”The image” of the violin in the creative work of A. Corelli (on the example of the concerto grosso genre)
Authors: Grebneva I. 
Published: January 2022

Statement of the problem. The violin style of A. Corelli, a composer-violinist who laid the foundation for the development of the violin art in Europe, represents a special “image of the instrument” that entered the professional-academic arena during the Baroque era. The research of A. Corelli’s violin style belongs to the field of organology, which is dedicated to the integrated study of instruments as the “organs” of musicians’ thinking. The close relationship, connection of the individual who is playing music with his/her instrument is not only one of the little developed theoretical problems, but also the basis of the practice for performing music, as well as learning this art. Analysis of recent publications on the topic. The available sources on the creative work of A. Corelli (written by K. Kuznetsov, I. Yampolsky, L. Ginzburg, N. Harnoncourt) contain either general information or individual observations on the image of the violin in the Baroque era. It is necessary to point out the significance of the general theory of the violin style (E. Nazaikinsky, V. Medushevsky, V. Kholopova, Y. Bentya) for the development of scientific ideas about the "image of the violin". The purpose of the article is to identify the special features of the “image” of the violin in the style of A. Corelli on the material of Concerti grossi op.6. The presentation of the main material. At the time of the creation of Concerts op.6 by A. Corelli, in Italy there was a violin school, which was distinguished by an exceptional variety of playing techniques. It was here that the historical process of replacing the viol with the violin was finally completed. The violin becomes the leading instrument in the instrumental genres of the 17th century music – suite, trio-sonata, solo sonata, and by the end of the century – concerto grosso. The path of movement to A. Corelli’s universal, generalized-reduced violin style ran along the line “ensemble feature – concert feature – solo feature”. The creation of the academic style of the violin playing logic is the merit of the Bologna school. The main thrust of the violin style of Bologna masters (Torelli, Antonia, Bassani, Vitali, and later Corelli and Vivaldi) is the combination of “church” and “chamber” models of the violin playing. For instrumental sound in an ensemble or orchestra, a “canon” and certain limitations in the technique of the playing are necessary, allowing establishing the balance of the parts of instruments and instrumental groups. The “invention” (inventio) in the violin playing, characteristic of the Italian school of the first half of the 17th century, was aimed at identifying the whole complex of the possible techniques of playing this instrument. The violin plating logic in Concertі grossi by A. Corelli is subordinated to the combination of two artistic and aesthetic tasks arising from two styles of concert making – the “church” one and the “chamber” one. Hence the choice of the appropriate techniques for playing. The “church” style, despite its democratization inherent in the Italian violin school, acquired the functions of a public concert for a mass audience and was distinguished by greater severity and regulation of the complex of the violin playing techniques. This stemmed from the genre style (“concert in the church”), where polyphonic presentation prevailed in the fast parts, the “tempo” names of the parts were used, and the organ in the numbered bass part was used. The “chamber” style opened up wider possibilities for the violin and the creation of an expressive technical complex associated with the genre (“dance” parts), replacing the organ in basso continuo with the harpsichord (cembalo), other stringed and plucked instruments (lute, theorbo), low string-and-bow instruments (gamba, cello, double bass), which gave a mono-articulate character to the general sounding. Playing shades of "lively speech" on the violin is a characteristic feature of A. Corelli’s violin style, reflected in the instrumental-playing complex through phrasing, attention to details and to micro-intonation. Conclusions. In describing the historical and artistic situation, in the context of which the style of the “great citizen of Bologna” was formed, its innovations have been outlined. The signs of the turning epoch have been indicated – they are the transition from the Renaissance polyphony and the “church” style to the secular homophony, with the instruments of the violin family singled out as the main ones. The particular attention has been paid to the principles of the violin intonation in the form of a speech playing (sprechendes Spiel) and dance motor skills, which together formed the semantics of A. Corelli’s violin style in the genres of concerto grosso, trio sonatas, solo sonata with bass. The main features of A. Corelli’s violin style, which became determinant for compositional decisions in the field of thematic, texture, and harmony, have been revealed.