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