concerto

American  

[kuhn-cher-toh, kawn-cher-taw] / kənˈtʃɛr toʊ, kɔnˈtʃɛr tɔ /

noun

Music.

plural

concertos, concerti

1. a composition for one or more principal instruments, with orchestral accompaniment, now usually in symphonic form.

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concerto British  

/ kənˈtʃɛətəʊ /

noun

1. a composition for an orchestra and one or more soloists. The classical concerto usually consisted of several movements, and often a cadenza See also sonata symphony

2. another word for ripieno

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concerto Cultural  

1. A piece of instrumental music written for one or more soloists and an orchestra.

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Etymology

Origin of concerto

1720–30; < Italian, derivative of concertare; concert (v.)

Compare meaning

How does concerto compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sonata vs. concerto

Example Sentences

To test it, he played a Tchaikovsky concerto, spanning its high and middle registers, finding sounds he “didn’t even know violins were capable of.”

From Los Angeles Times

Suddenly, as the orchestra rehearsed the Saint-Saëns second piano concerto, the maestro walked angrily off the stage.

From The Wall Street Journal

The performances of the symphonies, on Thursday and Saturday, came across considerably more persuasively than the concerto did on Wednesday, though Mr. Zukerman, now age 77, was in fine, virile form.

From The Wall Street Journal

A festival that celebrates one of the country's most popular composers Sir Malcolm Arnold will mark its 20th year by playing 20 of his concertos.

From BBC

And, at one point midpiece, it sounded as though one of the pianists was making a grand entrance to a Rachmaninoff concerto amid the beautiful roaring din.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arrangement
• drama
• melody
• music
• piece
• poetry
• setup
• symphony
• theme
• tune
• writing