concerto
Americannoun
plural
concertos, concertinoun
Etymology
Origin of concerto
1720–30; < Italian, derivative of concertare; see concert (v.)
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Explanation
A concerto is a classical music composition that highlights a solo instrument against the background of a full orchestra. Bach is one composer known for writing concertos. In a concerto, a piano, violin, flute, or other instrument plays solo parts that are backed up or highlighted by an orchestra. Most concertos have three sections or movements, and in the 19th century they were especially popular as a way to showcase virtuoso playing by the soloist. In Italian, concerto means "concert or harmony," from concertare, "to bring into agreement."
Vocabulary lists containing concerto
Music - Middle School
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Music - High School
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Blended
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The opening night concert will see Korean piano sensation Yunchan Lim playing Ravel's piano concerto in G Major, and star tenor Thomas Atkins transporting the audience to France, via George Gershwin's An American In Paris.
From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026
He will also premiere a new violin concerto, “How to be a Bird” by Gabriella Smith.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2026
Suddenly, as the orchestra rehearsed the Saint-Saëns second piano concerto, the maestro walked angrily off the stage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025
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 • Oct. 20, 2025
Saint- Saens’s music is particularly Bachian, parts of his piano concerto no.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
