Giovanni Battista Somis

Giovanni Battista Somis (born December 25 1686 – August 14 1763 Turin) was a Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque music era.

He studied under Arcangelo Corelli between 1703 and 1706 or 1707. He was later appointed solo violinist to the king at Turin and leader of the royal band, and seems scarcely ever to have left Turin after these appointments.

A trip to Paris in 1731 to play at the Concert Spirituel produced a report in the April 1733 "Le Mercure" praising his playing. [cite book|title=A new history of violin playing : the vibrato and Lambert Massart's revolutionary discovery|last=Silvela|first=Zdenko|isbn=1-58112-667-0
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gXqBVbWm6tkC&pg=PA93&dq=somis+turin&as_brr=3&ei=Nrk7R_aGMYrm7QKB6MX9CQ&sig=9204eDSYyqQQnz5zcgcAOumqnQQ#PPA50,M1
publisher=Universal Publishers|date=2001|pages=49|location=USA]

He published eight opus numbers in all:

*Opus 1 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1717 Amsterdam, published by J. Roger) cite web|title=Netherlands National Library OPAC|publisher=Koninklijke Bibliotheek, National Library of the Netherlands|accessdate=2007-11-14|url=http://www.kb.nl]
*Opus 2 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1723 Turin)
*Opus 3 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1725 Turin) cite book|title=Sonatas for violin and basso continuo, opus 3, modern edition|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=M-cdz57ZdQMC&dq=somis+giovanni
date=1998|pages=ix, xiii|publisher=A-R Editions, Inc|isbn=0-89579-422-5|last=Somis|first=Giovanni Battista|location=Madison, Wisconsin]
*Opus 4 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1726 Paris)
*Opus 5 - 6 trio sonatas for two violins and figured bass (1733 Paris, published by Bolvin)
*Opus 6 - 12 sonatas for violin and figured bass (1734 Paris)
*Opus 7 - "Ideali trattimenti da camera" for two violins, two flutes or violes (1750 Paris)
*Opus 8 - 6 trio sonatas

He formed a style more brilliant and more emotional, and caused a decided step forward in the art of violin playing. He was the teacher of Jean-Marie Leclair [cite journal|last=Borowitz|first=Albert|title=Finale Marked Presto: The Killing of Leclair|journal=The Musical Quarterly|volume=72|issue=2|date=1986|page=228|url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4631%281986%2972%3A2%3C228%3AFMPTKO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5|issn=0027-4631|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1986|pages=228|doi=10.1093/mq/LXXII.2.228] , Felice Giardini, and Chabran [Silvela, Zdenko. "op. cit." pp. 48-9, 66.] , as well as Gaetano Pugnani, and he forms a connecting link between the classical schools of Italy and France.

References