Concerti+Grossi,+Opus+3

Concerto grosso, plural concerti grossi, was a common type of orchestral music of the Baroque era (c.1600–c. 1750), characterized by contrast between a small group of soloists (soli, concertino, principale) and the full orchestra (tutti, concerto grosso, ripieno). The titles of early concerti grossi often reflected their performance locales, as in concerto da chiesa (“church concerto”) and concerto da camera (“chamber concerto,” played at court). Ultimately the concerto grosso flourished as secular court music.

Beginning about 1700 with Arcangelo Corelli, the number of movements varied, although some composers, such as Giuseppe Torelli and Antonio Vivaldi, who were more committed to the solo concerto, adopted a three-movement pattern of fast-slow-fast.

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concerto grosso. (2014). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/131094/concerto-grosso