Francesco Geminiani
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About
In his own lifetime, Francesco Geminiani was spoken of in the same breath as Handel and Corelli. BBC Radio 3 put it bluntly: he was 'considered almost a musical god.' Today he's far less famous than either, but his influence on violin playing alone makes him worth knowing. The Italian born virtuoso settled in London from 1714, quickly winning aristocratic patrons and even performing his violin concerti for the court of George I, with Handel at the keyboard. Tartini nicknamed him Il Furibondo, the Madman, for his expressive, freewheeling rhythms. His three sets of concerti grossi, Opus 2, Opus 3 and Opus 7, are his best known compositions, notable for bringing the viola into the concertino group and giving the works an almost string quartet feel. His 1751 treatise Art of Playing on the Violin remains the definitive guide to the 18th century Italian method, covering everything from bow technique to vibrato, and it famously clashes with Leopold Mozart's rival handbook on several points. He also left behind harmony treatises, harpsichord pieces, and a vast catalogue of sonatas and concertos.