The Concerto

• While the symphony became the main orchestral form during the Classical period, the concerto still retained its popularity as a form that showcased the virtuoso.
• concerto

  • has its roots in the Baroque solo concerto
  • Like its Baroque counterpart, the concerto has three movements
  • the first and third, being fast movements, framing a slow second movement.
  • the orchestra and the soloist figure in a call-and-response relationship.
  • The orchestra opens the first movement with a ritornello after which the soloist enters with an exposition of the piece’s main themes. This is followed by several exchanges between the orchestra and the soloist.
  • It was typical of concerti from this period to have four ritornello sections framing three main soloist sections.
• In Baroque solo concerti, the orchestra usually plays throughout

  the whole piece. In the concerto of the classical period, on the other hand, the orchestra does not.
• ritornello


  an orchestral interlude
• Cadenzas

  • important feature of concerti from this period
  • a bravura passage done by a performer towards the end of a piece.
  • piece. It showcases virtuoso’s talent, often containing runs, arpeggios, and ornaments
  • use of cadenzas in instrumental music developed from vocal music of the period, where a singer would often improvise a cadenza punctuated by a trill, signaling the reentry of the orchestra.
• Johann Christian Bach

  • One of the first few composers to write piano concerti was the German
  • Born on Sept. 5, 1735, the son of prominent Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach and Anna Magdalena Bach.
  • He is often referred to as the “English Bach” because of his move to London in the latter part of his life.
  • There, he met and left a profound impression on, the young Mozart, who visited the city in 1764, at the age of eight.