had friends among Austrian nobility, among them Count Anton Franz von Collalto andKarl II von Liechtenstein-Kastelkorn,Prince-Bishop ofOlomouc—in 1672 Poglietti inherited estates near their residences.[1][2] Another important connection of Poglietti's was with theGöttweig Benedictine Abbey, where he stayed as a guest a number of times, and where his only known opera was performed, in 1677. ComposerJohann Kaspar Kerll was a personal friend of Poglietti's, and he may have knownJohann Pachelbel, who visited Vienna in the mid-1670s.
Poglietti died inVienna in July 1683, during theTurkish siege that eventually led into theBattle of Vienna. His death was lamented by Kerll inMissa in fletu solatium, published in Munich in 1689 as part of a collection of masses,Missae sex. Kerll's work includescontinuo parts that specifically order the performer to "avoid consonances".[3]
Poglietti's importance lies primarily in his keyboard music. Together with Johann Kaspar Kerll, he represents the transitional period between the time ofFrescobaldi and the late Baroque period.[1] Particularly important are two large sets of pieces: an unpublished collection of twelve keyboard ricercares andRossignolo (1677), a collection of harpsichord music. The ricercares belong to the tradition of Frescobaldi'sFiori musicali and Bach'sThe Art of Fugue. Models of the strict contrapuntal style, they were most probably intended for the organ,[4] and were widely copied in the Vienna area.[1] TheRossignolo pieces, on the other hand, are quite different. The collection, which Poglietti presented toLeopold I and his wifeEleonor Magdalene, comprises the following works:
Many of these pieces employ programmatic devices. For example,Aria bizarra andImitatione are very demanding, virtuosic pieces based on Poglietti's adaptation ofnightingale calls. Many of the variations ofAria Allemagna imitate music for non-keyboard instruments (Variation 5Lyra, Variation 11BayrischeSchalmay, etc.) or foreign and/or folk traditions (Variation 15Französische Baiselements). Poglietti's other pieces include more program music: a canzon and capriccio pairüber das Henner und Hannengeschrey, in which the capriccio imitateshens and cocks, and the suitesopra la ribellione di Ungheria, which commemorates a Hungarian Protestant rebellion of 1671. Poglietti's suite musically illustrates the rebellion itself, the capture of the rebels, their execution, and closes with an imitation of church bells. Poglietti also provided numerous examples of program music (which wereincipits of possible pieces) in his performance and composition treatiseCompendium oder kurtzer Begriff (1676).
Numerous pieces contain highly original treatments of the form: movements of theBinder 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 twoSATB choirs) and a single opera (Endimione festeggiante, 1677).Compendium oder kurtzer Begriff und Einführung zur Musica (1676) is a treatise on keyboard composition; a sketchbook survives which also serves as a guide to keyboard students.
