GIUSEPPE TORELLI

Giuseppe Torelli (April 22, 1658–February 8, 1709) was an Italian violist and violinist, pedagogue and composer, who ranks with Arcangelo Corelli among the developers of the Baroque concerto and concerto grosso.
Torelli is most remembered for his contributions to the development of the instrumental concerto (Newman 1972, p. 142), especially concerti grossi and the solo concerto, for strings and continuo, as well as being the most prolific Baroque composer for trumpets (Tarr 1974).
Regarded by many as one of the greatest Italian composers and violinists ever, Torelli was born in Verona. It is not known with whom he studied violin though it has been speculated that he was a pupil of Giacomo Antonio Perti in Bologna. On June 27, 1684, at the age of 26, he became a member of the Accademia Filarmonica as ''suonatore di violino''. He directed the ''capella'' at the cathedral (San Petronio) of Bologna, 1686–1695. He was maestro di concerto to the court of Georg Friedrich II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach in 1698-99 where he presented an oratorio (December 1699) before returning again to Bologna (1701) to become a violinist in the cappella musicale at San Petronio. The brief, rather formal concerto for four violins (which may be the ''Concertino con quattro violini soli che va in mezzo alla sinf.a con trombe'', or possibly some other piece) demanded disciplined control and intonation from its four soloists.
He died in Bologna in 1709, where his manuscripts are conserved in the San Petronio archives.
Giuseppe's brother, Felice Torelli, was a Bolognese painter of modest reputation, who went on to be a founding member of the Accademia Clementina. The most notable amongst Giuseppe's many pupils was Francesco Manfredini.

Contents

Selected works

Sources

Selected works

★ 10 ''Sonate a 3'', with Basso Continuo, op. 1. (1686)

★ 12 ''Concertino per camera'' for Violin and Cello, op. 4. (1688)

★ 12 ''Concerti musicali a quattro'', op. 6. (1698)

★ 12 ''Concerti grossi con una pastorale per il Santissimo Natale'', op. 8. (1709)

★ More than 30 concertos for 1 to 4 trumpets, including a ''Sinfonia à 4'', composed after 1702 (Tarr 1974) and unpublished during his lifetime, which is a concerto for four trumpets, with an orchestra requiring a minimum of four oboes, two bassoons, trombone, timpani, four violins, two violas, four cellos, two double basses, and continuo.

Sources

★ Bukofzer, Manfred F. 1947. ''Music in the Baroque Era: From Monteverdi to Bach''. New York: W. W. Norton.

★ Newman, William S. 1972. ''The Sonata in the Baroque Era''. New York: W. W. Norton.

★ Tarr, Edward H. 1974. Unpaginated editorial notes to his edition of Giuseppe Torelli, ''Sinfonia a 4, G. 33, in C major''. London: Musica Rara.