Torelli has some importance in the development of the solo concerto and the concerto grosso. He spent much of his career in Bologna as a member of the distinguished musical establishment of San Petronio, where his near-contemporary Corelli had once served.

Instrumental Music

Torelli’s concerti grossi include an example of the contemporary ‘Christmas’ concerto, with a pastoral movement recalling the presence of shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem in the Biblical story of Christ’s birth. He made considerable use of the solo trumpet in concertos, sinfonias and sonatas.