The Frontispiece

The need to make the sheet music visually appealing is also revealed by the practice of adding a frontispiece to a music edition. Corelli's opus 5, published in Rome in 1700, shows this clearly. The attractiveness of the image contrasts sharply with the austerity of the title page, which consists only of text.

Two copies of Corelli's opus 5 published around 1700 in Rome by Gasparo Pietrasanta. Usually the frontispice is on the left of the title page, as in opus 6, but both copies have the image on a recto page. By consequence, the title page seems to be less important. B-Bc 5662 & 15092.     Two copies of Corelli's opus 5 published around 1700 in Rome by Gasparo Pietrasanta. Usually the frontispice is on the left of the title page, as in opus 6, but both copies have the image on a recto page. By consequence, the title page seems to be less important. B-Bc 5662 & 15092.

 

Concerti grossi, opus 6 by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), published by Roger and Le Cene in Amsterdam, ca. 1719. The frontispiece is only printed in the first violin part. B-Bc 7287.

 

The well-known opus 5 of Arcangelo Corelli with Sonatas for violin and basso continuo, published by Roger in Amsterdam. This edition has no longer a frontispiece, but the title page itself is decorated. B-Bc 5663.