Legrenzi: 18 Sonatas, Op. 2

The first instrumental collection by Giovanni Legrenzi, Sonate a due e tre Op. 2, was published during the composer’s last years as organist at the Santa Maria Maggiore Church in Bergamo, along with three other collections, including ‘Sonate da chiesa, da camera, correnti, balletti, alemane e sarabande a tre, due violini e violone’ Op. 4 (1656), perhaps in an attempt to secure a better position by dedicating his works to high-ranking personalities. After all, other important composers with an interest in instrumental music, such as Tarquinio Merula and Maurizio Cazzati also held positions in Bergamo. The collection includes nine sonatas ‘a due,’ of which six for two violins and continuo and three for violin, violone or bassoon and continuo, and eight sonatas a tre for two violins, violone and continuo.