Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A composition for an orchestra and one or more solo instruments, typically in three movements.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In music: A concert.
- noun Same as
concertante . - noun A composition for two or more solo instruments of the same or of a different kind: as, Bach's concerto for four pianos; Handel's concerti grossi for two violins and violoncello soli, with accompaniment for a stringed orchestra. Such concertos are called double, triple, etc., according to the number of solo instruments.
- noun A composition, usually in symphonic form, written for one principal instrument (occasionally for more than one), with accompaniment for a large or small orchestra, and intended to display the ability of a solo performer.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Mus.) A composition (usually in symphonic form with three movements) in which one instrument (or two or three) stands out in bold relief against the orchestra, or accompaniment, so as to display its qualities or the performer's skill.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun music A piece of music for one or more
solo instruments andorchestra .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a composition for orchestra and a soloist
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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The meaning of the term concerto is "to fight," he instructs, but "it's a positive fight.
Vienna's Classical Iconoclast Stuart Isacoff 2011
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The composer may be in his seventies, but never before has he used the word 'concerto' in the title of a work, and never before has he written for solo violin.
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In between this and the inevitable wedding music, was the ubiquitous violin concerto with the even more ubiquitous Sarah Chang as soloist.
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A lost Vivaldi flute concerto is to be heard in full for the first time in 250 years after being rediscovered in the family archives of a Scottish nobleman who was killed at the battle of Culloden.
Vivaldi flute concerto discovered Severin Carrell 2010
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Because of the difficulty, the concerto is rarely heard.
My preview of the Regina Symphony Orchestra concert featuring pianist Hung-Kuan Chen… ewillett 2009
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She stomped her way through Bruch's violin concerto last year to little payoff.
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The last recorded evidence of the concerto comes from the sale catalogue of a Dutch bookseller in 1759, 13 years after Kerr's death.
Vivaldi flute concerto discovered Severin Carrell 2010
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"The new concerto is a delightful piece with an exquisite central slow movement," he said.
Vivaldi flute concerto discovered Severin Carrell 2010
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The river Exe at Bickleigh later formed the inspiration for a violin concerto, composed in 1951 as a gift for, and first performed by, his wife Pauline Ashley, a fellow student at Trinity College London, where (after national service in the RAF) he studied piano, theory and musical philosophy, and took lessons on the recorder from Edgar Hunt.
John Jeffreys obituary John Turner 2010
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Thomas Adès will return with his violin concerto, Emmanuel Ax will perform in several programs including one with Yo-Yo Ma, and Christine Brewer will give a recital.
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