trio sonata

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trio sonata. Comp. prevalent in late 17th and early 18th cents. (Baroque period), usually for 2 vn. and vc. or bass viol, with kbd. continuo. The most important genre of Baroque chamber mus. Towards the end of the 17th cent. the form diverged into the sonata da chiesa and the sonata da camera. Among the most celebrated examples of the trio sonata are the 48 by Corelli, 12 by Purcell, 28 by Handel, 14 by François Couperin, and 12 by Vivaldi.