concertos

concertos

1. Baroque

   • stayed
     • ritornello form
       • a repeated passage played by the orchestra
     • ripeano/ concertino
       • R= not soloists C=group of soloists
     • basso continuo
       • figured bass as seen in Bachs Bardenburg concerto in the harpsichord
         • harpsichord also stayed
     • group of soloists and orchestra
       • Brandenburg!
         • totally contrasts solo concerto
   • continued
     • solo and tutti
     • alberti bass
       • a broken chord figure used as accompaniment
     • 3 movements (fast slow fast)
     • drama between solo and orchestra
   • examples
     • Vivaldi's 4 seasons
       • programmatic (like a story) adds drama
       • no cadenza but has virtuosic passages
       • terrace dynamics
       • 1725
     • Bach A minor concerto
       • more virtuosic
         • 3 movements
           • fast slow fast
             • ritornello form (main theme comes back in fragments across instruments)
       • violin soloist very virtuosic
         • feels more led by the violin
       • 1723
   • 1600-1750

2. classical

   • stayed
     • patrons
       • musically limited
     • symmetry and clarity
     • subtle dynamics
     • mainly homophonic
   • continued
     • made for entertainment
       • more pleasant to hear (patrons)
     • still 3 movements
     • use of piano
     • cadenza
   • examples
     • Mozart's piano concerto no. 1
       • virtuosic piano
         • improvised cadenza at the end of the first movement
       • fast slow fast
       • double exposition
       • sonata rondo rondo
       • 1767
     • Beethoven piano concerto 5
       • no joined movements
       • uses related keys
       • improvised cadenza
       • clear theme, repetition
       • 1809
   • 1750-1830

3. Romamtic

   • continued
     • better orchestra
     • more extended techniques (chords)
     • 3 movements
     • written out cadenza
     • very virtuosic and dramatic
   • examples
     • Mendelshhons violin concerto in E minor
       • linked 1st and 2nd movement
         • cadenza unusually at the start of the recapitulation
       • fast slow fast
       • extended techniques
         • tremolo
         • double stopping
         • rubarto and dim. 7 chords
       • 1844
     • brahsm 2nd piano concerto
       • 4 movements, had a scherzo
       • 1881
     • liszt 2nd piano concerto
       • 1 movement
     • Greig piano concerto in A minor
       • fast slow fast
       • virtuosic
       • rubarto
       • 1868
   • 1830-1900

4. 20th century

   • ravel
     • 1931
   • Rachmaninov piano concerto no. 4
     • 3 movements
       • fast-slow-fast
     • jazzy feel Gershwin influenced
     • 1926
   • Bergs violin concerto
     • 2 movements
       • split into 2 further movements
         • 1st has a scherzo second part
         • second movement has a cadenza for first part
     • dissonant
     • dodecaphony
       • serialisim (tonality)
     • 1935
   • Gershwin
     • Rhapsody in Blue
       • 1924
       • Jazz concerto
         • opening 2 1/2 octave clarinet glissando
       • 18 musicians play 23 different instruments
   • 1900-1999