Ornamenting Corelli

Abstract

The great virtuosi of the eighteenth century were famous for their improvisational skills, although some were criticized for distorting rather than embellishing the music: examples of such criticism are quoted in this lesson. Editions of Corelli sonatas were published with ornaments added, notably Estienne Roger’s 1710 edition, but no didactic Table of Ornaments, such as the seventeenth-century ones studied earlier in this book, exists from this period. To correct this historical omission, ornaments from Roger’s edition and from William Babell’s 1725 Twelve Solos for Violin have been formed into separate Tables of Ornaments, arranged by intervals. It is hoped that students will find these useful when they are learning to ornament Italian and Italianate sonatas from the first part of the eighteenth century. The ornaments in the tables range from simple appoggiaturas to whole passaggi and advice is given on how to practice them.