Corelli, Arcangelo (ärkän`jālō kōrĕl`lē), 1653–1713, Italian composer and violinist. Famed for his virtuosity and his elegant style of composition, he spent most of his life in Rome, where he was court violinist to Cardinal Ottoboni. His violin technique was perpetuated by his many students and in his sonatas for violin with harpsichord, among which is the well-known set of variations on the air La Follia. He also helped to establish the typical form of the concerto grosso (see concerto concerto (kənchâr`tō), musical composition usually for an orchestra and a soloist or a group of soloists. In the 16th cent.
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Bibliography

See M. Pincherle, Corelli: His Life, His Work (tr., 1956).

Corelli, Arcangelo

(born Feb. 17, 1653, Fusignano, near Imola, Papal States—died Jan. 8, 1713, Rome) Italian composer and violinist. He studied in Bologna before settling in Rome. He became widely known as a violinist, director, and teacher, and he lived with his family at the palaces of Cardinals Pamphili and Ottoboni. His many students included Francesco Geminiani (1687–1762) and Pietro Locatelli (1695–1764). As a violinist, he had considerable influence on the development of violin style. As the first composer whose fame was based exclusively on his nonvocal music, his reputation rests mainly on his sonatas and his 12 Concerti Grossi, which established the concerto grosso form. He wrote four sets of 12 trio sonatas each (1681–95), a set of 12 solo sonatas (1700), and the concerti grossi (1714). Long after his death, his works were widely studied and imitated for their classic poise and serenity. With his music the ideal of full-blown tonality first became securely established.