concerto

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Composition, traditionally in three movements, for solo instrument (or instruments) and orchestra. It developed during the 18th century from the concerto grosso form for orchestra, in which a group of solo instruments (concerto) is contrasted with a full orchestra (ripieno).

Arcangelo Corelli and Giuseppe Torelli were early concerto composers, followed by Antonio Vivaldi, George Handel, and Johann Sebastian Bach (Brandenburg Concertos). Mozart wrote about 40 concertos, mostly for piano. Recent concertos by György Ligeti (Double Concerto, 1972, for flute and oboe), Luciano Berio (Concerto for Two Pianos, 1972–73), and Elliott Carter (Violin Concerto, 1990) have developed the concerto relationship along new lines.

Béla Bartók introduced a new concept in 1944 with his Concerto for Orchestra, in which there is no specific soloist, but rather a showcase for the virtuosity of the whole orchestra, both as an ensemble and with individual short solos. The form has also been used by Witold Lutoslawski (1954), Elliott Carter (1929), and Peter Maxwell Davies (1994).

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