Weekend Gems #4 – Trio Sonata in G major, Opus. 2 No. 12 by Arcangelo Corelli and Sonata No. 5 from Armonico Tributo by Georg Muffat
Arcangelo Corelli is probably the greatest violinist you’ve never heard of. If you are not a string player or related to one, I would be rather surprised if you had heard of him. But those who know and love him understand his importance and his gifts. He has probably the greatest Italian violinist of the seventeenth century. His fame was widespread and he influenced all violinists who lived during and after his life in some way. Handel’s instrumental writing would be considerably different without the influence of Corelli’s music and playing.
As a composer he left a significant legacy, perfecting the solo violin sonata, concerto grosso, and trio sonatas, all of which are preserved in a small collection of flawless masterpieces which inspired European musicians with their grace and beauty (it is often said that he destroyed the less worthy works of his pen, so his actual output is certainly much greater than what survives – we have a total of only 60 works, a relatively small number for a composing musician of this time).
The trio sonatas form two thirds of his surviving output, opus 1, 2, 3 and 4 out of 6 (for more on the opus system, see this post). All of them are cast in 4 short movements, slow-fast-slow-fast, except for one, the last sonata of opus 2. It is a one-movement chaconne. Corelli’s chaconne is a statement of incredible elegence and suavity, hallmarks of all his writing. It cleverly contrasts a slow introduction with a concertante-like lively movement proper. The variations are inspired and engaging from beginning to end and I am so thankful that Corelli deemed his only essay in continuous variation form worthy of bequeathing to posterity:
Incidentally, one of Corelli’s pupils, the Germanic Georg Muffat, born in present day France, of Scottish descent, also studied with Lully (see this post). His mature works combine Corelli’s superhuman melodic elegance with Lully’s breadth and gravity. Here is his passacaglia, written to Lullian scale, using Corelli’s concerto grosso concept. I hope you can forgive the recording quality; it is by far my favorite recording of Muffat’s stately and joyful masterpiece:
I love to listen to music like this during lazy and contemplative afternoons. You need time for it to unfold and reveal the delights of its overlying structure. Enjoy!
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