Concerto grosso C Major op. 3/12

It was the "Weihnachtskonzert" (Christmas concerto) in C major that won special popularity continuing a tradition which was cultivated by Corelli with his pastoral at the end of Op. 6 No. 8 or by Torelli in his Op. 8 No. 6 and reaching to the pastoral in Händel's "Messiahs" and to the sinfonia in the second cantata of Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas oratorium. This, finally, originates from the music-making of shepherds - coming from the Abruzzi and from Calabria to Rome at Christmas to play the shawm and the bagpipes in front of the cribs. Hence the popular consecutive thirds and the sustained bass tones characterizing the first "Largo", a genuine siciliano in the rocking, typically dotted 12/8 time.