Corelli was born in the town of Fusignano in 1653 to a wealthy family. The details of his early life are unknown, but he most likely began his musical studies with a local priest before moving to Bologna, where he studied at the Accademia Filarmonica. No later than 1675 (but perhaps earlier), Corelli moved to Rome and began appearing as a violinist in ensembles formed for various religious and civic occasions. He soon emerged as one of the city's pre-eminent musicians and entered the service of Queen Christina of Sweden (the first of several influential patrons), who had established herself in Rome after abdicating her throne. Some of the young composer's earliest works are dedicated to her, and were performed at her "academies." Following her death, Corelli entered the service of Cardinal Pamphili, who gave him a generous salary and a place to live; he would remain in the Cardinal's service until 1690, when the Cardinal left the city. Corelli's patronage was then assumed by the young Cardinal Ottoboni, who had received his office through the intervention of Pope Alexander VIII, his uncle. This would prove extremely beneficial for Corelli, since his young employer quickly befriended him, paid him well, and was a great admirer of his music. Few musicians have ever enjoyed a more secure or lucrative relationship with a patron. In this position, Corelli achieved wide fame and extreme wealth, and upon his death in 1713 he was interred in the Pantheon.
Though he did not create the concerto grosso form, Corelli wrote the first significant compositions in the genre, laying the foundations for the achievements of Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach a generation later. The same can be said of his trio sonatas and solo violin sonatas, all of which show a greater stability of form and developed sense of harmonic progression than those of his predecessors. These compositions were influential not only because of their innovative use of form, terraced dynamics, and major/minor tonality, but also because they coincided with the flourishing music publishing industry in Italy. Corelli's fame and wealth led to the printing of nearly all of his works during his lifetime, and their wide circulation internationally. Indeed, composers and musicians studied his scores for many years following his death. ~ TiVo Staff, Rovi