Christmas Concerto facts for kids
The Concerto grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 is a very famous piece of music by Arcangelo Corelli. It is often called the Christmas Concerto because it was written to be played on Christmas Eve. This beautiful concerto was asked for by Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni, an important church leader. It was published in 1714, after Corelli had passed away, as part of his collection of Twelve concerti grossi, Op. 6.
The concerto has a special message written on it in Italian: Fatto per la notte di Natale. This means "made for the night of Christmas." We are not exactly sure when Corelli wrote it. However, we know he performed a Christmas concerto in 1690 for his new patron, Cardinal Ottoboni.
What Instruments Play?
This concerto is written for a group of musical instruments. It features two main violins and a cello as the solo instruments. This small group is called the concertino. The rest of the orchestra, called the ripieno, plays along with them. The ripieno includes other string instruments and a continuo. The continuo usually involves a harpsichord or organ playing chords and a cello or bassoon playing the bass line.
How is it Structured?
This piece of music is structured like a concerto da chiesa, which means "church sonata." These types of concertos usually have four parts, called movements. However, Corelli's Christmas Concerto is special because it has six movements. Each movement is quite short and has different speeds and moods.
Here are the six movements:
- I. Vivace (very fast) – Grave (slow and serious)
- II. Allegro (fast and lively)
- III. Adagio (slow) – Allegro (fast) – Adagio (slow) in E-flat major
- IV. Vivace (very fast)
- V. Allegro (fast and lively)
- VI. Largo. Pastorale ad libitum (slow and calm, like a shepherd's tune) in G major
The concerto usually lasts about fifteen minutes. It ends with Corelli's famous Pastorale ad libitum. This final movement is very peaceful and sounds like music played by shepherds. It is a beautiful and calm way to finish the piece.
