''Sonata da camera'' is a 17th-century genre of musical composition for one or more melody instruments and

basso continuo Basso continuo parts, almost universal in the Baroque era (1600–1750), provided the harmonic structure of the music by supplying a bassline and a chord progression. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing th ...

. 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, Dietrich Becker, and Johannes Schenck. But the term ''sonata da camera'' came into use in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

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 List of Italian composers, Italian composer and violinist of the middle Baroque music, Baroque era. His music was key in the development of the modern genres of Sonata a ...

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 movemen ...

'', 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 pair ...

'',

sarabande The sarabande (from ) is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance. History The Sarabande evolved from a Spanish dance with Arab influences, danced by a lively double line of couples with castanets. A dance called ''zara ...

, 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 ...

. Nevertheless, there is great variation in the form of music that was called ''sonata da camera'', including works such as Legrenzi's op. 4 of 1656, which are single movements in

binary form Binary form is a musical form in 2 related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Binary is also a structure used to choreograph dance. In music this is usually performed as A-A-B-B. Binary form was popular during the Baroque music, Baro ...

, and Bononcini'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

. 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. It originated in the early 17th century and was a favorite chamber ensemble combination in the Baroque era. Basic structure T ...

, 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 that houses the second pegbox. Like a lute, a theorbo has a curved-back sound box with a flat top, typically with one or three sound holes decorated with rose ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

, 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