Pietro Locatelli

Pietro Locatelli, one of the leading violin virtuosi of the late Baroque period, was renowned for his scintillating double stops and unusual tunings. He was born in Bergamo, Italy, in 1695, but little is known of Locatelli’s early years except that he was proficient enough to play in the local church of Santa Maria Maggiore. He completed his training in Rome, published his first compositions (a set of 12 concerti grossi) and then established his playing credentials as a touring virtuoso throughout Italy and Germany. By the 1730s he was living in Amsterdam and had shifted from a touring life to command performances for wealthy patrons. It was then that Locatelli began to attract attention as a composer with a popular series of flute and violin sonatas, trio sonatas and concertos in four parts. Today, Locatelli is best remembered for his third opus, L’arte del violino, published in 1733, comprising a dozen violin concertos that offer plenty of opportunities for the performer to display their technical expertise. Locatelli remained in Amsterdam for the rest of his life, dying there in 1764. Though he’s neither one of the Baroque period’s most prolific nor best-known composers, his works are remembered for their contribution to the development of violin technique.