The principal works of Francesco Geminiani (c 1680-1762) are solo sonatas and concerti grossi.
His model was Corelli, but he composed with originality, writing for a wider range of solo instruments and using a more sonorous and chromatic idiom; his music is more expressive and dramatic than Corelli's (though still contrapuntal). The 'Corellian' style characterizing his earlier works had been gradually abandoned beginning with the op. 4. His cello sonatas op. 5 took a further step forward; the melody became more tortuous and unpredictable, resulting in an atmosphere of spontaneity.
The continuous crossing of the solo line with the bass, the irregularity of the melody, the ornamentation and the expressiveness of his musical phrases make Geminianiis Op. 5 to one of the most important collection of cello sonatas of its time.
