Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer who lived from 1653 to 1713. He was the most admired violinist of his day, and he worked in Rome for queens and cardinals. He published only six books of music. Those six books taught Europe how to write for string instruments, and Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach all learned from them. The best first piece for a child is the Pastorale from his “Christmas Concerto.”
Quick facts
- Born: 1653, in Fusignano, Italy
- Died: 1713, in Rome, Italy
- Era: Baroque
- Played: violin
- Known for: the “Christmas Concerto,” the “La Folia” variations, and 12 concertos for strings
The life in short
Corelli was born in a small town in northern Italy, five weeks after his father died. His mother raised five children alone. He went to Bologna as a teenager to study the violin, and by his early twenties he was in Rome.
Rome had no public concerts then. Musicians worked for wealthy patrons. Corelli’s first was Christina, a queen of Sweden who had given up her throne and moved to Rome. Later he lived in the palaces of two cardinals, led their orchestras, and played at their Monday concerts.
He was a calm, modest man who wore plain clothes and loved paintings. When he played, people said, his eyes turned red and rolled with the effort.
He trained many violinists, and his students carried his way of playing to France, Germany, and England.
Corelli took his time to publish. He polished each set of pieces for years before he let a printer have it. His last set, the 12 concertos, came out the year after he died.
He was buried in the Pantheon, one of the grandest buildings in Rome.
What the music sounds like
Corelli’s music is clear and balanced. The tunes sing, the harmony moves in strong, plain steps, and nothing is wasted. He did not write showy tricks. His violin parts stay in the middle of the instrument’s range.
He made one kind of piece famous: the concerto grosso. In it, a small group of soloists, two violins and a cello, plays against the full string orchestra. The music passes back and forth between the few and the many, soft and then loud.
Pieces to play first
Pastorale, from the “Christmas Concerto.” The printed score says the concerto was “made for the night of Christmas.” The last part is slow and rocking, in the style of the tunes that shepherds played on their pipes.
“La Folia” variations. “La Folia” is an old dance tune that many composers borrowed. Corelli plays it once in a plain version and then changes it 23 times.
“Christmas Concerto,” first fast section. Listen for the small group and the large group trading places.
Gigue, from a violin sonata. A gigue is a quick, skipping dance. Corelli’s are short and bright.
Things to do together
Few and many. Play a fast part of the “Christmas Concerto.” Hold up three fingers when the three soloists play alone, and ten when everyone joins.
Rock the cradle. Play the Pastorale at bedtime. Sway from side to side in its slow rhythm.
Count the changes. Play “La Folia.” Learn the tune from its first, plain version. Tap the table each time a new variation starts.
Find the tune elsewhere. Many other composers wrote their own “Folia” variations. Play one by Vivaldi and compare.
For violin students
Corelli’s “La Folia” is in Suzuki Violin Book 6. Students who reach it are playing a piece that violinists have used to build their skills for 300 years. See Suzuki violin books 1 to 10.
Who learned from him
Handel met Corelli in Rome, and Corelli led the orchestra for some of Handel’s music. Vivaldi and Bach studied his printed music. The concertos of the next 50 years grew from his. Read Vivaldi for kids, Handel for kids, and Bach for kids.
Print and play
Fill in a composer study notebook page for Corelli. For more December listening, see Christmas classical music for kids. For the era he lived in, read Baroque music for kids. For his instrument, read the violin for kids.
For more composers from the same country, read Italian composers for kids. For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.
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This article is part of Classical composers for kids: a guide by era, from Vivaldi to Britten.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.