Who helped establish the church sonata as a distinct musical form?

The Italian violinist-composer Arcangelo Corelli was the most consistent figure in establishing the sonata da chiesa, or church sonata, as a distinct musical form.1

Beginning around 1680, Corelli utilized a pattern of four movements arranged in a slow–fast–slow–fast sequence, characterized by textures based largely on imitative or fugal writing. While the church sonata emerged from the instrumental canzona, Corelli’s work with approximately 38 such sonatas served as a primary model for other composers of the period. His compositions helped clarify and define the church sonata as a complementary but distinct line of development alongside the sonata da camera, or chamber sonata.12