Sonatas op. 5/7–12

Arcangelo Corelli, the violin virtuoso of his time, published his “Sonatas for Violin and Basso continuo opus V” in Rome in 1700. These sonatas are a compendium of violin playing of his time and laid the groundwork for future violin compositions.

Over the years the sonatas have been published in nearly 100 editions, all based on Corelli’s first edition which contains only the solo violin line above an unrealized bass line. Today, the sonatas are well known in numerous modern continuo realizations. However a realization from Corelli’s time by Antonio Tonelli also exists and is presented here for the first time in a modern performing edition.

This realization is surprising in that it contains full chords, sometimes played by both hands.

In addition, Bärenreiter’s new scholarly-critical edition includes for the first time many violin embellishments. For the most part they have been found in handwritten documents by Tartini, Geminiani, McGibbon, Dubourg and Roger (from a re-print of the sonatas from c. 1710).

These embellishments are presented in a separate booklet which players can place alongside Corelli’s original on the music stand.

Complementing this Urtext edition are a historical introduction, a critical commentary and an appendix containing preludes to the sonatas for keyboard by Tonelli.

• Score with realization of the basso continuo by Tonelli as well as Corelli’s unrealized figured bass line
• With a separate Urtext violin part
• With a separate unrealized figured continuo part
• Includes a supplement with violin embellishments
• Appendices in both volumes with source descriptions and critical commentaries
• Preludes for keyboard instrument by Tonelli in the appendix of volume 2