Il Bolognese

Abstract Setting aside the preposterous fabrications and fictions of the previous chapter, it is remarkable how little remains of the life of Arcangelo Corelli considering his phenomenal inter national success. He was born on 17 Febmary 1653 in the small town of Fusignano near Ravenna, about fifty niiles from Bologna. This is confirmed by the baptismal records of the Parish of San Giovanni Battista in Liba di Fusignano: He was given the name Arcangelo after his father, who had died just a month before, on r 3 January. Of his faniily background we know little, although some genealogists have traced a dubious lineage back to the Middle Ages and beyond: Corelli was a common enough name in the region. Information regarding his early life and training has in the past been drawn largely from two sources.