In 1684 Corelli took over the responsibility of providing the orchestra for the powerful Cardinal Pamphili; two years later he was officially engaged as the Cardinal’s master of music and took up residence in his palace. The Op 2 set of twelve trio sonatas, of the ‘da camera’ variety, were probably performed at the Sunday ‘academies’ held there. Corelli, his favourite violin pupil Matteo Fornari, and the cellist G B Lulier (also a composer) regularly performed with the harpsichordist Pasquini and as concertino soloists with the Cardinal’s orchestra. The last of the set, Op 2 No 12, is a
Ciacona (‘Ciaccona’ on the score), more or less a set of variations over a ground based on a familiar descending four-note figure.
from notes by Tim Crawford © 1987
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