
Twelve concerti grossi,
Op. 6, is a collection of twelve
concerti written by
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence o ...
probably in the 1680s but not prepared for publication until
1714. They are among the finest and first examples of ''
concerti grossi The concerto grosso (; Italian for ''big concert(o)'', plural ''concerti grossi'' ) is a form of baroque music in which the musical material is passed between a small group of soloists (the '' concertino'') and full orchestra (the ''ripieno'', ''t ...
'': concertos for a
concertino group (here a 1st violin, a 2nd violin and a cello) and a
ripieno The ripieno (, Italian for "stuffing" or "padding") is the bulk of instrumental parts of a musical ensemble who do not play as soloists, especially in Baroque music. These are the players who would play in sections marked ''tutti'', as opposed to ...
group of strings with
continuo. Their publication – decades after their composition and after Italian composers had moved to favor the ''ritornello'' concerto form associated with Vivaldi – caused waves of ''concerto grosso'' writing in Germany and England, where in 1739
Georg Frideric Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training ...
honored Corelli directly with his own “Opus 6”
collection of twelve.
Details
The first eight are ''
concerti da chiesa'' while the last four are ''
concerti da camera''.
No. 1 in D major
c. 12 minutes
No. 2 in F major
c. 10 minutes
No. 3 in C minor
c. 10 minutes
No. 4, in D major
c. 10 minutes
No. 5, in B major
c. 11 minutes
No. 6, in F major
c. 12 minutes
No. 7, in D major
c. 9 minutes
No. 8, in G minor
Also known as the ''
Christmas Concerto'' as it was written for
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipati ...
and has a
pastorale
Pastorale refers to something of a pastoral nature in music, whether in form or in mood.
In Baroque music, a pastorale is a movement of a melody in thirds over a drone bass, recalling the Christmas music of ''pifferari'', players of the traditi ...
in the last movement.
c. 14 minutes
No. 9, in F major
c. 9 minutes
No. 10, in C major
c. 13 minutes
No. 11, in B major
c. 10 minutes
No. 12, in F major
c. 10 minutes
Length estimates are drawn from the recording by
The English Concert
The English Concert is a baroque orchestra playing on period instruments based in London. Founded in 1972 and directed from the harpsichord by Trevor Pinnock for 30 years, it is now directed by harpsichordist Harry Bicket. Nadja Zwiener has ...
.
Discography
*Pavlo Beznosiuk (conductor and violin),
The Avison Ensemble, 2 discs,
Linn Records
Linn Records is a Glasgow-based record label which specialises in classical music, jazz and Scottish music. It is part of Linn Products.
History
While Linn engineers were testing their flagship product, the Sondek LP12 turntable, they became ...
(2012)
See also
*
Publications by Friedrich Chrysander
Karl Franz Friedrich Chrysander was a German music historian and critic, whose edition of the works of George Frideric Handel and authoritative writings on many other composers established him as a pioneer of 19th-century musicology.
Between 18 ...
External links
*
PDF scores for Corelli, Op. 6 concerti grossi
{{Authority control
Corelli
Compositions by Arcangelo Corelli
1714 compositions