# Arcangelo Corelli



## Mirror Image

One of the seminal figures of Baroque music, Arcangelo Corelli was the first master of the modern violin, and the predominance of that instrument in the music of the following three centuries is his technical and pedagogical legacy. He managed to extract from it a beauty of tone and singing lyricism that were previously unknown; these qualities brought him international fame, both for his own performances and for those of his many students who began to disseminate his techniques. It would not be an overstatement to say that the fundamentals of modern string playing -- including issues of both bowing and fingering -- descend directly from Corelli.

Though he did not create the concerto grosso form, Corelli wrote the first significant compositions in the genre, laying the foundations for the achievements of Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach a generation later. The same can be said of his trio sonatas and solo violin sonatas, all of which show a greater stability of form and developed sense of harmonic progression than those of his predecessors. These compositions were influential not only because of their innovative use of form, terraced dynamics, and major/minor tonality, but also because they coincided with the flourishing music publishing industry in Italy; Corelli's fame and wealth led to the printing of nearly all of his works during his lifetime, and their wide circulation internationally. Indeed, composers and musicians studied his scores for many years following his death.

Corelli was born in the town of Fusignano in 1653 to a wealthy family. The details of his early life are unknown, but he most likely began his musical studies with a local priest before moving to Bologna where he studied at the Accademia Filarmonica. No later than 1675 (but perhaps earlier), Corelli moved to Rome, where he began appearing as a violinist in ensembles formed for various religious and civic occasions.

He soon emerged as one of the city's preeminent musicians and entered the service of Queen Christina of Sweden (the first of several influential patrons), who had established herself in Rome after abdicating her throne. Some of the young composers earliest works are dedicated to her, and were performed at her "academies." Following her death, Corelli entered the service of Cardinal Pamphili, who gave him a generous salary and a place to live; he would remain in the Cardinal's service until 1690, when the Cardinal left the city. Corelli's patronage was then assumed by the young (extremely young!) Cardinal Ottoboni, who had received his office through the intervention of Pope Alexander VIII, his uncle. This would prove extremely beneficial for Corelli, since his young employer quickly befriended him, paid him well, and was a great admirer of his music. Few musicians have ever enjoyed a more secure or lucrative relationship with a patron. In this position, Corelli achieved wide fame and extreme wealth, and upon his death in 1713 he was interred in the Pantheon.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

What do guys think of this Baroque composer? I have found his work to be quite a refreshing experience. I was almost ready to write-off Baroque music completely. I still don't like Bach though.


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## PostMinimalist

He's my main man!


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## Mirror Image

post-minimalist said:


> He's my main man!


Yes, I think there's something truly different about his music. It's hard to put my finger on, but I noticed this tonight.


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## Elgarian

Mirror Image said:


> I was almost ready to write-off Baroque music completely. I still don't like Bach though.


This is similar to the mistake I made for many, many years - assuming that my inability to enjoy Bach meant I wouldn't enjoy other Baroque composers. I think you'll find when you start exploring these other guys, you're in for (a) a shock; and (b) a good time.

[Off topic: don't forget Handel. There are _so many_ good deals around at present because of the 250 year anniversary, so it's a good time to experiment.]


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## Bach

I often thank Corelli as the composer who gave me the impetus to explore classical music independently of my performance of it.

Fantastic composer, don't forget to explore the 'Corelli clash' - a wonderfully expressive dissonance that I was obsessed with for months. (could even be the reason why his music speaks to you above other baroque composers) 

I presume you've heard his famous 'Christmas' Concerto in G minor. I encourage you to explore his trio sonatas, solo sonatas and other concerto grossi.


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## Bach

If you like Corelli, then there's a good chance you'll also like Pergolesi and specifically his 'Stabat Mater' which may act as a bridge into baroque opera and sacred vocal music.


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## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> I often thank Corelli as the composer who gave me the impetus to explore classical music independently of my performance of it.
> 
> Fantastic composer, don't forget to explore the 'Corelli clash' - a wonderfully expressive dissonance that I was obsessed with for months. (could even be the reason why his music speaks to you above other baroque composers)
> 
> I presume you've heard his famous 'Christmas' Concerto in G minor. I encourage you to explore his trio sonatas, solo sonatas and other concerto grossi.


I have purchased a box set on Brilliant Classics of his complete works, so I'll be able to hear everything.


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## Bach

Good choice, good choice.

What's your verdict on the Pergolesi video?


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## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> Good choice, good choice.
> 
> What's your verdict on the Pergolesi video?


That's a very nice piece of music. So this piece is by whom? You have to help me Bach, I'm not very familiar with Baroque music at all.


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## Bach

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (4 January 1710 – 16 or 17 March 1736) 

An Italian composer, violinist and organist.


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## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (4 January 1710 - 16 or 17 March 1736)
> 
> An Italian composer, violinist and organist.


I'll have to check him out Bach thanks for sharing that. I seem to be in favor of the Italian Baroque composers with the exception of Rameau. I'm warming up to Scarlatti's concerti too. He was quite amazing.


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## Mirror Image

Elgarian said:


> This is similar to the mistake I made for many, many years - assuming that my inability to enjoy Bach meant I wouldn't enjoy other Baroque composers. I think you'll find when you start exploring these other guys, you're in for (a) a shock; and (b) a good time.
> 
> [Off topic: don't forget Handel. There are _so many_ good deals around at present because of the 250 year anniversary, so it's a good time to experiment.]


Yes, I agree Elgarian. I think the important thing to do is find one or two Baroque composers that really speak to you musically and then keep exploring from there.

Yes, I actually enjoyed some of Handel's music prior to getting into Corelli and Rameau. I love his "Ode for St. Cecilia's Day." Great piece and I also like some of his choral works, which the names of the pieces slip my mind at the moment.


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## bdelykleon

Bach said:


> Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (4 January 1710 - 16 or 17 March 1736)
> 
> An Italian composer, violinist and organist.


Poor Pergolesi, died so young. Bach liked his stabat mater a lot:


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## Mirror Image

Hey everybody check this out. I just found this on YouTube. It is truly mesmerizing.

Corelli Concerto Grossi VI, No. 4 (Parte 1)





Enjoy!


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## bdelykleon

I never gave much attention to Corelli, I was wrong then...

Mirror, you should then try this Vivaldi:


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## Bach

Mirror Image said:


> I'll have to check him out Bach thanks for sharing that. I seem to be in favor of the Italian Baroque composers with the exception of Rameau. I'm warming up to Scarlatti's concerti too. He was quite amazing.


That could be because Rameau was French..


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## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> I never gave much attention to Corelli, I was wrong then...
> 
> Mirror, you should then try this Vivaldi:


Surprisingly the Vivaldi doesn't touch me as much as Corelli's music. Like I was saying in a few posts above, I think there's something truly special found in his music. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes me react in a very emotional way.

I will explore some of Vivaldi's work though. I heard his Concerto in C major (Tromba Marina) the other day and it's a splendid piece.


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## Mirror Image

Bach said:


> That could be because Rameau was French..


Absolutely he was and he wrote some great music, but those Italians....all I have to say is wow.


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## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Surprisingly the Vivaldi doesn't touch me as much as Corelli's music. Like I was saying in a few posts above, I think there's something truly special found in his music. I'm not sure what it is, but it makes me react in a very emotional way.
> 
> I will explore some of Vivaldi's work though. I heard his Concerto in C major (Tromba Marina) the other day and it's a splendid piece.


The concerto grosso used by Corelli has something special really, in terms of sound, the feeling of two contrasting parts is more clearly seen and in some cases works better than in a Vivaldi concerto.


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## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> The concerto grosso used by Corelli has something special really, in terms of sound, the feeling of two contrasting parts is more clearly seen and in some cases works better than in a Vivaldi concerto.


Well I'm not putting Vivaldi down at all. I like Vivaldi's concertos. I think they're beautiful. I was just saying that there's really something incredible about Corelli's style.

There's this lyricism found in his music that I can't find in any of the Baroque composers I've heard and it's a lyricism that totally unique to Corelli.

Again, I'm still new to Baroque, but I will certainly be doing some more exploring.


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## BuddhaBandit

My Baroque loyalties will always lie with Bach, but Corelli has many bright moments in his relatively small (extant) output. The concerti grossi are his most famous works, but I prefer the trio sonatas.

If you like Corelli and Pergolesi, MI, check out Lully. He was basically the founder of French opera and wrote some very emotionally deep passages.

And, if you're looking for a good recording of the Stabat Mater, check out this one. It's the recording that I own and enjoy quite a bit.


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## Mirror Image

BuddhaBandit said:


> My Baroque loyalties will always lie with Bach, but Corelli has many bright moments in his relatively small (extant) output. The concerti grossi are his most famous works, but I prefer the trio sonatas.
> 
> If you like Corelli and Pergolesi, MI, check out Lully. He was basically the founder of French opera and wrote some very emotionally deep passages.
> 
> And, if you're looking for a good recording of the Stabat Mater, check out this one. It's the recording that I own and enjoy quite a bit.


Thank you, Buddha. I will checkout some Lully.

Right now, I'm digging Corelli, Rameau, and Scarlatti.


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## Sid James

Mirror Image said:


> It would not be an overstatement to say that the fundamentals of modern string playing -- including issues of both bowing and fingering -- descend directly from Corelli...Indeed, composers and musicians studied his scores for many years following his death.


As the article says, Corelli had a big impact on the concerto in particular. It's interesting to hear this in C20th music, like in Tippet's _Fanatasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli_.

It's been years since I've heard Corelli. I used to have all of the _Concerti Grossi _on tape. I've been thinking of getting them on cd for a while now. I think Corelli's music is a bit like Haydn's, in that it is full of contrasts of mood, but it is more subtle than say, Vivaldi's. I think his music can be listened to on many levels, eg. either just to relax or you can enjoy it's technical brilliance too...


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> As the article says, Corelli had a big impact on the concerto in particular. It's interesting to hear this in C20th music, like in Tippet's _Fanatasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli_.
> 
> It's been years since I've heard Corelli. I used to have all of the _Concerti Grossi _on tape. I've been thinking of getting them on cd for a while now. I think Corelli's music is a bit like Haydn's, in that it is full of contrasts of mood, but it is more subtle than say, Vivaldi's. I think his music can be listened to on many levels, eg. either just to relax or you can enjoy it's technical brilliance too...


Yes, I'm glad you mentioned the varying moods in Corelli's work, because that's exactly why I love it. There are many shades or layers to peel back in his works.

Speaking of Haydn, there will be a re-release of all of his symphonies on Decca led by Antal Dorati. It's a legendary set ---- 33 CDs.


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## BuddhaBandit

Mirror Image said:


> Thank you, Buddha. I will checkout some Lully.
> 
> Right now, I'm digging Corelli, Rameau, and Scarlatti.


If you like Scarlatti, you must hear Horowitz's recordings of the sonatas. For a pianist who specialized in Romantic music, Horowitz brings a surprising touch to Scarlatti.


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## Air

Mirror Image said:


> Thank you, Buddha. I will checkout some Lully.
> 
> Right now, I'm digging Corelli, Rameau, and Scarlatti.


Mirror Image, _Miserere_ by Lully is a great work. Since you like ballet, you should also find a lot in store for you there.

Andre, how did you lose all you recordings? Mine are more precious to me than children.


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## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> Speaking of Haydn, there will be a re-release of all of his symphonies on Decca led by Antal Dorati. It's a legendary set ---- 33 CDs.


I own it, it's a good set, some snobbish historical fanatics hate it, but in all is a very fine rendition of all symphonies. It goes along with Fischer's one, in historical practice, somedays I'm in the mood of hearing Dorati, in others Fischer.

But a good set to begin is Pinnock's Sturm und Drang symphonies, it made me like Haydn.


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## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> I own it, it's a good set, some snobbish historical fanatics hate it, but in all is a very fine rendition of all symphonies. It goes along with Fischer's one, in historical practice, somedays I'm in the mood of hearing Dorati, in others Fischer.
> 
> But a good set to begin is Pinnock's Sturm und Drang symphonies, it made me like Haydn.


I'll be getting the Dorati set when it comes out ---- next week I think. This is really the only Haydn set I've been really looking at lately.

I already own a Claudio Abbado set of Haydn's "London Symphonies" that is quite good.


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## bdelykleon

Mirror Image said:


> I'll be getting the Dorati set when it comes out ---- next week I think. This is really the only Haydn set I've been really looking at lately.
> 
> I already own a Claudio Abbado set of Haydn's "London Symphonies" that is quite good.


I didn't even know Abbado recorded these symphonies, I'll check them later, he is a very good Mozart conductor (his recordings with Serkin of thje piano concertos are something near prefection), but I never listened his Haydn.


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## Mirror Image

bdelykleon said:


> I didn't even know Abbado recorded these symphonies, I'll check them later, he is a very good Mozart conductor (his recordings with Serkin of thje piano concertos are something near prefection), but I never listened his Haydn.


Abbado is also a great Beethoven conductor, but I think Abbado truly excels in late-Romantic and 20th Century repertoire like Mahler, Stravinsky, Hindemith, Ravel, among others.


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## neoshredder

Love his Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Sounds a lot like Vivaldi. I guess Vivaldi copied him some.


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## neoshredder

Just got this. Btw interesting in comparing him with Haydn's Symphonies. Which time period of Haydn you think is most similar to Corelli exactly?


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## Norse

Anyone heard this? Thanks to what sounds like a pretty hefty continuo section, it has more 'omph' and fullness than any other op. 6 recording I've heard. It's not a complete recording, it has 4 of the concerti grossi plus 2 other Corelli works. If you have Spotify, you can listen to it there.


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## Vaneyes

neoshredder said:


> Just got this. Btw interesting in comparing him with Haydn's Symphonies. Which time period of Haydn you think is most similar to Corelli exactly?


There is no comparison. Haydn was influenced primarily by CPE Bach. Even the Baroque of JS Bach and Handel was out of fashion by then. Composition had evolved considerably.


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## Arsakes

I haven't noticed his name (know him by his family) and now I like his name, it's very awesome!

I think Corelli is comparable with Vivaldi and Handel.. I must listen to more works of his music.


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## Johnnie Burgess

neoshredder said:


> Love his Concerti Grossi Op. 6. Sounds a lot like Vivaldi. I guess Vivaldi copied him some.


Yes, his opus 6 works were great.


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## Necronomicon

Listened to Corelli for the first time around a month ago, and really enjoyed it. Namely the concerti Grossi op. 6 and also the La Folia violin sonata. Can anyone recommend any other stand out pieces of his?


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## cougarbluehen

Necronomicon said:


> Listened to Corelli for the first time around a month ago, and really enjoyed it. Namely the concerti Grossi op. 6 and also the La Folia violin sonata. Can anyone recommend any other stand out pieces of his?


The Concerti Grossi (Op. 6) tend to receive the most attention, but I enjoy the Violin Sonatas (Op. 5) at least as much, if not more. (The "La Folia" sonata you reference is the 12th from this set.) I happened upon the Wallfisch recording on Hyperion early in my classical music collecting days, and it has since become one of my favorite albums by any composer.

The Trio Sonatas of Op. 3 are also quite good. The sonatas from Opp. 1, 2 and 4 are nice listening, but thus far I have not found them as engaging as the others.


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## Jedothek

Did Corelli steal that theme to that canon/concerto from Pachelbel or vice versa? don't tel me the similarity is mere coincidence: i don't believe in such stuff


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## Larkenfield

Outstanding performance of Rachmaninoff's Corelli Variations:


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## regenmusic

Takes a long time to develop but it sweetens like fruit on the vine.


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