Arcangelo Corelli: the Period, Life, and Works
Brianna Hunter
MUL1110-3060
Professor Kranz
February 20, 2013
Arcangelo Corelli: The Period, Life, and Works
Music was discovered thousands of years ago and has only progressively gotten better with the invention of instruments and the development of musical dynamics. During the baroque period, in which Arcangelo Corelli lived and died, music was beginning to evolve into a more diverse musical experience. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the few violin and musical composer pioneers that helped shape music and create some of the most recognized compositions of his era. According to Baroque Music, Corelli not only shared his musical knowledge with fellow musicians, but was known as the “founder of modern violin technique,” the “world’s first great violinist,” and the “father of concerto grosso.” The period, life, and works in which the great Arcangelo Corelli lived will be discussed in greater detail as the paper progresses. To begin, the baroque period, also known as the “age of absolutism,” is classified by the years 1600, in which opera began, to the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750 (Kamien 99). Opera was birthed in Italy within the baroque period and provided the people a show of “magnificent extravagance” with more emphasis on the words than the music (Kamien 118-19). Furthermore, the baroque styled opera marked the entrance of castrato singers. These singers were males who had been castrated before they hit puberty to ensure the lung power of men and the vocal range of women. “By combining virtuosity, nobility, and extravagance, baroque opera perfectly expressed the spirit of a grand age” (Kamien 120). As well as the start of opera, the texture of the music was imperative during the baroque period. In the early baroque period, from 1600 to 1640, musicians favored the homophonic texture of music. Early
MUL1110-3060
Professor Kranz
February 20, 2013
Arcangelo Corelli: The Period, Life, and Works
Music was discovered thousands of years ago and has only progressively gotten better with the invention of instruments and the development of musical dynamics. During the baroque period, in which Arcangelo Corelli lived and died, music was beginning to evolve into a more diverse musical experience. Arcangelo Corelli was one of the few violin and musical composer pioneers that helped shape music and create some of the most recognized compositions of his era. According to Baroque Music, Corelli not only shared his musical knowledge with fellow musicians, but was known as the “founder of modern violin technique,” the “world’s first great violinist,” and the “father of concerto grosso.” The period, life, and works in which the great Arcangelo Corelli lived will be discussed in greater detail as the paper progresses. To begin, the baroque period, also known as the “age of absolutism,” is classified by the years 1600, in which opera began, to the death of Johann Sebastian Bach in 1750 (Kamien 99). Opera was birthed in Italy within the baroque period and provided the people a show of “magnificent extravagance” with more emphasis on the words than the music (Kamien 118-19). Furthermore, the baroque styled opera marked the entrance of castrato singers. These singers were males who had been castrated before they hit puberty to ensure the lung power of men and the vocal range of women. “By combining virtuosity, nobility, and extravagance, baroque opera perfectly expressed the spirit of a grand age” (Kamien 120). As well as the start of opera, the texture of the music was imperative during the baroque period. In the early baroque period, from 1600 to 1640, musicians favored the homophonic texture of music. Early
Cited: "Arcangelo Corelli.” Baroque Music. Internet Arton Publications, n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Deas, Stewart. “Arcangelo Corelli.” Music & Letters Jan. 1953, Vol. 34, No. 1: 1-10. JSTOR. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Edwards, Owain. "Corelli and The Violin." History Today 26.8 (1976): 525-531. Academic Search Complete Kamien, Roger. Music: An Appreciation. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print. Kemp, Lindsay "Polyphonic Texture and Genres." NAU. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Whent, Chris. "Arcangelo Corelli." HOASM. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2013. Zaslaw, Neal. "Ornaments for Corelli 's Violin Sonatas, Op.5." Oxford Journals. Oxford University Press, 1996