Topmusicanswers
Concerto grosso, plural concerti grossi, common type of orchestral music of the Baroque era (c. 1600–c. 1750), characterized by contrast between a small group of soloists (soli, concertino, principale) and the full orchestra (tutti, concerto grosso, ripieno).
- How Does a concerto grosso different from a concerto?
- What is the most evident difference between the two concertos?
- Is concerto grosso polyphonic?
- What are the significant features of concerto grosso?
How Does a concerto grosso different from a concerto?
Unlike a solo concerto where a single solo instrument plays the melody line and is accompanied by the orchestra, in a concerto grosso, a small group of soloists passes the melody between themselves and the orchestra or a small ensemble.
What is the most evident difference between the two concertos?
Notice that the solo concerto has a bit more standard structure (three movements in a fast-slow-fast pattern) than the concerto grosso, though we must always remember that Baroque composers were not nearly as concerned about standardization of form as later Classical Era composers were.
Is concerto grosso polyphonic?
Recurring melodic ideas account for two other of the most frequent principles of musical structure in the concerto grosso, those of fugue and of variation. A fugue is based on the polyphonic treatment (through extensive melodic imitation) of a recurring subject, or theme.
What are the significant features of concerto grosso?
The concerto grosso is a sub-genre of concerto that follows all of the characteristics of the concerto in general (it is multi-movement, written for an instrumental ensemble, and subdivides that ensemble into two sub-groups) but specifically utilizes multiple soloists rather than a single one.
