Sebastián Albero

    Since the first release of my project is dedicated to this composer from Navarra, I would like to leave a brief review about his life and work:

    Sebastián Ramón de Albero Añanos, was born in Roncal, Navarra, on June 10, 1722 and died in Madrid, on March 30, 1756.

    He was a Spanish harpsichordist, first organist of the Royal Chapel of Madrid between 1748 and 1756, and chamber musician to King Ferdinand VI. Thirty harpsichord sonatas have been preserved, which were published in Madrid in 1978 along with other works for the harpsichord.

    In 1734 he entered the choir of infants of the Pamplona Cathedral, where he remained until 1739, expanding his knowledge with the cathedral's chapelmaster, Miguel Valls, and with his successor, Andrés de Escáregui, and deepening his study of music. for key and composition.

    In 1746, he obtained the position of main organist of the Royal Chapel of Madrid, providing music for King Ferdinand VI, to whom he would dedicate his Works for harpsichord and pianoforte. There he met composers such as José de Nebra and Domenico Scarlatti, who was the music teacher of the wife of Fernando VI, María Bárbara de Braganza.

    Sebastián de Albero died at the early age of 33, leaving a few but magnificent works for keyboard that represents one of the peaks of the 18th century Spanish school of keyboard.

    Genoveva Gálvez points out that Sebastián de Albero's sonatas show a melancholy that anticipates Chopin's work, which characterizes him as a precursor of the melancholic or sentimental style.

    His work shows clear French influences, although with a clear typically Spanish character, with stylemes such as frequent changes of mode, rhythm and constant very incisive modulations.

    His work is preserved in two manuscripts:

    Thirty sonatas for clavichord, preserved in the Biblioteca Marciana in Venice. In them a daring harmonic invention can be appreciated, with continuous changes from the major to the minor mode, as well as the presence of elements belonging to the Phrygian scales and sudden modulations, all of them common features in Spanish keyboard music of that century and perhaps also typical of of the tastes of the royal family, since they also appear in the sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti.

    Works for harpsichord or pianoforte, in the library of the Madrid Conservatory. These are six works with a tripartite structure of recercata, fuga and sonata.

    And you, do you have a favorite Sebastián Albero sonata? Would you like to know which one is my favorite? Tell me in the comments!