Charles Avison

Charles Avison was an English composer and organist active in the city of Newcastle, where he spent nearly all of his working life. He is remembered chiefly for his concerti grossi, works for a small group of soloists set against a larger string orchestra, and for arranging keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti into orchestral form. He also wrote one of the earliest English essays on musical taste, arguing for expression over mere technical display.

Avison's concerti grossi are built on the baroque model of a small solo group trading music with the full string band, usually in three or four short movements alternating slow and fast tempos. Expect brisk, dance-like fast movements with driving repeated rhythms, and slow movements that are lyrical and unhurried, often just a few minutes long. The string writing is clean and transparent, with no percussion and only occasional harpsichord filling in the harmony underneath. A typical concerto opens with a confident, clearly stated theme passed between the soloists and the full group, and closes with a quick, energetic movement that rounds things off briskly rather than building to a grand climax. The overall effect is elegant and conversational rather than dramatic, closer in spirit to Corelli and Handel than to later, more expansive orchestral music.