Domenico Alberti

Full biography Domenico Alberti

Domenico Alberti was an Italian composer born in Venice in 1710. He is best known for his keyboard music, particularly his sonatas that featured a unique technique called the "Alberti bass". This technique involves breaking chords into arpeggios, with the notes played in rapid succession, creating an accompaniment that was both lively and rhythmic.

Alberti's musical career began with his appointment as the organist at the church of Santa Maria in his hometown of Venice. Later on, he worked as a maestro di cappella at several courts in Italy, including the Gonzaga Court in Mantua, the Court of Württemberg in Stuttgart, and the Medici court in Florence.

Apart from his keyboard sonatas, Alberti's compositional output included several operas, chamber music, and sacred music. However, most of his works, aside from his keyboard sonatas, remain relatively unknown in comparison.

Alberti's unique approach to arranging chords in his keyboard sonatas proved to be exceptionally influential on later composers. Mozart was a great admirer of Alberti's music, and even used the "Alberti bass" technique in several of his own compositions. Beethoven also incorporated elements of Alberti's style in some of his early works.

Despite his lasting impact on the music world, Alberti's life remained rather ambiguous. There is very little information available on his personal life, and the exact date and circumstances of his death are unknown. Nonetheless, his legacy as an innovative and influential composer endures to this day.