Sonata da camera is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and basso continuo. It generally comprises a suite of several small pieces in the same mode or key that are suitable for dancing. A significant number of such works were produced during the mid- to late- 17th century by composers in Germany, including

Heinrich Biber Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber ( bapt. 12 August 1644, Stráž pod Ralskem – 3 May 1704, Salzburg) was a Bohemian-Austrian composer and violinist. Biber worked in Graz and Kroměříž before he illegally left his employer, Prince-Bishop Karl Li ...

Dietrich Becker Dietrich Becker (ca. 1623 – Hamburg, 12 May 1679) was a German Baroque violinist and composer. Little is known about Becker's musical education. His first position was as organist at Ahrensberg. In his second position, in the service of the ...

, and Johannes Schenk. But the term ''sonata da camera'' came into use in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

during the late 17th century, when the works of composers such as

Arcangelo Corelli Arcangelo Corelli (, also , , ; 17 February 1653 – 8 January 1713) was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of sonata and concerto, in establishing the preeminence of th ...

contributed to the popularity of both the ''sonata da camera'' and ''sonata da chiesa''. The term ''sonata da camera'' was originally used in its literal meaning of “chamber music” but later came to be used figuratively to contrast this genre of composition with the ''

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. It generally comprises four movements, t ...

'', which literally meant “church music” but generally comprised a suite of four movements with tempos following a largo–allegro–largo–allegro pattern. In the Oxford History of Western Music,

Richard Taruskin Richard Filler Taruskin (April 2, 1945 – July 1, 2022) was an American musicologist and music critic who was among the leading and most prominent music historians of his generation. The breadth of his scrutiny into source material as well as ...

describes a ''sonata da camera'' as "... essentially a dance suite, which Corelli adapted to the prevailing four-movement format (a ''preludio'' and three dances or connecting movements)." The movements either were given tempo indications or names that indicated the style of dance, e.g.,

corrente The ''courante'', ''corrente'', ''coranto'' and ''corant'' are some of the names given to a family of triple metre dances from the late Renaissance and the Baroque era. In a Baroque dance suite an Italian or French courante is typically paired ...

, sarabande, or

gigue The gigue (; ) or giga () is a lively baroque dance originating from the English jig. It was imported into France in the mid-17th centuryBellingham, Jane"gigue."''The Oxford Companion to Music''. Ed. Alison Latham. Oxford Music Online. 6 July 20 ...

. Nevertheless, there is great variation in the form of music that was called ''sonata da camera'', including works such as

Legrenzi Giovanni Legrenzi (baptized August 12, 1626 – May 27, 1690) was an Italian composer of opera, vocal and instrumental music, and organist, of the Baroque era. He was one of the most prominent composers in Venice in the late 17th century, and ext ...

’s op. 4 of 1656, which are single movements in binary form, and

Bononcini Bononcini is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Antonio Maria Bononcini (1677–1726), Italian cellist and composer * Giovanni Bononcini (1670–1747), Italian Baroque composer, cellist, singer, and teacher * Giovanni Maria Bonon ...

’s op. 3 of 1669, which are also single movements, rather than a dance suite. After 1700, composers tended to merge the ''sonata da camera'' with the ''sonata da chiesa'', and works comprising dance movements came to be called a variety of other names, such as partita, suite, ordre, ouverture, or air. ''Sonata da camera'' were frequently composed for two violins and basso continuo. This three-part combination was also known as a

trio sonata The trio sonata is a genre, typically consisting of several movements, with two melody instruments and basso continuo. Originating in the early 17th century, the trio sonata was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic s ...

, but such works were often performed with a cellist or other instrument doubling the bass. Recent scholarship has revealed that the instruments used for to play basso continuo in Corelli's milieu were quite diverse, including

theorbo The theorbo is a plucked string instrument of the lute family, with an extended neck and a second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box (a hollow box) with a wooden top, typically with a sound hole, and a neck extending ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

, and organ. Ambiguities on the title pages of Corelli's works have led many to conclude that the continuo might have been either a harpsichord or a cello, rather than both, as was previously assumed.

References

Sonatas {{Classical-music-stub