Like the seven works preceding it in Locatelli's Op. 1 collection, this eighth concerto takes the form of a sonata da chiesa, or church sonata, in which slow movements alternate with faster, fugal movements. (The last four works in the group are chamber sonatas, or dance suites.) Like the set as a whole, this concerto follows the pattern established more than a decade earlier by Arcangelo Corelli's Op. 6 collection, right down to dubbing the eighth work a "Christmas" concerto; the final, pastoral movement is intended to suggest the shepherds at Bethlehem.

The first of the five movements falls into three distinct sections, beginning with a Largo series of gently pulsing chords. This brief introduction paves the way for the Grave sequence, a stately section built mainly from falling phrases distributed through the orchestra. Soon this gives way to the more urgent Vivace, a troubled fugue introduced by the small concertino group (an ensemble of solo instruments) and almost immediately picked up by the full orchestra.

Another Grave movement follows, a particularly doleful composition constructed from long, sighing melodic arches. A faster movement would be expected to come next, but Locatelli surprisingly marks it Largo; it seems to move quickly, though, because of its lilting rhythm and short note values. The movement features tight interplay between the soli and the full ensemble. At the end comes a tiny Andante postlude that sets the stage for the next section.

That would be an Andante, proceeding at an easy "walking" tempo (which is what andante indicates, rather than something slow). It involves much close imitative writing for the soli and full group. The final movement is the Siciliano that gives the concerto its name, a pastoral piece full of graceful trills and a melody that is little more than a fleshing out of the gently rocking rhythm, appropriate for a cradle song.

© James Reel, All Music Guide