Nothing is known about Albertini's early years in Italy. He is thought to have been born in Milan, and first surfaces in Vienna in a letter of recommendation from the distinguished violinist Johann Heinrich Schmelzer to the Prince-Bishop Karl Liechtenstein in 1671. Thus, it is known that when Albertini was about 27 he was in Vienna. It is also known that he was employed there by Eleanor Gonzaga, the widow of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand III, shortly before he came to an untimely end, stabbed to death.

The little music of Albertini that has survived is marked by a felicitous fusion of Italian influences and the virtuoso violin tradition typical of Austria and Germany. His sonatas for violin and continuo are characterized by strong contrasts and smooth transitions. Free-form and strongly rhythmic passages predominate over dances, as was characteristic of the music of Schmelzer and his circle in Vienna which also included the violinist-composer Heinrich Ignaz Biber.

 Selected discography

• Ignazio Albertini: Sonatas For Violin & Continuo. Performed by Héléne Schmitt (violin), Jörg-Andreas Bötticher (harpsichord & organ), Karl-Ernst Schröder (theorbo) and David Sinclair (violine). Alpha-028