Arcangelo Corelli was famous as a virtuoso on the Violin and is regarded by many as the founder of modern Violin technique; he systematized the art of proper bowing and was able to extract a singing beauty and lyricism that was previously unheard of. He was one of the first to use double stops and chords and these qualities attracted international fame both for his own performances and for his many students who began to disseminate his techniques and on the Violin. CorelliĆ¢Ā€Ā™s Twelve Sonatas Op. 5 is a work of the highest order and acts like a compendium of Violin technique circa. 1700. This first volume contains Sonatas 1-6 all of which have been editedfaithfully by Gustav Jensen.

Wiener Urtext-These sonatas are among the epoch-making works of the Violin repertoire and nowadays figure in the standard repertoire of every violinist. It is all the more surprising therefore that until now there has been no Urtext edition of such significant works. The score is based on a first edition supervised by Corelli himself. From what we know of performance practice in Corelli's time however more was expected of the violinist than just a musical reading of the printed score: it was customary to add ornamentation verging on improvisation with embellishment and 'variations as desired'. The original score is therefore presented here withthe earliest documented ornamentation from a reprint published by Roger in Amsterdam in 1708. This ornamentation is not meant to be slavishly imitated but to stimulate the player to find their own creative and stylistically confident interpretation of the score. As Roger did not specify any ornaments for the sonatas in the second volume the 'variations as desired' used by Corelli’s pupil Geminiani have been reproduced with the ninth Sonata as an example. Advice on performance is given by the Cologne baroque specialist Reinhard Goebel. This advice does not only apply to ornamentation but also to articulation bowings and more besides calling for specific markings in the separate Violin part. The realisation of the Continuo part echoes the fashions of that time. Here too advice on performance is meant to stimulate free interpretation by the Continuo player. A figured Bass part is included for the player who prefers to read the accompaniment from figures.

Piano accompaniment and cadenza written by H Leonard. Part edited and fingered by Leopold Lichtenberg.