Prior to about 1650 there was little consensus as to the forms in which purely instrumental music should be written, though isolated works showed thought and skill. After that date composers tended to apply the term 'sonata' to pieces for a small group of instruments or for a solo instrument with accompaniment. Two varieties were distinguished, the 'sonata da chiesa,' usually consisting of a slow, stately introduction, a quick fugal movement, a flowing melodic section, and finally a lively, dashing movement, all treated with considerable contrapuntal detail; and the 'sonata da camera,' which was practically a set of dances, the selection and order varying, though with a tendency toward the later plan of, first, pavan or allemande, second, coranto, third, sarabande, and fourth, gigue, all treated with emphasis on some metric figure and on brilliant touches of executive effect. Thus instrumental composition worked itself free from the old imitation of vocal styles and launched out into forms that were perfectly suited to the instruments used. We cannot name precisely the pioneers in these innovations, since many minds worked upon the problem.
The germs of the later styles appeared somewhat before 1600 in works by
G. Gabrieli, the Venetian organist, and from 1620, violin solos were attempted,
with stringed chamber music soon after. It is conjectured that some important
composers of this period may have been forgotten, since later works imply so
much of settled procedure. Among the known names are these:—
Carlo Farina, a Mantuan at the Saxon court, published (1626-8) 5 sets of chamber-pieces, interesting for their attempts at imitative effects or tone-painting. Marco Uccellini of Modena followed (from 1639) in a stronger style. Still abler was Massimiliano Neri, organist at St. Mark's, Venice (works from 1644), who may have been the first to distinguish between the two kinds of sonata. Legrenzi (d. 1690), the eminent Venetian, not only strengthened the orchestra, but wrote valuable chamber-sonatas (from 1655). Further advance was made by Giovanni Battista Vitali (d. 1692), violist at Bologna from 1666 and choirmaster at Modena from 1674 (chamber-works from 1666); Tommaso Vitali, his son, one of the best violinists of the time, with striking sonatas (from 1693); and G.B. Bassani (d. 1716), the vocal composer of Bologna and Ferrara, a notable player and composer for strings (from 1677).
Arcangelo Corelli (d. 1713), born near Imola in 1653 and a pupil of Bassani, after some years in Germany, before 1685 became the protégé of Cardinal Ottoboni at Rome, where he won immense renown as violinist, composer and teacher, in spite of his simplicity and modesty. His extant works (from 1683) are not many and from a modern point of view not ambitious, but they show that he was an artist of true feeling, a skillful consolidator of style rather than an innovator, and with real insight into the genius of his instrument. From him has developed by direct artistic descent a long line of violin masters of the greatest significance.
