Biography
For the greater part of his career the Italian composer resided independently in Rome, where he benefited from commissions extended by Queen Christina of Sweden and the Colonna family. Before establishing a distinctive style he supplied prologues and intermezzos to operas by Cesti and Cavalli. Following a scandal that erupted in Rome in 1677, he traveled to Genoa, passing through Venice and Turin along the way. During this period he produced more than thirty stage works together with masses, oratorios, cantatas, arias, and instrumental pieces. Among his theatrical output the sole comic opera, “Il Trespolo tutore,” introduced a bass singer in the leading comic role for the first time on the operatic stage. In “Il Corespero” he clearly separated recitative from aria while inserting a transitional bridge between the two sections. Widely regarded as one of Italy’s foremost composers, his music earned particular esteem in England. The oratorio “S Giovanni Battista” stands among his notable sacred works, employing concerto grosso instrumentation at an early date. Scholars have suggested that this score, along with his surviving instrumental compositions, helped shape Corelli’s concertos, opus 6. Of the twenty-seven instrumental pieces that remain, the “Sonata di viole” is recognized as the earliest known example of concerto grosso scoring. The majority belong to the sonata da chiesa category, scored for one or more melodic instruments of the violin family supported by thoroughbass.