Concerto is a musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is usually accompanied by an orchestra. The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words ‘conserere’ ( meaning to tie, to join, to weave) and certamen (competition,fight): the idea is that the two parts in a concerto, the soloist and the orchestra, alternate episodes of opposition in the creation of music flow. It also includes cooperation and a sense of independence in the music flow. The concerto, understood in this modern way, arose in Baroque period side by side with the concerto grosso, which contracted a small group of instruments with the rest of the orchestra.
THE EARLY BAROQUE CONCERTO
The term concerto was initially used to denote works involving voices and instruments in which the instruments had independent parts – as opposed to the Renaissance common practise in which the instruments that accompanied voices only doubled the voice parts. Examples of this earlier form of concerto include Giovanni Gabrieli’s “In Ecclesiis”.
VARIOUS TYPES OF CONCERTO
There are various types of concerto. They can be broadly classified as
• Violin concerto
• Keyboard concerto
• Cello concerto
• Concerto for other instruments
• Concerto for orchestra
The popularity of Concert Grosso form declined after the Baroque period, and the genre was not revived until the 20th century. The solo concerto however has remained a vital music force from its inception to this day.
CONCERTO IN THE 20TH CENTURY
In the first decades of 20th century, several composers such as Debussy, Berg, Hindemith, etc started experimenting with ideas that were to have far reaching consequences for the way music is written and, in some cases, performed. Some of these innovations include a more frequent use of modality, the exploration of non-western scales, the development of atonality, the wider acceptance of dissonances, the invention of twelve tone technique and the use of poly-rhythms and complex time signatures. These changes also affected the concerto as a musical form. Beside more or less radical effects on musical language, they led to the redefinition of the concept of virtuosity in order to include new and extended instrumental techniques as well as a focus on aspects of sound that had been neglected or even been ignored before such as pitch, timbre and dynamics. In some cases, they also brought about a new approach to the role of the soloist and its relation to the orchestra.
THE EARLY BAROQUE CONCERTO
The term concerto was initially used to denote works involving voices and instruments in which the instruments had independent parts – as opposed to the Renaissance common practise in which the instruments that accompanied voices only doubled the voice parts. Examples of this earlier form of concerto include Giovanni Gabrieli’s “In Ecclesiis”.
VARIOUS TYPES OF CONCERTO
There are various types of concerto. They can be broadly classified as
• Violin concerto
• Keyboard concerto
• Cello concerto
• Concerto for other instruments
• Concerto for orchestra
The popularity of Concert Grosso form declined after the Baroque period, and the genre was not revived until the 20th century. The solo concerto however has remained a vital music force from its inception to this day.
CONCERTO IN THE 20TH CENTURY
In the first decades of 20th century, several composers such as Debussy, Berg, Hindemith, etc started experimenting with ideas that were to have far reaching consequences for the way music is written and, in some cases, performed. Some of these innovations include a more frequent use of modality, the exploration of non-western scales, the development of atonality, the wider acceptance of dissonances, the invention of twelve tone technique and the use of poly-rhythms and complex time signatures. These changes also affected the concerto as a musical form. Beside more or less radical effects on musical language, they led to the redefinition of the concept of virtuosity in order to include new and extended instrumental techniques as well as a focus on aspects of sound that had been neglected or even been ignored before such as pitch, timbre and dynamics. In some cases, they also brought about a new approach to the role of the soloist and its relation to the orchestra.
N. Janani Hamsini of XI - B
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