Alessandro Stradella

[Quijote]

A new discovery for me in the guise of Alessandro Stradella (Bologna, 3 July 1643 – Genoa, 25 February 1682).

From Wikipedia:

"Stradella was an extremely influential composer at the time, though his fame was eclipsed in the next century by Corelli, Vivaldi and others. Some of his music was exploited by George Frideric Handel, for example in Israel in Egypt. Probably his greatest significance is in originating the concerto grosso: while Corelli in his Op. 6 was the first to publish works under this title, Stradella clearly uses the format earlier in one of his Sonate di viole. Since the two knew each other, a direct influence is likely."

Here's a YouTube video of some of his music, hope you enjoy it.

[Peter]

Thanks for that - though I've heard the name, I wasn't familiar with the music which is very enjoyable. He certainly led a colourful life resulting in his murder like his fellow baroque composer Jean-Marie Leclair.

[Quijote]

My pleasure! My discovery is thanks to The Guardian newspaper, always worth checking out for their classical music reviews.
Anyway, here's another video clip of a piece by Stradella. I really prefer to have video clips where we can see the musicians playing or at least those YouTube clips that show the score.