Sonata da chiesa

Sonata da chiesa (Italian: "church sonata") is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and is regarded an antecedent of later forms of 18th century instrumental music.[1] It generally comprises four movements, typically a largo prelude followed by a fugal allegro, an expressive slow movement, and an allegro finale, although there are also many variations of this pattern.[2]

During the 17th century, church services were increasingly accompanied by music for ensembles rather than solo organ, with canzonas and sonatas regularly substituted for the Proper during Mass and Vespers.[3] Many of these works, however, were not written explicitly as liturgical music and were often performed as concert pieces for entertainment. The term sonata da chiesa was originally used in its literal meaning of “church music” but later came to be used figuratively to contrast this genre of composition with the sonata da camera, which literally meant “chamber music” but generally comprised a suite of dances.[4]

One of the composers who contributed greatly to popularizing both the sonata da chiesa and the sonata da camera was Arcangelo Corelli, whose Six Sonata da Chiesa, Op.1 and 12 Concerti grossi, op.6 are exemplary works in this form. In addition to his three sonatas for unaccompanied violin, the first five of J.S. Bach.'s six sonatas for violin and obbligato harpsichord are also in sonata da chiesa form.[5]

After 1700, composers tended to merge the sonata da cheisa with the sonata da camera. By the mid-18th century, however, this style of music was increasingly out of date, although Joseph Haydn, for example, did compose a few early symphonies that followed the largo–allegro–minuet–allegro pattern.[6]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart also composed 17 works that are called seventeen "church sonatas", but these consisted of but a single movement for organ and strings to be played between the Epistle and the Gospel of the Mass.[7]