Arcangelo Corelli

Donald Macleod delves into the international successes of
Arcangelo Corelli.


Arcangelo Corelli was something of a European phenomenon not only
during his lifetime, but also after his death. His compositional
output was not large, but the development of the printing press
enabled his music to be widely circulated. Musically, he bridged
the gap between the Baroque and the Classical periods, and is
seen as pivotal in the development of the sonata and the
concerto. Even today, Corelli’s music is held in high esteem,
with composers still inspired by his music. As a violinist he was
also legendary, and people flocked from all over Europe to not
only hear him play, but to also be taught by him. Corelli spent
most of his career in Rome, maintained in some luxury by royalty,
nobility and the Church. During his career he collaborated with
many other composers including Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel.
Despite his fame and continued popularity, we still know
relatively little about Corelli, and this Composer of the Week
series seeks to explore the man and his music through his
personal and professional relationships.


Music featured: Sonata in G minor, Op 4 No 2 (Corrente) Concerto
Grossi, Op 6 No 3 Sonata in G, Op 1 No 9 Handel: La Resurrezione
(Ho un non so che nel cor) Sonata in F major, Op 5 No 10 Concerto
Grosso in D, Op 6 No 1 Fuga con un soggetto solo Sonata in G
minor, Op 5 No 5 Sonata in F, Op 1 No 1 Sonata in A minor, Op 1
No 4 Sonata in B minor, Op 3 No 4 Sonata in F minor, Op 3 No 9
Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 12 Sonata in D Sonata in B major,
Op 2 No 5 Sonata in E flat major, Op 2 No 11 Sinfonia to Santa
Beatrice d’Este in D minor, WoO1 Concerto in G minor, Op 6 No 8
(Christmas Concerto) Sonata in C, Op 5 No 9 Sonata in A minor, op
4 No 5 Sonata in B minor, op 4 No 12 Sonata in C, Op 2 No 3
Sonata in F major, Op 2 No 7 Handel: Sonata a 5, HWV288 (Violin
Concerto in B flat) Sonata in G minor WoO2 Corelli Arr. J. C.
Schickhardt: Concerto Grosso Op 6 No 3 Sonata No 2 in D minor, Op
2 No 2 Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 2 Corelli Arr. Geminiani:
Concerto Grosso VII in D minor Sonata in D minor, Op 5 No 12
(Follia) Concerto Grosso in F, Op 6 No 9


Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Luke Whitlock for BBC
Wales


For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Arcangelo Corelli.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000d6y6


And you can delve into the A-Z of all the composers we’ve
featured on Composer of the Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z