Giovanni Battista Somis

Giovanni Battista Somis (December 25, 1686 – August 14, 1763) was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque music era.

[1] He was later appointed solo violinist to the king at Turin and leader of the royal band, and seems scarcely ever to have left Turin after these appointments.

A trip to Paris in 1731 to play at the Concert Spirituel produced a report in the April 1733 Le Mercure praising his playing.

He formed a style more brilliant and more emotional, and caused a decided step forward in the art of violin playing.

He was the teacher of Jean-Marie Leclair,[4] Felice Giardini, Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, and Chabran,[5] as well as Gaetano Pugnani, and he forms a connecting link between the classical schools of Italy and France.