The origins of the concerto go back
to the vocal music being developed in Italy c. 1600 by composers
like Claudio
Monteverdi and Giovanni
Gabrieli. They were tired of the uniform Renaissance style
and created a style which was called Concertato style.
In the word concertato they read two meanings from the
two languages they commonly used: the Italian "concertare",
implying two or more musicians playing in harmony (in concert)
with each other, and the Latin "concertare", meaning
to contend or dispute. The style therefore deliberately emphasizes
the contrast of one voice or instrument against others, or one
small group against another larger one.
One of the most radical changes to musical taste which came with
the Baroque period was the introduction of the concept of Basso
Continuo. The basso continuo style aims to show off
the potential of melody by simplifying the accompaniment down
to a simple bass line. This supporting bass line was then usually
supplemented by appropriate chords played (improvised) by a harpsichord-,
organ- or theorbo(lute) player. In a Baroque concerto the soloist,
whenever he or she plays alone, is always supported by the instruments
of the basso continuo group.
Another feature of the Baroque musical revolution
was to abandon the old scales ("modes") of the church
chants in preference to the major and minor scales which are still
commonly used today. The concertos of the end of the 17th Century
are amongst the first works to be unambiguously in major and minor
keys. Particularly impressive composers of concertos at this time
were Torelli in Bologna and Corelli in Rome. Corelli's concertos
are known as concerti grossi or "big" concertos,
because they used several soloists: a small group (usually 2 violins
and cello) contrasted against the string orchestra.
By the early eighteenth century, the time of Antonio
Vivaldi, most 'solo concertos' consist of a standard plan
of 3 different movements - fast, then slow, then fast again. Most
commonly these movements were built up using a structure known
as RITORNELLO FORM.
Ritornello form: is the principal used to build up a musical
structure in a Baroque concerto movement. It comes from the Italian
word ritornare , meaning to return. We can therefore expect
a plan to the music similar to that which we would find in a "rondo",
where the opening music returns several times within the movement.
There are, however, three important differences between the two
forms.
1. The Italian word ending (or suffix) ello, meaning "small",
implies that, when the opening music returns, we hear a shortened
version of the theme. In a rondo the whole theme is normally heard
when it returns.
2. When the opening theme returns in a rondo it is nearly always
in the same key as the opening theme. However, each new ritornello
in ritornello form may be in any key of the composer's choice.
3. In the episodes between the various ritornelli, the
music features above all the soloist(s). In a rondo there is no
clear-cut distinction as to who plays the returning opening theme
and who plays the episodes.
As one might expect, ritornello form is only used where the music
features a soloist with accompaniment from other instruments.
e.g. in the Baroque concerto or in the operatic aria of the Baroque.
Optional Exercise 1: Complete the these charts to show the application of ritornello form in the 1st movement and the 3rd movement of Vivaldi's "L'Autunno" op.8 No. 3
Optional Exercise 2: Listen to the "Rondeau"
from Bach's
2nd Suite for Orchestra to hear the difference between ritornello
and rondo form.
Purely instrumental music (Sonatas, Concertos
etc.) in the Baroque period fell into two main categories according
to the place where the music was expected to be performed. If
the music was intended for performance in a church it would be
of the DA CHIESA ("for the Church") category; if for
performance at a society gathering it would be DA CAMERA ("for
the room").
The musical styles of each type reflect their intended place of
performance. Da chiesa music tended to be more conservative
in style, with movements titled only by the tempo in which they
would be played (Allegro, Largo etc.). It laid little importance
on technical brilliance and aimed to avoid rhythmic features of
dances popular at the time. Generally, the tempo of the movements
followed the pattern: slow - fast - slow - fast.
The da camera music by contrast had an informal sequence
of movements, often named after dances popular at the time. Often
these works were devised to show the technical brilliance of a
soloist or group of instrumentalists.
In the instrumental works of the first half of the 18th century
(Bach,
Handel,
etc.) these stylistic divisions became less and less clear to
define.
Concertos, too, were divided into two categories
according to the number of soloists used in the concerto. If only
one solosit was used (as in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Albinoni's
oboe concertos, etc.), then the concerto was known as a solo concerto.
If several soloists (most commonly 2 violins and violoncello)
dominated the concerto (as in Corelli's concertos or Bach's
Brandenburg Concertos), then the concerto was known as a concerto
grosso ("big concerto"). Solo concertos tended to be
the most virtuosic, while concerto grossos were often performed
in churches and had many "da chiesa" features.
This caricature of Vivaldi was created by
the artist Pier Leone Ghezzi in 1723, two years before his famous
concertos "The Four Seasons" were published. Vivaldi
wrote over 500 concertos, of which 350 were solo concertos. 230
of these feature the violin as soloist. His next most frequently
featured solo instrument was the bassoon with 39 concertos.