The concerto grosso
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can analyse key features of the concerto grosso.
Key learning points
- The concerto grosso is a type of Baroque concerto that includes more than one soloist.
- The group of soloists is called the concertino. It usually has two or three performers, most commonly violin and cello.
- The accompanying group is called the ripieno, normally based around strings and continuo.
- The concertino and ripieno interact in different ways, creating contrast.
Keywords
Concerto grosso - a type of Baroque concerto that includes more than one soloist
Ripieno - the name for the group of accompanying instruments in a concerto grosso
Concertino - the name for the group of soloists in a concerto grosso
Common misconception
A concerto grosso is exactly the same as a concerto, just with more than one soloist.
Because there is more than one soloist, composers can play around with texture and interaction more in a concerto grosso. This means that often there is more variety of interaction between parts in a concerto grosso than a solo concerto.
Teacher tip
Baroque concertos can be excellent learning opportunities for developing understanding of melodic devices. To extend learning, consider analysing a melody from a Baroque concerto (Corelli's Op.6 Concerti Grossi are good examples) looking for motifs, sequences, ornamentation and development of ideas.
Licence
Sign in to continue
Our content remains 100% free, but to access certain copyrighted materials, you'll need to sign in. This ensures we’re both staying within the rules.
P.S. Signing in also gives you more ways to make the most of Oak like unit downloads!
