Concerto grosso
A defining Baroque form built on contrast, the concerto grosso still feels vivid because it treats the orchestra like a stage conversation. Corelli’s Op. 6 gave the genre one of its most durable voices, and later composers carried that language into wider concert life.
Origins and context
A late Baroque Italian instrumental practice that grew from the contrast between concertino and ripieno groups.
The sound
Instrument palette
The voices and tools most associated with this sound.
- Violins
- Cello
- Strings
- Continuo
How to listen
Listen for
- The quick switch between solo group and full ensemble
- Short phrases passed back and forth like replies
- The warm pull of continuo under the brighter upper strings
History
The concerto grosso took shape in late 17th-century Italy, where composers began setting a small solo group against a larger ensemble as a distinctive kind of musical conversation. Arcangelo Corelli became the best-known early model, and his posthumously published Op. 6 concerti grossi in 1714 helped fix the form in the repertoire; later composers such as Handel and Bach absorbed its ideas, even as the solo concerto gradually became more central. (enciklopedija.hr)
Notable artists
- ACArcangelo Corelli
- GFGeorge Frideric Handel
- JSJohann Sebastian Bach
Essential listening
- 1
- 2
Concerto grosso No. 8 in G minor, Op. 6, 'Fatto per la notte di Natale'
Arcangelo Corelli
Explore connected genres
Sources and further reading
- enciklopedija.hr
Concerto grosso is a Baroque form built around a small solo group contrasted with a larger ensemble.
- imslp.org
Corelli’s Op. 6 concerti grossi were published posthumously in 1714 and became a model for the form.
- imslp.org
Handel’s Op. 6 set explicitly follows the concerto grosso tradition associated with Corelli.
- Concerto grosso
- Concerto grosso