Musical Form
Concerto Grosso
A small group of soloists against the full orchestra - the great Baroque ensemble concerto.
Orchestral
A concerto grosso ("great concerto") is a Baroque orchestral work in which a small group of soloists, called the concertino, alternates and combines with the full string orchestra, called the ripieno ("filling") or tutti ("all"). It was the most important orchestral form of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, before the solo concerto and the symphony took over.
How it works
The usual concertino is two violins and a cello - the same line-up as a trio sonata - supported by the harpsichord or organ of the basso continuo. The music moves back and forth between the intimate sound of the soloists and the fuller sound of the whole orchestra, creating contrasts of volume, texture, and color, rather like light and shade in a painting. A concerto grosso usually has several movements, alternating slow and fast, and may include dances.
Corelli and Rome
The form was perfected in Rome by Arcangelo Corelli, whose twelve Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, published in 1714 after his death, became models for composers all over Europe. They range from solemn, church-like movements to lively dances, and No. 8, the "Christmas Concerto," is still a seasonal favorite.
Handel, Vivaldi, and Bach
Handel, who had worked with Corelli in Rome, wrote his own twelve Grand Concertos, Op. 6, in an astonishing burst of creativity in the autumn of 1739, composing all twelve in about a month. In Venice, Vivaldi mixed the concerto grosso with the solo concerto in collections such as L'estro armonico (1711), which included concertos for one, two, and four violins. Bach's six Brandenburg Concertos (1721) take the idea in different directions, with ever-changing groups of soloists: trumpet, recorder, oboe, and violin in No. 2; and harpsichord, flute, and violin in No. 5.
A 20th-century revival
As the Baroque fell out of fashion, so did the concerto grosso. But in the 20th century, composers rediscovered it as part of a wider interest in old forms. Ernest Bloch, Vaughan Williams, Bohuslav Martinů, and Alfred Schnittke all wrote concerti grossi; Schnittke's first, from 1977, is a wild collision of Baroque style and modern dissonance.
Famous concerti grossi
- Corelli - Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8, "Christmas Concerto".
- Handel - Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 5 in D major.
- Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major.
- Bach - Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, with its huge harpsichord solo.
- Vivaldi - Concerto for Four Violins in B minor, from L'estro armonico.
- Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1.
Where to start listening: Corelli's "Christmas Concerto," then Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2. See also the Baroque era and the violin.