concerto grosso

[kuhn-cher-toh groh-soh, kawn-cher-taw graws-saw]

noun

plural

concerti grossi, concerto grossos 

1. a musical form, common in the Baroque period, in which contrasting sections are played by full orchestra and by a small group of soloists.

concerto grosso

/ ˈɡrɒsəʊ /

noun

1. a composition for an orchestra and a group of soloists, chiefly of the baroque period

Word History and Origins

Origin of concerto grosso¹

1715–25; < Italian: literally, big concert; gross

Word History and Origins

Origin of concerto grosso¹

Italian, literally: big concerto

Example Sentences

Naturally more of a showcase for the players, though, was Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, a beloved reimagining of the Baroque concerto grosso for the 20th century.

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From there, variations surface with nods to Classical and Baroque forms: a dancerly minuet or rondo, a concerto grosso of angular strings, a wandering ricercare.

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On the surface, the piece has the form of a Baroque concerto grosso, but the two forces seem to exist on separate planes, heightening the symphony’s solitary feel.

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The symphony seemed recast into a concerto grosso for wind octet and orchestra, the expert Israeli winds gaining in expression by interacting with one another face-to-face without upsetting balances with the rest of the orchestra.

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The pieces in which Corelli developed this light-and- shade technique came to be known by the name of the larger group, concerto grosso, and subsequently the generic term ‘concerto’.

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