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,
