Archangelo Corelli (ark-ANN-ge-lo    cor-ELL-ee)

Born in 1653 in Italy

Died in 1713 in Italy

Nationality: Italian

Period/Style: Baroque

About the composer:

Corelli was one of the most important musicians of the Baroque period and perhaps even one of the most important in all of music history.  He was a great violin virtuoso, a teacher who was admired by his students, and a composer who was respected by all.  He composed only a small amount of music, but what he wrote was high quality. Corelli specialized in writing music specifically for stringed instruments.  He was the first composer who made the violin family (violin, viola, cello) the core of the orchestra.  It was his idea to have all the violins move their bows exactly together, up or down. That is a practice that is still used today in orchestras.

About the music:

Concerti Grossi (8-13 min)

Today you’re going to hear a concerto grosso which is for a single solo instrument or a group of solo instruments playing alternately with a small orchestra.  This is a form of music that Corelli made famous.  Listen to see if you can find the soloist or small group of soloists in this music. Notice how it sounds different than when the whole orchestra is playing.

Suggested Activities:

Find out what a ‘virtuoso’ is. Can you think of some musicians today who might be described as “virtuoso”?