Giuseppe Torelli

Giuseppe Torelli

Circa 1700 by anon

Source: Alchetron

Born in Verona on 22 April 1658, baroque violinist and violist, Giuseppe Torelli, was brother to painter, Felice Torelli. Among Giuseppe's accomplishments was the development of the instrumental concerto contemporaneously with rival, Arcangelo Corelli. He composed mainly for strings, but is distinguished for his trumpet concertos, producing more than thirty pieces for that instrument. [See also concerto grosso and solo concerto.] Well to preface this presentation with the two main directories for Torelli. "G" numbers refer to Franz Giegling's 'Giuseppe Torelli: Ein Beitrag zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des italienischen Konzerts' published by Kassel in 1949 [Flaminio]. "P" numbers are cited from Francesco Passadore's 'Catalogo tematico delle composizioni di Giuseppe Torelli (1658-1709)' published in Padua in 2007 [Flaminio].

His youth obscure, consensus has Torelli leaving Verona for Bologna in the early eighties, perhaps appointed maestro di cappella (master of the chapel) at the Imola Cathedral as early as 1681. Torelli studied composition with Giacomo Antonio Perti before joining the Regia Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna in 1684. Founded by Vincenzo Maria Carrati in 1664, this musical academy housed at the Palazzo Carrati is yet extant and was the home of Claudio Abbado's Orchestra Mozart from 2004 to 2014. [See Bologna Welcome / Wikipedia]. Consensus has Torelli leaving Verona for Bologna in the early eighties, perhaps appointed maestro di cappella (master of the chapel) at the Imola Cathedral as early as  1681. His 'Sonata in re minore per violino e violoncello' may have already seen ink in Bologna circa 1680 in the anthology, 'Violino sonate à violino e violoncello di vari autori', published by Carlo Buffagnotti [Flaminio / see also Old Manuscripts & Incunabula]. Other early compositions appeared about that time.

Torelli published his Opus 1, 'Sonate a tre stromenti con il basso continuo', in Bologna in 1686 consisting of ten violin sonatas pressed by Gioseffo Micheletti with a dedication to Marchese Antonio Pepoli. Torelli's Op 2, 'Concerto da camera a due violini e basso', followed in 1686 filled with twelve violin sonatas printed by Micheletti with a dedication to Gioseffo Zannini. Come his Op 3, 'Sinfonie a 2, 3 e 4 Istromenti', in 1687 that is a collection of twelve violin sonatas. Another Micheletti job, that was dedicated to Gran Principe Francesco III di Toscana. Op 4 of circa 1690 which is 'Concertino per Camera a Violino e Violoncello' contained one prelude with eleven violin sonatas printed by Marino Silvani with a dedication to Duca Francesco II di Modena. Op 5 that is 'Sinfonie a tre e Concerti a quattro' consists of six sinfonie with six concerti published in 1692 by Micheletti in dedication to Conte Giovanni Guglielmo. It isn't known when '3 Sinfonie' arrived, only likely to be sometime after 1696.

'Opus 5'   'Sinfonie a tre e Concerti a quattro'   Giuseppe Torelli

Pub by Gioseffo Micheletti in Bologna 1692

Originally for 2 violini / violoncello / tiorba or violone / organo

Insieme Strumentale di Roma, Giorgio Sasso

'Sinfonia in D major' from '3 Sinfonie'   G 23   P A.5.1.9   Giuseppe Torelli

Allegro / Larga - Allegro / Vivace

Originally for 2 trumpets and strings

Pub prob no earlier than 1697

European Chamber Soloists / Nicol Matt   Trumpet: Thomas Hammes

Torelli became Concert Master at the court of George Frederick II, Margrave of Brandenburg-Ansbach, in 1698, the year his Op 6, 'Concerti musicali', was printed in Ausburg consisting of twelve violin concerti in dedication to Duchessa Sofia Carlotta di Prussia.

'Opus 6'   '12 Concerti musicali'   Giuseppe Torelli

Pub by Kroniger / Erben / Wagner in Ausberg 1698

Originally for 2 violini / viola / violoncello / organo

Ensemble Charivari Agréable directed by Kah Ming Ng

Op 7 which is 'Sonate da Camera à Violino e Violoncello o basso continuo' arrived to Amsterdam about 1698 printed by Estienne Roger. Op 8, 'Concerti grossi con una Pastorale per il Santissimo Natale', was Torelli's final volume containing twelve violin concerti pressed in 1709 by Marino Silvani with a dedication to Marchese Stefano Allì Macharani. I punctuate this presentation with a second of two works for trumpet to wrap up with another example of Torelli's interest in that instrument beyond his main focus on strings. This is his 'Concerto in D major' commonly called 'Estienne Roger 188'. When that was composed is unknown (at least by myself), but it was likely during his lifetime, unlike its publishing which was posthumous by Roger in Amsterdam in 1715 in 'Concerts à 5, 6 & 7 Instruments'.

'Opus 8'   'Concerti grossi con una Pastorale per il Santissimo Natalei'   Giuseppe Torelli

Pub by Marino Silvani in Bologna 1709

Originally for 4 violini (2 solo) / viola / violone or arciliuto / organo

I Musici with Mariana Sirbu (violin)

'Trumpet Concerto in D major'   'Estienne Roger 188'   G 28   P A.2.2.18   Giuseppe Torelli

'Concerto in re maggiore per tromba, archi e basso continuo'

From 'Concerts à 5, 6 & 7 Instruments'

Pub posthumously by Estienne Roger in Amsterdam 1715

Originally for trumpet, strings and continuo

Voices of Music with Dominic Favia (trumpet)

Torelli died in Bologna on 8 February 1709. Though baroque had been branching out to northern Europe for quite some time, it was hardly relinquished by its Italian masters, as examples of Torelli above attest. The Bach clan would be an addition to Italian baroque, not its replacement.