CORELLI, Arcangelo 1653-1713

Sonate a Violino e Violono o Cimbalo ... Opera Quinta Parte Prima [-Seconda] ... Corected[!] by Dr. Pepusch. [Score].

London: Printed for and Sold by Benjamin Cooke, at the Golden Harp in New-Street, Covent Garden where may be had most of this Authors works in the same Character, [ca. 1735].

Folio. Half dark brown leather with marbled boards. 1f. (recto blank, verso frontispiece), 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 37, [i] (secondary title, "Preludi Allemande Correnti Gigue Sarabande Gavotte e Follia ... Parte Seconda"), 39-69, [i] (blank), pp. "The Whole Engraven by T. Cross" to foot of final page. Engraved throughout.

With a fine frontispiece portrait of the composer engraved by J. Cole and a small oval medallion portrait to title, being a miniature version of the frontispiece. Nineteenth century article tipped in to front pastedown recounting violinist Henry Holmes's performance of Corelli in London; "W. H. Waterman Maidstone 1858" and accounting notes in manuscript in ink and pencil to free front endpaper; occasional fingerings in blue pencil; annotation in pencil to upper margin of p. 30 (the Giga of Sonata V),"This Giga is engraved on Corelli's tomb in Rome."

Disbound, with upper worn, rubbed, and bumped, lower and spine lacking. Occasional soiling and staining; some minor losses to edges; tears to approximately 20 leaves, primarily to blank lower inner margin of titles and music; loss to blank outer margin of pp. 17 and 47 extending into blank inner margin; tear to pp. 35 and 53 extending from lower margin into lowermost systems of music; all leaves with inner margins reinforced, with occasional stubs.

Marx p. 94, no. 30 (variant, with "Also Corellis 4 Operas & 12 Concertos in Score Corected[!] by Dr. Pepusch" to final line of imprint). BUC p. 220 ("A reprint from the plates of R. Meares' edition"). RISM C3824.

Attractively printed.

"Despite the modest size of his output, comprising six collections of instrumental music and a handful of other authentic works, and its virtual restriction to three genres – solo sonata, trio sonata and concerto – Corelli exercised an unparalleled influence during his lifetime and for a long time afterwards. This influence, which affected form, style and instrumental technique in equal measure, was most closely felt in Italy, and in particular in Rome, where he settled in early manhood, but soon spread beyond local and national confines to become a European phenomenon. As a violinist, teacher of the violin and director of instrumental ensembles Corelli imposed standards of discipline that were unusually strict for their period and helped to lay the groundwork for further progress along the same lines during the 18th century. To Corelli belong equally the distinctions of being the first composer to derive his fame exclusively from instrumental composition, the first to owe his reputation in large part to the activity of music publishers, and the first to produce ‘classic’ instrumental works which were admired and studied long after their idiom became outmoded." Michael Talbot in Grove Music Online.

Item #39927

Price: $650.00  other currencies