January 26

Arcangelo Corelli (Italian, 1653-1713): Sonata in F Major, Opus 5 no. 10


Corelli is a composer all violinists should know about, whether or not you end up playing much of his music. He deserves credit not only for developing violin techniques and genres (such as the sonata and the concerto grosso), but also, because he traveled so widely throughout his life, for disseminating his contributions. Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel, among others, were all influenced by Corelli.

I happened to stumble across this video while searching for my favorite harpsichordist, Pierre Hantaï, and was pleased to find him performing with this wonderful violinist I had never heard! One cool thing to listen for in the harpsichord: in the third movement of this sonata (about 4:25-6:40), you might notice that the sound changes noticeably (it is even more noticeable when it changes back in the following movement). You are hearing something called a "lute stop." Some harpsichords have this feature, which is created by a piece of leather pressing against the strings, muting them and making the harpsichord sound a bit like a lute. I always get excited in rehearsals when harpsichordists use the lute stop--and sometimes I even request it!--because I love the effect so much. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpY2xh6go_w

​(Corelli from 0:00-9:22, five short movements)