FRANCESCO MARIA VERACINI  

Francesco Maria Veracini, born into a famous family of Italian musicians in 1690, and was originally taught by his uncle. He soon proved himself an incredibly gifted violin virtuoso, and it is said that when the great Tartini heard him play sat the age of 22, he decided to go back to study the violin, so as to match the brilliance of the bowing. He could have become one of the wealthiest musicians of his time, had he dedicated his life to the many court positions offered to him, but he possessed an insatiable desire to travel. As a composer his output was somewhat haphazard, and was not always well received. His considerable catalogue includes many concertos composed specifically to demonstrate his outstanding technique, Veracini believing other music was not capable of extending his skills. In his last years he did at last settle in Florence and served as the Master of the Choir at one of the major churches. He apparently performed as a virtuoso soloist right through to his death at the age of 78.

Often branded an eccentric, Veracini’s music is often characterised by doing something unexpected, though his concertos were obviously influenced by the music of Vivaldi and Corelli. His orchestral output includes a series of six Overtures, whose four-movement format was to be later adopted by the symphony. The date of composition of many of his works is unknown, but we can date the group known as Concerto a cinque from the late 1710’s. In using repetition in the figuration rather than sequential treatment, he became the forerunner of the style later to be adopted by Tartini and Locatelli. The concertos are all in the three movement format of fast - slow - fast. His group of six sonatas were an early version of the symphony. Here the four movements are shaped in the form of dance, the music intending to delight without any attempt to be profound.