concerto

[kuhn-cher-toh, kawn-cher-taw]

noun

Music.

plural

concertos, concerti 

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

concerto

/ 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

concerto

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of concerto¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of concerto¹

C18: from Italian: _concert

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.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

For these concerts, Mr. Shani programmed the composer’s two symphonies as well as his violin concerto, with Pinchas Zukerman, who has enjoyed a long association with the orchestra, as soloist.

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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.

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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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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