Sonata in E Major, Op. 5, No. 11

Arcangelo Corelli: Sonata No. 11, Op. 5, in E Major was published in 1700, in Rome, originally as part of a set of 12 Violin Sonatas Op. 5. Corelli dedicated the set to Sophie Charlotte, Electress of Brandenburg. This was a strategic move to solidify his international reputation beyond Italy's borders. The 1700 publication was one of the most expensive and beautifully engraved editions of the era, signaling Corelli’s status not just as a musician, but as a "brand."
In 1702, six of the twelve sonatas were transposed (mostly into C, F, and G major) to fit the range of the recorder and the newly popular transverse flute. These arrangements, published in London by Walsh & Hare, were a commercial response to the "Corellimania" sweeping Europe.
With Op. 5, Corelli was consciously trying to codify the two types of sonatas: the Sonata da chiesa (Church sonata, nos. 1-6) and the Sonata da camera (Chamber sonata, nos. 7-12).
From 1690 until his death, Corelli served as the music director and first violinist at the Palazzo della Cancelleria, leading Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni’s orchestra. He was responsible for organizing and conducting weekly concerts every Monday evening, which became the social and intellectual center of Roman musical life. Before Corelli, orchestral playing was often loose and uncoordinated. Corelli famously insisted on uniform bowing—the practice where every violinist moves their bow in the same direction simultaneously. This created a visual and auditory "oneness" that was revolutionary at the time.
Ottoboni was a member of the Arcadian Academy, a group of intellectuals dedicated to refining art. Corelli was the academy’s musical figurehead (given the name Arcomelo Erimanteo). His orchestra served as a laboratory where he perfected the Concerto Grosso, a genre based on the contrast between a small group of soloists (the concertino) and the full orchestra (the ripieno). This collaboration was so significant that when Corelli died in 1713, he was buried in the Pantheon, an honor usually reserved for painters like Raphael, a testament to the status he achieved through Ottoboni's support.