The Evolution of the Concerto from Classical to Romantic Era
The concerto form was developed significantly from the Classical to the romantic era; producing changes within its instrumentation, form thematic material and rhythmic devices. The societal attitudes towards the composition and consumption of the concerto form also changed during this time.
A concerto is an arrangement with solo works performed within the piece, alternating between a larger ensemble and the soloist. The root of its definition was believed to mean to ‘skirmish with one another’ (Boyden, 1957), this definition helps explain the idea of a concerto, it displays a notion that the soloist is ‘skirmishing’ with the remainder of the ensemble. The defining characteristic of a concerto is its arrangement. It has a contrast in sound between the orchestra and solo instruments or small ensembles, bouncing between the two or three even. There has been speculation that the concerto form was in fact a variation of the sonata form, yet this is not the case (Simon, 1957). The sonata was believed to be introduced around 1770, making the concerto, on a timeline, appear before the sonata form.
In the early parts of the baroque period the concerto in its traditional form had not yet emerged (Simon, 1957), yet it was in the works, on its way. There were traces on concerto as far back as before 1550 (Boyden, 1957). The Fantasia of Francesco da Milano for two lutes labeled one of the lutes as ‘liuto in concerto’. In 1553, Diego Oritz also published a piece that included phrases such as ‘….en concertino de vihuelas; concertado…..’. Both these examples show that the concerto form was beginning to emerge, but of course it wasn’t fully developed as such to the degree that we know it today, these were just hints of its beginning.
Starting out as a form of composition, in the early baroque period, the concerto grosso was one of the first standardized forms of the concerto form. It was introduced by Arcangelo Corelli and is of Roman origin. Corelli’s famous concerto
A concerto is an arrangement with solo works performed within the piece, alternating between a larger ensemble and the soloist. The root of its definition was believed to mean to ‘skirmish with one another’ (Boyden, 1957), this definition helps explain the idea of a concerto, it displays a notion that the soloist is ‘skirmishing’ with the remainder of the ensemble. The defining characteristic of a concerto is its arrangement. It has a contrast in sound between the orchestra and solo instruments or small ensembles, bouncing between the two or three even. There has been speculation that the concerto form was in fact a variation of the sonata form, yet this is not the case (Simon, 1957). The sonata was believed to be introduced around 1770, making the concerto, on a timeline, appear before the sonata form.
In the early parts of the baroque period the concerto in its traditional form had not yet emerged (Simon, 1957), yet it was in the works, on its way. There were traces on concerto as far back as before 1550 (Boyden, 1957). The Fantasia of Francesco da Milano for two lutes labeled one of the lutes as ‘liuto in concerto’. In 1553, Diego Oritz also published a piece that included phrases such as ‘….en concertino de vihuelas; concertado…..’. Both these examples show that the concerto form was beginning to emerge, but of course it wasn’t fully developed as such to the degree that we know it today, these were just hints of its beginning.
Starting out as a form of composition, in the early baroque period, the concerto grosso was one of the first standardized forms of the concerto form. It was introduced by Arcangelo Corelli and is of Roman origin. Corelli’s famous concerto
Bibliography: Boyden, D. D. (1957). When Is a Concerto Not a Concerto? Oxford: Oxford Press University. Jander, O. (1968). Journal of American Musicological Society. California: University Of California Press. Keys, A. C. (1971). The Etymology of Concerto. Columbus: American Association of Teachers of Italian. Simon, E. J. (1957). The Double Exposition in the Classic Concerto. California: University Of California Press. Steinberg, M. (2000). The Concerto: A Listener 's Guide. Oxford: Oxford University Press.