Arcangelo Corelli
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.
© TiVo
Discography
20 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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A. Corelli: Concerti Grossi
Classical - Released by Piros Comercial Digital on 22/06/2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli - Great Recordings
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 11/06/2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6, Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 8
Classical - Released by Pipeline Music on 28/11/2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ton Koopman - A Portrait
Antonio Vivaldi, Ton Koopman, Arcangelo Corelli
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 2/09/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Concerto (Concerto Grosso No. 8 in G Minor, Op. 6)
Classical - Released by Period Music Guild on 18/09/1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Stay at Home with Corelli
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 19/06/2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
12 Sonatas Opus 5 (Complete) For Violin, Harpsicord And Contino
Jerome Kessler, Malcolm Hamilton, Stanley Plummer
Classical - Released by Everest Records on 25/05/1967
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Classical Dawn: Corelli
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 29/09/2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas with Corelli
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 28/11/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Characters
Classical - Released by Naxos Sweden - Footprint on 7/05/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli - Concerti Grossi
Classical - Released by ClassicalPirosDigital on 11/07/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli - Christmas Present
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 19/12/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
De La Musica Antigua Al Barroco
Tomaso Albinoni, Arcangelo Corelli, Domenico Scarlatti
Classical - Released by Bomerang Records on 7/08/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli - Telemann - Vivaldi: Baroque Splendour
Chamber Music - Released by RHI on 11/05/2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
12 Sonate Per Violino E Basso Op. 5
Jerome Kessler, Malcolm Hamilton, Stanley Plummer
Classical - Released by Everest Records on 22/06/1971
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Concerto
Classical - Released by Period Records on 25/05/1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Relaxed Holidays with Corelli
Classical - Released by UME - Global Clearing House on 12/12/2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Corelli: Christmas Concerto
Ulrich Grehling, Otto Schaernack, Emil Seiler
Christmas Music - Released by Past Classics on 20/03/2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Concerto Christmas Night
Classical - Released by Plaza Mayor Company, Ltd. on 2/11/2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Characters
Classical - Released by FOOTPRINT RECORDS on 7/05/2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo