My first encounter with the music of Arcangelo Corelli was the doing of my childhood music instructor, John Grossman. Mr. Grossman, as I always refer to him--even now, was my music teacher through grade school, junior high, and high school. He conducted the first orchestras I played in. He's the one who got me started on violin, the instrument I managed to play all the way from grade school through my University of Nebraska undergraduate days.Eventually, I learned that it was much more fun to write for the violin than to play it. I could think and write things that I knew full well I would never be able to play. So I majored in composition instead of the fiddle, but my writing for the instrument was greatly improved by the experience of playing it.
A favorite piece of my high school violin experience was when we played Corelli's Christmas Concerto. He's been one of my favorite composers ever since. In fact, thanks to a CD alarm clock, I've awakened to the music of Corelli almost every day for the past ten years. Believe me...the world seems like a better place to wake up to when Corelli is the first thing you hear.
It seems that Handel, with his Messiah and Hallelujah Chorus, is destined to be the baroque composer that gets most attention around Christmas time. That's okay and well-deserved, but if you want to put on some music that will truly transform the atmosphere of your home on Christmas morning, nothing will do better than Corelli's Christmas Concerto.
Corelli Concerto Grosso Op.6 No 8 "Christmas Concerto" in G Minor Part 2
Corelli Concerto Grosso Op.6 No 8 "Christmas Concerto" in G Minor Part 2
Click Here for Corelli's Christmas Concerto on Amazon.
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