Giuseppe Torelli

Born in Verona in 1658 and died in Bologna in 1709, Giuseppe Torelli initially began as a violinist in his home town and in Bologna and was a composition pupil of Giacomo Antonio Perti. He left Bologna in 1696 and moved to Ansbach (presumably through a recommendation by the castrato Francesco Antonio Pistocchi and the violinist Pietro Bettinozzi) where he worked as a violinist in the court orchestra. After a lengthy stopover in Vienna, Torelli returned to Bologna at the beginning of the 18th century, where the cappella at the Basilica of San Petronio, which had since been disbanded but re-organized, was his main centre of activity.
During Torelli's lifetime, seven collections of his works were printed, most of them in Bologna, but opus 6, a collection of twelve concerti musicali, was published in Augsburg in 1698. The sixth of the twelve concerti grossi, published posthumously by Torelli's brother Felice and published as opus 8 in Bologna in 1709, has achieved particular fame. Characterised throughout by the Baroque idea of shepherds’ music, it is known in English-speaking world as "Christmas concerto".