Corelli’s Religious Patrons

Donald Macleod traces Arcangelo Corelli’s relationship with princes of the Roman Catholic Church.

Arcangelo Corelli was something of a European phenomenon not only during his lifetime, but also after his death. His compositional output was not large, but the development of the printing press enabled his music to be widely circulated. Musically, he bridged the gap between the Baroque and the Classical periods, and is seen as pivotal in the development of the sonata and the concerto. Even today, Corelli’s music is held in high esteem, with composers still inspired by his music. As a violinist he was also legendary, and people flocked from all over Europe to not only hear him play, but to also be taught by him. Corelli spent most of his career in Rome, maintained in some luxury by royalty, nobility and the Church. During his career he collaborated with many other composers including Alessandro Scarlatti and Handel. Despite his fame and continued popularity, we still know relatively little about Corelli, and this Composer of the Week series seeks to explore the man and his music through his personal and professional relationships.

In this programme, Donald Macleod delves into the opportunities open to Corelli through his relationship with the Roman Catholic Church. Two of his more prominent patrons were Cardinal Pamphili and Cardinal Ottoboni. Corelli was employed in sequence by these two cardinals, and was held in high esteem. He not only composed music for them, but was able to live in their palaces in some splendour, often writing incidental music for their private theatres and annual festivities.

Sonata in D
Helmut Hunger, trumpet
I Solisti Veneti
Claudio Scimone, director

Sonata in B major, Op 2 No 5
London Baroque

Sonata in E flat major, Op 2 No 11
London Baroque

Sinfonia to Santa Beatrice d’Este in D minor, WoO1
La Serenissima
Adrian Chandler, director

Concerto in G minor, Op 6 No 8 (Christmas Concerto)
The Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra
Jean Lamon, director

Sonata in C, Op 5 No 9
Michala Petri, recorder
George Malcolm, harpsichord

Produced by Luke Whitlock, for BBC Wales