Christmas Concerto, Op. 6 No. 8

• Corelli’s Concerto grosso fatto per la notte di Natale was published in his Op. 6 collection of 12 concerti grossi in 1715 in Amsterdam.¹
• Corelli’s Op. 6 concerti grossi were some of the first “classics” to enter the canon – that is, concert works that continued to be performed widely after the composer’s death. They were particularly popular in England.²
  • In fact, it is thought that Handel’s Op. 6 collection of concerti grossi (pub. 1740) was christened “Opus 6” not so much for numerical reasons, but as a reference to Corelli’s incredibly popular Op. 6 collection. 
• The first eight concertos in Corelli’s Op. 6, including this one, are in the da chiesa style. Sonatas and concertos da chiesa (church sonatas or church concertos) were considered appropriate for playing church because unlike sonatas da camera (chamber sonatas) they eschewed dance movements. Church sonatas and concertos could be played outside of church as well.³

Movements 

1. Vivace – Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come stà 
2. Allegro 
3. Adagio – Allegro – Adagio 
4. Vivace 
5. Allegro – Largo. Pastorale ad libitum. 6/8 “Pastorale” or “siciliana” movements in Italian Baroque music were traditionally used to evoke shepherds and pastoral scenes. Composers often used this trope to refer to the shepherds in the Nativity story. Cf. Handel’s “Pastoral Symphony” in Messiah. 

1. Michael Talbot, “Corelli, Arcangelo,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed October 15, 2021, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000006478.
2. Ibid.
3. Sandra Mangsen, “Sonata da chiesa,” Grove Music Online (2001), accessed November 29, 2021,  https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000026196.