Until the mid-17th century, the trumpet served primarily as a ceremonial instrument, played by soldiers and court servants, but not by professional musicians. Trumpet and drum ensembles played improvised fanfares and folk tunes accompanied by drones. From 1620 onward, German composers such as Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz began to incorporate the trumpet into art music. After 1650, the first concertante sonatas for one or two trumpets with string accompaniment were composed.
The origins of the trumpet sonata are traced back to Bologna, where Maurizio Cazzati published the first printed editions in 1665. Nordic libraries house manuscripts of trumpet sonatas, including works by Alessandro Melani. Alessandro Stradella also created significant compositions for trumpet, such as the wedding cantata Il barcheggio. While Andrea Grossi's sonata from 1682 still exhibits archaic elements, Stradella's work appears surprisingly progressive.
Three trumpet works by Bolognese composers around 1700 display different styles: Giuseppe Maria Jacchini's sonata sounds rather old-fashioned and breathless, while the works by Lazzari and Torelli feature more virtuosic elements. Vivaldi's only trumpet concerto uses similar idioms to the Bolognese works but is in C major. In contrast to the trumpet works, four-part string sonatas, which have an introspective character and are composed in minor keys, have been added.
Legrenzi's sonata from Venice and the works of Alessandro Scarlatti are characterized by contrapuntal density but differ stylistically. In the recording, each part was played by only one instrument. Richard Maunder argued that Baroque concertos were typically scored for a single instrument. The use of an Italian-style organ by Goetze and Gwynn for the continuo part gives the recording a special richness of sound.