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Arcangelo Corelli 12 Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 Year: 1709 Album Corelli: Concerto grosso in D Major, Op. 6, No. 4: I. Adagio - Allegro The English Concert & Trevor Pinnock 1988 Deutsche Grammophon GmbH Berlin Introduction: The movements of Op. 6, No. 4 follow the layout of important type of Baroque instrumental music, the church sonata (sonata da chiesa): slow-fast-slow-fast. The majestic opening sets a festive tone, the ensuing Allegro, rich and contrapuntal in texture, abounds with interplay between the concertino (two violins and a cello) and ripieno (ensemble). The Adagio slow movement, with its gently drooping melody, offers a lyrical contrast to the pomp of the Concerto's opening. Arcangelo Corelli expands the concluding fast section into two movements, both of which are marked by transparent textures and a prevailing feeling of lightness: An elegant melody unfolds over a propulsive bass line in the Vivace, and the final Allegro is infused with the spirit of the dance. Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713) Arcangelo Corelli is an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque period born in Fusignano in 1653. He received his first lessons from a local teacher, before leaving in 1666 for Bologna, a city which was at the time a major center of musical culture, where he learned composition and violin technique with Leonardo Brugnoli. Pedagogue renowned, Corelli spent his entire career in Rome from 1675. He composed mainly for the church and in the service of cardinals, but also powerful patrons, which allows him to lead a life without financial worries and take care of a reduced work but very high quality work, entirely intended for the violin and the string orchestra. His influence was very great, both in the diffusion of new forms such as sonata or concerto grosso and in violin technique. This radiancy extended beyond Italian borders. His violinist disciples will be numerous such as Geminiani, Locatelli, Gasparini among others. The twelve Concerti Grossi published in Amsterdam in 1714, a year after his death and constitute his last opus. Although they were published posthumously, they had already existed since 1709. In Corelli's works, the concertino consists of two violins and a cello, with the harpsichord providing the harmonies on the bass line (bass continuo). In the twelve Concerti Grossi which make up Op. 6 by Arcangelo Corelli, the concertino trio also plays in unison with the ripieno, making these concertos convertible into trio sonatas simply by leaving out the ripieno players and making some modifications for the viola part. The function of the ripieno is therefore more to add a fourth dimension of sonority to the solo trio than to contrast with it. By observing exactly this opposition or rivalry of slow and fast, loud and soft, of the fullness of the concerto grosso and the delicacy of the concertino, the ear is ravaged by a singular astonishment, just like the eye by the contrast of light and shadow. The first eight are « concerti da chiesa » while the last four are « concerti da camera ». Another imitated aspect of Corelli's work is his distribution of forces in the Concerti Grossi of Opus 6. The etymology of the term concerto is perhaps debatable, somewhere between the concept of separate forces « in conflict » or « playing together ». The contrast between a group of soloists (concertino) and the entire orchestra (ripieno or concerto grosso) is fundamental to the genre. As Corelli biographer Peter Allsop states, « The telling distinction in Corelli's title is not 'concerto' but 'grosso' because the composer's works are primarily orchestral ». The twelve Concerti which form this opus constitute in fact a form of apogee of this musical form in the Baroque era, at the same time as a testimony to the exceptional talent as a violinist and conductor possessed by this Italian composer. Corelli affirms the independence of the violin with the desire to remain within the limits of the vocal range and a concern for simplicity in the exploitation of the resources of the instrument to which he refuses unnecessary virtuosity. Lucien
