concerto grosso

English - English

Definition of concerto grosso in English English dictionary: a musical form, common in the Baroque period, in which contrasting sections are played by full orchestra and by a small group of soloists; style of Baroque music in which a large orchestra and solo musicians play in alternation; a large scale orchestral work in which a large body of instruments is contrasted with a small body of instruments; A piece of music similar to a concerto but designed to display the orchestra as a whole; An accordion concert; This is a type of concerto in which a large group alternates with a smaller group; a baroque composition for orchestra and a group of solo instruments; an orchestral work that involves the interplay of two different groups of instruments; Principal orchestral music of the Baroque era, characterized by contrast between a small group of soloists and a larger orchestra. The small group (concertino) usually consisted of two violins and continuo, the instruments of the older trio sonata, though wind instruments were also used. The larger group (ripieno) generally consisted of strings with continuo. Alessandro Stradella (1642-82) wrote the first known concerto grosso 1675. Arcangelo Corelli's set of 12 ( 1680-90), Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos ( 1720), and George Frideric Handel's Opus 6 concertos ( 1740) are the most celebrated examples. From 1750 the concerto grosso was eclipsed by the solo concerto; a baroque concerto characterized by the use of a small group of solo instruments, called concertino, contrasted with a full string orchestra, called ripieni (or tutti) Example: Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No 2; multimovement composition for orchestra and a small group of solo instruments; The main type of Baroque concerto, for a group of solo instruments and a small orchestra