Arcangelo Corelli

- Facsimile of the 12 sonatas in ms. 177 (Biblioteca del Sacro Convento di S. Francesco)
-Musicological introduction by Guido Olivieri
- Critical notes by Enrico Gatti
- Critical edition in a separate file, suitable for performance
Texts both in Italian and English

https://www.gmth.de/zeitschrift/artikel/1063.aspx

This article examines two movements from François Couperin’s Apothéose de Lully (1725) from the point of view of compositional technique and semantics. In the Accüeil, Corelli, the master of the Italian style admired by Couperin, receives his French colleague Lully in Parnassus. Lully thanks the god Apollo with a Remerciment. In both movements, Couperin juxtaposes the Italian and French styles quite abruptly before attempting to achieve a synthesis in the following movements. In this article, the author analyzes some compositional aspects which Couperin uses as cyphers of the national styles.

Michael Talbot: Robert Valentine and the Roman Concerto Grosso Robert Valentine (or Volentine), who was born in Leicester in 1673 or 1674 and died in Rome in 1747, was the most notable of a small group of English musicians who, in the wake of the Glorious Revolution of 1688, chose to make their home in Rome. From his family, several members of which were waits (civic musicians), he derived his proficiency on several instruments, both stringed (violin, cello) and woodwind (oboe, recorder, transverse flute). In Rome he became a member of the Congregazione dei musici di S. Cecilia, and his name appears on several surviving orchestra lists. But his musical activity, much of which was directed towards visitors to Rome from Britain and elsewhere in northern Europe, also embraced private performance, teaching, music procurement and copying and — especially — composition. Modelling his style on that of his near-namesake Giuseppe Valentini, Valentine had six collections of instrumental chamber music, all dedicated to patrons who presumably funded them, published in Rome and Florence in the first two decades of the eighteenth century, and two more nearer the end of his life. Concurrently, he produced numerous manuscript collections for patrons, several of which were published in London, seemingly without the composer's authorisation, by Walsh and others. As a composer, Valentine was, despite his high productivity, very mediocre. But he successfully tapped into the thirst for simple, concise music for instruments popular among amateurs — a phenomenon repeated in the modern revival of his music. His works include a set of previously unnoticed six concerti grossi for strings surviving in manuscripts in Uppsala and Manchester. In their character as 'amplified trio sonatas' these works exemplify perfectly the physiognomy of the early Roman concerto grosso and its capability of functioning equally as a sonata (without ripieno) and as a concerto (with ripieno).

This article is published in Ad Parnassum, 14 (April 2016), 1-36.

This article focuses on violin sonatas attributed to Arcangelo Corelli which are transmitted in English sources, but are excluded from any of the printed collections published under the composer’s supervision. These compositions open up interesting questions about the criteria of attribution and the stylistic analysis appropriate to such ‘unauthorized’ repertory, which reveals features not always comparable to those of the compositions officially released by the composer. Noneteless the study and comparison of the extant sources confirm the attribution to Corelli of some violin sonatas and the partial reliability of the English manuscript tradition; this is due to the close contacts that the English court of James ii and Maria Beatrice d’Este entertained with the papacy, and especially with the entourage surrounding Christina of Sweden. At the same time, the analysis of the English transmission helps to identify spurious works among Corelli’s doubtful compositions – for instance, some works which are certainly to be attributed to Gottfried Finger. This study brings attention to sources which are not listed in the thematic catalogue of Corelli’s works and which today represent important material for new research.

This article traces a brief history of a schema from Corelli to Mozart, here designated the Fonte-Romanesca, in order to clarify certain foundational principles in schema theory's conception of a model, particularly as it relates to the creative act. Models are not theoretical abstractions, but cultural artifacts that inform the compositional process through (near-)literal copy, (creative) imitation, variation, and problem solving—both combinatorially and developmentally. Such a re-evaluation of schema theory is simultaneously an opportunity to reflect on larger disciplinary changes surrounding the study of music from the long eighteenth century over the last few decades.

The anonymous treatise Regole per accompagnare sopra la parte (still preserved at the Corsiniana Library in Rome, in the Girolamo Chiti collection, and in Bologna with a di erent title) is a source of crucial importance for reconstructing the style of realization of the basso continuo in late Baroque Italy. An investigation on the place and time of origins of this treatise is an obvious preliminary step to de ne the stylistic relevance of the practices described in it.  e comparison between the copy at the Corsiniana and the one that belonged to Padre Martini’s library, and the reconstruction of the exchange of volumes between the two musicians – realized through the information included in the Chiti- Martini correspondence – demonstrates that this treatise went from Chiti’s library to that of Padre Martini.  e close relationship of this work with another, the Contrapuncti demonstratio varia, whose compilation Chiti explicitly attributes to himself, suggests that he probably did not simply copy the treatise by someone else, but that he may have collected it from various sources and documents related to common practices in the milieu in which he himself was active.  e hypothesis that the practices described in the Regole originated in Rome at Chiti’s time corroborate the fact that they can be applied to the performance practice of Corelli’s music.  is association is not only con rmed by external evidence, but also by the contents of the work; indeed, the treatise presents a great number of instances of harmonic procedures o en found in Corelli’s music.  e Regole are useful in these cases to suggest speci c solutions of realization, normally not implied in the mere examination of the  gures.

The voice-leading schema that Robert Gjerdingen calls the Monte Romanesca served composers for more than a hundred years as the framework for passages that move and delight listeners still today. After differentiating the Monte Romanesca from the rising-fifths sequence (the larger category to which it belongs), this paper presents a history of the schema from Corelli to Mozart and Haydn. It shows that composers tended to save it for special effect, using it late in movements (or sections of movements) where it serves a climactic, pre-cadential function. Inspired by the work of Vasili Byros on the Le-Sol-Fi-Sol and Olga Sanchez on the Romanesca/Hymn topic, the paper reconstructs a network of meanings that composers might have wanted to convey with their use of the schema. Especially common in sacred music, the Monte Romanesca (like the Le-Sol-Fi-Sol and the Romanesca/Hymn) carried a sacred aura when used in secular music. I will present a brief overview of the sublime as an aesthetic category, arguing that composers of music  both sacred and secular, both instrumental and vocal, used the Monte Romanesca as a signifier of the sublime.

This paper examines, for the first time as a whole, the twenty-plus instrumental variation sets that Vivaldi wrote, focusing on issues of genre, chronology, formal structure, and melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic detail.  The research finds that Vivaldi’s variation sets draw elements from both concerto and variation traditions but they combine them in ways that are rare, and perhaps unique, among variation sets of the early eighteenth century. Whereas many of his contemporaries emphasized the aesthetic value of individual variations, Vivaldi’s sets signal a shift towards a firmer conception of the set as a whole.
Contrast on the foreground level (between the individual variations) is
carefully arranged to enhance coherence on the background level (the set taken as a whole).  Of particular interest, also, is Vivaldi's use of variation-rondo hybrid structures and codettas featuring an independent part for a soloist before a final ritornello.  Finally, the cataloging of these works demonstrates the remarkable range of contexts where Vivaldi used variation technique as a rigorous formal device.  Published in Studi vivaldiani 6 (2006): 53-75; reprinted in Vivaldi, edited by Michael Talbot. Farnham (UK): Ashgate, 2010. pp. 365-386.

Treatises, reports and iconographic documents testify to the great variety of violin techniques coexisting in Corelli’s lifetime. Cristofor Schor’s famous engraving of Corelli leading an orchestra at the Piazza di Spagna in 1687 shows Corelli holding his instrument against the chest. This technique is also documented for the Italian violin virtuosi Matteis, Geminiani, Veracini, Locatelli and others and was, according to drawings by Pier Leone Ghezzi, widespread in the Roman milieu long after Corelli’s death. Taking sociological, functional, regional and chronological aspects into consideration, there is strong evidence for the credibility of Schor’s document.
Although a violin hold against the chest complicates shifting at first, virtuosi of the time were able to manage the most difficult passages very well with this particular violin technique. While anecdotes report Corelli’s failure as a violinist in the highest hand positions, it was certainly not because of this hold, nor was this the reason for the fairly modest technical requirements of Corelli’s Op. 5. In fact, it is not at all sure that Corelli intended to show his virtuosity with the sonatas of Op. 5. Corelli’s playing was in fact praised by his contemporaries; his skill as a violinist lay not in the high left-hand positions, but rather in his complete control of the bow. Robert Bremner reports that this was a criterion for Corelli’s choice of violinists in his orchestras. The ability of Roman orchestras to play with nuanced dynamic control, as described by contemporary observers, confirms this feature of Corelli’s violin school.
See also: https://www.academia.edu/36319446/Corelli_Op._5._Susanne_Scholz_Barockvioline_Michael_Hell_Cembalo_2018

The study of Corelli’s compositions not included in his six printed collections is still at its beginnings. Fifty years after cataloguing Corelli’s works for the new critical edition, an examination of some of his sonatas considered to be doubtful reveals that there is an urgent need for rethinking both the classification criteria and the boundaries that have been established between the dubious compositions and the ones without opus number, at least as far as the oldest, most authentic sources are concerned. In this study, I present arguments to confirm authorship of some of Corelli’s unpublished works (e.g., Anh. 19 and Anh. 33), based in the first place on data gathered from the material transmission of the compositions under consideration. In addition, I propose a few basic premises to tackle the study of the large body of English sources, including some of the earliest manuscripts that contain unpublished Corelli sonatas that can be dated with some precision. These English sources offer, in addition to trio sonatas (including Corelli’s WoO 5), several ‘sonate a violino solo e basso’ not found on the continent: their attribution to Corelli seems in many cases to be correct, or at least plausible; in any case, it should be pondered seriously in light of the extensive musical exchanges between Rome and England.

Recent research on manuscript and printed sources of Corelli’s output have re-opened discussion on doubtful works and have led to a new revision of Marx’s classification of Corelli’s catalogue.


While the solo sonatas of doubtful attribution have already been re-examined, there is still much to be done on doubtful trio sonatas. In this respect, this essay focuses on a specific case: the conflicting attribution of trio sonata Ahn. 16 classified by Marx among Corelli’s doubtful works and attested in a group of English sources, only rarely examined by Corelli scholars. In some sources Ahn. 16 is attributed to Corelli, in others to the Roman lutenist and composer Lelio Colista, in others no ascription is reported.

The purpose of this article is to explore the question of authorship of this composition through a comparison of all the manuscript sources, offering an up-to-date survey (some sources have only recently come to light). This comparison and a more wide consideration of the sources not only re-opens the debate on the sonata’s attribution, but also offers a more complete picture of the circulation and manuscript dissemination of Roman trio sonatas in England.

Recent research on the ties between the Venetian cardinal Pietro Ottoboni – a patron of music and the arts in Rome from the end of 1689 until 1740 – and the representatives of the European powers in Rome, has put into relief the ‘cultural lines of force’ that ran between him and the foreign nobility. Those relations changed over the course of time during the pontificates of Alexander VIII (1689-1691), Innocent XII (1691-1700), and Clement XI (1700-1721). In fact, Ottoboni’s patronage of music during these three decades is articulated in various ‘phases’, shaped by politics and historical events, but also by the ups and downs of the cardinal’s financial resources. Cardinal Ottoboni maintained strong relationships with the ambassadors thanks to both his diplomatic skills and his offering of musical events in which the very best singers, instrumentalists, and composers took part (Arcangelo Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, Giovanni Bononcini, Ottavio Pitoni). The foreign diplomats and aristocrats were received with great splendour at the Palazzo della Cancelleria, the cardinal’s residence, in which various theatres were in function at different times. These social events favoured the exchange of music, musical instruments, singers, instrumentalists, and composers between Rome and the rest of Europe.
A focus on the ties between Ottoboni and the Portuguese nation throws into relief the climate of collaboration that favoured the exchanges between Rome and Lisbon in the field of music and the arts, as is shown, for instance, by the presence at the Roman church of S. Antonio dei Portoghesi of numerous musicians that were employed by the Venetian cardinal. At the same time, artists from Portugal found in Ottoboni an important point of reference in Rome, something that had a direct bearing on the dissemination of genres, styles, and musical instruments in Lisbon. We know, for example, that in 1718, in his capacity as protector of the Sistine Chapel, Ottoboni procured a range of music for Lisbon cathedral at the request of king John V.
Using new archival sources, this paper investigates the possible collaboration between Ottoboni and the Portuguese ambassadors on the organisation of musical events.

The contractual agreements about Corelli’s Op. 6 between the composer and Estienne Roger reveal above all that the former was a clever businessman. Because there are, as yet, no other documents known which could give insight into Corelli’s publication strategies, we must pursue an indirect path in order
to approach these issues. Tracing the former buyers, owners, and interpreters of his music allows us to identify somewhat more precisely the audience that Corelli was consciously targeting. Corelli’s reception in Switzerland deserves an inquiry of its own: because of the cultural and denominational diversity of the country, a variety of different milieus emerge in which Corelli’s music was received, such as the English circle in Geneva.

This article, now over 50 years old, studies the evolution in concerto fast movements from motto form, where successive musical periods open similarly but close differently and -- except for the last -- are generally open (i.e., beginning and ending in different keys), and ritornello form, where the periods generally alternate between closed and open, the closed periods repeating the same musical material in different keys, often with some variation. The composers studied include Corelli, Torelli, Albicastro, Albinoni and Vivaldi. Patterns in the tonal trajectory of movements are the object of particular attention.

What did Corelli Find in the Ninth?
For Johann Mattheson, Corelli, whose works he „wants to have praised as a splendid model, irrespective of their age” (Vollkommener Capellmeister, Hamburg 1739, 91) was still a paragon in 1739. When Mattheson discussed the ninth in the chapter on dissonances, he again came to speak about Corelli, writing that Corelli had sought and found something in the ninth that neither before nor after him „anybody had done; whoever he might be“ (326). Unfortunately, Mattheson did not explain exactly what was so unique and at the same time exemplary in Corelli’s handling of the ninth. The present text attempts to explore this question both in view of Corelli’s works and in consideration of the contemporary practice and teaching of composition. Although it is focused only on a detail – the ninth – this perspective can nevertheless yield insights regarding Corelli’s personal style: it can show, on the one hand, in what way certain emphatic moments of his music are based on a specific use of the ninth and, on the other hand, how it serves as a characteristic component and syntactical element of his idiom.

Climbing Monte Romanesca:
Eighteenth-Century Composers in Search of the Sublime


Paper presented at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, on 1 December 2016 and at the Department of Music, Princeton University, on 3 April 2017

An expanded version of the paper, with musical examples and links to performances, available elsewhere on Academia.edu:  https://www.academia.edu/32429345/Climbing_Monte_Romanesca_Eighteenth-Century_Composers_in_Search_of_the_Sublime

The voice-leading schema that Robert O. Gjerdingen calls the Monte Romanesca served composers for more than a hundred years as the framework for passages that move and delight listeners still today. After differentiating the Monte Romanesca from the rising-fifths sequence (the larger category to which it belongs), I will present a history of the schema from Corelli to Mozart and Haydn. I will show that composers tended to save it for special effect, using it late in movements, where it serves a climactic, pre-cadential function. Inspired by the work of Vasili Byros on the Le-Sol-Fi-Sol and Olga Sanchez on the Romanesca/Hymn topic, I will reconstruct a network of meanings that composers might have wanted to convey with their use of the schema. Especially common in sacred music, the Monte Romanesca (like the Le-Sol-Fi-Sol and the Romanesca/Hymn) carried a sacred aura when used in secular music. I will present a brief overview of the sublime as an aesthetic category, arguing that composers of music both sacred and secular, both instrumental and vocal, used the Monte Romanesca as a signifier of the sublime.

To hear some examples of the Monte Romanesca, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJRhWUbgsTo

This is an article to review the different aspects of Vivaldi’s life and his works. Ospedale Conservatory, Venice school, the importance of concerto in his works also getting back to his unforgettable masterpieces are the others issues to consider.


در اين مقاله زندگي، آثار و تأثيرات آنتونيو ويوالدي در موسيقي جهاني مورد بررسي قرار مي‌گيرد، و از كنسرواتوار اوس پداله، مكتب وِنيز، جايگاه كنسرتو در آثار ويوالدي، چگونگي دستيابي دوباره به شاهكارهاي فراموش نشدني ويوالدي و مقام فعلي اين نابغه ونيزي مورد توجه قرار مي‌گيرد.

Tra il 1689 e il 1691, a Roma, alcuni giovani paggi al servizio del cardinale veneziano Pietro Ottoboni e di suo padre, il principe Antonio, erano educati alla musica e alla danza al Palazzo della Cancelleria. Il saggio, basato su inedite notizie d'archivio, ricostruisce le attività artistiche di quei giovani in relazione alle poche musiche superstiti e le loro esibizioni al Teatro Tordinona e in teatri privati nell'ambito di opere patrocinate da quegli aristocratici.

In the Baroque, beating time was a musical gesture par excellence: it physically embodied and visually transmitted musical meaning.  Today, however, the beating of a tactus has largely been neglected in research into the history of musical interpretation.  As approaches to early music become more historically informed or inspired, the question of the importance and effect of the timekeeper becomes more pressing.  In today’s historically-informed performances, it is now common to see a harpsichordist or first violinist leading the ensemble, yet most early music conductors still use a baton—a development of the nineteenth century.  The practice of beating time has yet to be rediscovered.
First, therefore, I will investigate the ways in which tactus-beating was practiced in different areas.  In Catholic and Lutheran church music, for example, musicians were divided into multiple choirs, which necessitated the role of two timekeepers coordinating beats—it was this system, in fact, which made polychoral music feasible. 
Then, I will show how the timekeeper’s beating patterns, which varied over time, plainly manifested changes in the musicians’ sense of bar and musical meaning.  The time-beating figure of Monsieur de Saint-Lambert (Les Principes du Clavecin, 1702) and Étienne Loulié (Éléments ou Principes de Musique, 1696) will then be compared with the bowing rules of Georg Muffat (Florilegium secundum, 1698), revealing an interesting parallel.  The accented bow strokes of the strings almost always correspond with the downward movement of the timekeeper, and the unaccented with the upward movement, so that the beats felt as heavy are also played with more emphasis.  As Monsieur de Saint-Lambert puts it explicitly in his treatise, the hand of the timekeeper shows to the eye an image of the cadence which the ear must hear.

In 1706 Corelli, Pasquini and Scarlatti were the first musicians to be admitted to the Academy of the Arcadia in Rome. The article examines the cultural and social context of this event and, in general, the position of music in the aesthetic ideals of the Italian men of letters of the early eighteenth century.