Earlier I posted some of my favorite pieces by
Arcangelo Corelli (1653 - 1713), and today I happened upon his Concerto Grosso while looking for a piece with the same name by Handel.
I feel it is delightful! A. Corelli was very clever and composed with delicious delicacy.
I have yet to hear a composition by him that I don't like. He also had a cool name, which gives him extra cool points.
Arcangelo Corelli - Concerto Grosso, Op. 6: No. 12 in F Major
Here is a quote from a short biography of Arcangelo Corelli that summarizes well his contributions to music and explains what a Concerto Grosso is:
Quote:
Arcangelo Corelli: a concise biography
History has remembered him with such titles as "Founder of Modern Violin Technique," the "World's First Great Violinist," and the "Father of the Concerto Grosso."
Corelli's tone quality was the most remarkable in all Europe according to reports. In addition, Corelli was the first person to organize the basic elements of violin technique.
Corelli's popularity as a violinist was equaled by his acclaim as a composer. His music was performed and honored throughout all Europe; in fact, his was the most popular instrumental music.
The Concerto Grosso form is built on the principle of contrasting two differently sized instrumental groups. In Corelli's, the smaller group consists of two violins and a cello, and the larger of a string orchestra. Dynamic markings in all the music of this period were based on the terrace principle; crescendo and diminuendi are unknown, contrasts between forte and piano and between the large and small string groups constituting the dynamic variety of the scores.
Of all his compositions it was upon his Opus 6 that Corelli labored most diligently and devotedly. Even though he wouldn't allow them to be published during his lifetime, they still became some of the most famous music of the time. The date of composition is not certain, for Corelli spent many years of his life writing and rewriting this music, beginning while still in his twenties.
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^ I feel it is a great honor to hear music that someone devoted so much of his life to create.