During the period baroque, a concerto grosso is a musical Forme together for instrumental important, concerned with the Italian tradition.

the denomination of “ concerto grosso ” appears the first time in 1698. In the plural: “ concertos grossos ” or “ concerti enlarged ” - plural erudite copied on that of the Italian language.

Practiced especially in Italy and England - a little in the Germanic countries, but not in France -, this kind drift at the same time of the Venetian music with doubles chorus S and of the Continuation of dances.

The concerto grosso consists of a dialog enters, on the one hand the instruments Soliste S gathered in “Concertino” - generally two Violon S and a Violoncelle -, on the other hand, the “Ripieno”, i.e. the others cords which intervene in the passages “Tutti” - what corresponds to the whole of the Orchestre, concertino included. Different the left, soloists and “tutti”, is supported by the group of the Basse continues (usually bass viol, harpsichord). Certain type-setters used simply denominations as concerto, sinfonia or sonata for the principle of the concerto grosso.

The concerto grosso is often cut out into four movement S, alternatively slow and fast. Geminiani added the viola in the “concertino” for thus obtaining to a complete String quartet soloists.

This musical form disappears at the end of the period baroque, by giving rise to new forms and new kinds.

• At the beginning of the 18th century, the kind “concerting Music”, in which the opposition between the orchestra and the soloist (from now on virtuoso) is much more distinct: first of all, the “concerto of soloist”, who will evolve in his turn to the “symphonic concerto” at the end of this same century.

• In the middle of the 18th century, the Chamber music, kind primarily made up of Soloist S interpreting of the Sonata S, in Duet, Trio, string quartets, Quintet S, etc

• At the end of the 18th century, the symphonic kind Music, with for principal form, the Symphony and its more transitory alternative Symphonia concertante illustrated in particular by Mozart.

The shape concerto grosso was regained by certain type-setters of the 20th century, like Edward Elgar (in its Introduction and Allegro ), Krzysztof Penderecki, Alfred Schnittke, Vladimír Godár and Oldřich František Korte.

Type-setters of concerto grosso

• Evaristo Felice dall' Abaco

• Tomaso Albinoni
• Charles Avison
• Francesco Barsanti
• Francesco Antonio Bonporti
• Pietro Castrucci
• Arcangelo Corelli to see the article on its 12 Concertos grossos
• Willem de Fesch
• Francesco Geminiani
• Baldassare Galuppi
• Johann Gottlieb Graun
• Giovanni Lorenzo Gregori (1663-1745)
• Georg Friedrich Haendel
• Pieter Hellendaal
• Leonardo Leo
• Pietro Locatelli
• Francesco Manfredini
• Benedetto Marcello
• Georg Muffat (type-setter which introduced the concerto grosso in Germany)
• Giovanni Battista Sammartini
• Alessandro Scarlatti
• Georg Philipp Telemann
• Giuseppe Torelli
• Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer
• Silvius Leopold Weiss (1668-1750)
• Giuseppe Valentini (in 1710 op.7 an viola with the concertino ajouait)
• Antonio Vivaldi

Simple: Concerto grosso