Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni

2 Cantatas

Both cantatas are typical specimens of Albinoni's style. The little flourishes of conjunct demisemiquavers seen in bar 13 of the opening aria of Vorrei che lo sapessi and bar 14 of that of Senza il core del mio bene, are a 'trademark' feature. So, too, is the use of a Devise (a preliminary statement of the voice's opening theme) in the majority of the arias. The strongly independent rhythmic and melodic character of the continuo bass, with its intensive development of characteristic motives that sometimes amounts to ostinato treatment (as in the opening aria of Vorrei che lo sapessi), is quintessentially Albinonian. These cantatas are likely to date, at least in their original form, from before 1700.