Concerto Grosso in G Minor, op. 6, no. 8   "Christmas Concerto"
performed Dec 9, 2001

Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) is one of the most underestimated composers in the orchestral repertoire. Born a full generation before Bach or Handel, Corelli was an innovator who would provide critical leadership for the next generation of composers, while still enjoying success in his own time. In fact, history has often remembered him with such titles as "Founder of Modern Violin Technique," the "World's Greatest Violinist," and the "Father of the Concerto Grosso." Generous titles aside, Corelli contributed profoundly to music in three ways: as violinist, composer, and teacher. Corelli's skill on the violin - then a relatively new instrument - and his popular concert tours throughout Europe were key to raising the violin to its prominent place in music. Some historians even suggest that Corelli was as popular in his time as Pagonini during the 19th century. As a composer, Corelli was performed and honored throughout Europe, making the most popular composer of his generation. Yet, compared with other leading Baroque composers, Corelli's output was rather small. All of his creations are included in six opus numbers, most of them devoted to sonatas.

Corelli's achievements as a teacher were critical to the development of Baroque music. He was a profound influence on Handel, and his students included Geminiani and the famed Antonio Vivaldi, who became the next great composer of concerti grossi. A key figure in Corelli's life that deserves mention is Cardinal Ottoboni, who made it possible for Corelli to pursue his career without monetary worries. It is possible that no composer has ever had a more devoted patron. When Corelli died, he left Cardinal Ottoboni some great paintings he had collected (and a few he had painted himself), besides the equivalent of $300,000. The cardinal kept the paintings but distributed his thrifty friend's fortune to Corelli's needy relations. Corelli died a wealthy man on January 19, 1713, at Rome in the 59th year of his life. Like Handel, Corelli wrote twelve concerti grossi - concertos with more than one soloist - but the parallel goes further. Each composer had them published as a set, and each set is numbered Opus 6! Corelli's twelve appeared in 1712 in Rome, and Handel's in 1730 in London. Further resemblance is seen in the orchestration. Like Handel's concertos, Corelli's Christmas Concerto is scored for two solo violins, solo cello, strings, and continuo.