GEMINIANI, FRANCESCO

(baptized Dec. 5, 1687, Lucca, Tuscanyd. Sept. 17, 1762, Dublin), Italian composer, violinist, writer on musical performance, and a leading figure in early 18th-century music. Geminiani may have studied under Corelli. He established his reputation as a brilliant performer in England, publishing (1716) his Opus 1 sonatas for violin and continuo, which were famous for their technical difficulty and were widely acclaimed as equal to Corelli's. His other popular works include concerti grossi, of which his Opus 2 and Opus 3 sets became extremely popular in England, holding a place in the popular repertory well into the next century. His theoretical writings, particularly The Art of Playing on the Violin (1730), had considerable influence, and the latter work remains an important reference on the performance of late Baroque music.