Corelli – Christmas Concerto

^{Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713)}

^{Concerto Grosso in G minor, op. 6 no. 8, “Christmas” Concerto (ca. 1690?)}

^{Corelli’s “Christmas” Concerto gets its name from its subtitle, “made for the night of the Nativity” (i.e. Christmas Eve). Scored for a pair of solo violins and solo cello who are accompanied by a continuo (or a string orchestra plus continuo), it’s in many ways a standard example of a “sonata da Chiesa” (church sonata), a (usually) four-movement Baroque genre that was sometimes substituted for parts of the Mass Proper during the era.}

^{Where it differs is in the number of movements – there are six, not four – and their key structure. There are two pairs of connected movements in G minor, the first (Grave) and second (a syncopated Allegro), and fourth (a rollicking Vivace) and fifth (a stern Allegro). In between comes a stately Adagio in E-flat major. And then there’s the finale, which shifts, rather surprisingly, into G major. Perhaps most consequential, though, was Corelli’s choice to use the pastorale form here, which set a model that was copied most famously by Handel at a climactic point in the first part of Messiah.}

^{© Jonathan Blumhofer}

^{Reproduction Rights: This program note may be reproduced free of charge in concert programs with a credit to the author.}