Page:Pratt - The history of music (1907).djvu/248



Giuseppe Torelli (d. 1708), self-taught at Bologna and long violinist there, but after 1696 at Ansbach, was not only a close contemporary of Corelli, but with him was instrumental in defining the 'concerto' and the 'concerto grosso'—forms in which either a solo violin or a solo group is thrown into contrast with a concerted accompaniment.

Other Italian writers in the first half of the century were Biagio Marini (d. c. 1660), who worked variously in Italy and Germany (works from 1617, including much vocal music); Giovanni Battista Fontana (d. 1630) of Brescia and elsewhere in Italy, with a few pieces (1641); and Tarquinio Merula of Bergamo and Cremona (chamber-works from 1626, besides madrigals and motets from 1615). In the second half, were Carlo Ambrogio Marini of Bergamo (many works from 1687); Bartolomeo Girolamo Laurenti (d. 1726) of Bologna (works from 1691); Antonio Veracini of Florence (works from 1692); and the fertile opera-writer Tommaso Albinoni (d. 1745) of Venice (many works from 1699?).

It will be noted that all these, except Corelli, belong to northern Italy.

In Germany, though writing for bowed instruments was somewhat abundant during the second half of the century, especially in dance-forms and accompaniments for vocal works, no commanding master or historically important style was developed.

Almost all the works produced were sets of dances, representative composers being Briegel of Darmstadt (d. 1712), a very facile writer (works from 1652); Nikolaus Hasse of Rostock (1656); Johann Heinrich Schmelzer (d. 1680), from 1649 a player in the Imperial Chapel at Vienna and from 1679 choirmaster, with chamber music (from 1662) and many ballets for operas; Johann Pezel of Leipsic, notably industrious (from 1670) in writing for various combinations of instruments, both bowed and wind; Heinrich Franz von Biber (d. 1704), court-musician at Kremsier (Moravia) and from 1675 at Salzburg, whose works (from 1673) rank fairly with those of the Italians; Johann Jakob Walther of Dresden, an ingenious player, very celebrated in his time, but not a remarkable composer (works from 1676); Johann Schenk of Düsseldorf and Amsterdam, a noted gambist, with works for the gamba (from 1685); and Strunck (d. 1700), the Hamburg opera-writer (see sec. 87), whose playing won Corelli's admiration and honors from several courts (sonatas, 1691, mostly lost).

In France interest in pure chamber music was not usually dissociated from that in the orchestral side of the opera. Concerted suites of dances were frequent, but developed more as parts of operas than as independent works. The operatic overture also became steadily more significant, being laid out in three or four distinct movements. These two instrumental styles were essentially analogous to the two kinds of Italian sonata. In them progress tended gradually toward clearness,