Concerto facts for kids

Frederick the Great playing a flute concerto in Sanssouci. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach C. P. E. Bach is at the piano. Painting by Adolph Menzel, 1852.

A concerto is a special piece of music. It is written for one main instrument and an orchestra. Think of it as a musical conversation. The solo instrument plays the main part. The orchestra plays along, supporting the soloist.

When you go to a concert, you might hear a concerto. If the solo instrument is a violin, it's a "violin concerto." If it's a piano, it's a "piano concerto." The soloist leads the music. They decide how fast or slow to play. The conductor and orchestra listen carefully. They make sure to play well with the soloist.

The word "concerto" comes from Italian. It means "agreeing" or "playing together." The plural form in English is "concertos." This type of music became popular in Italy during the 17th century. Some early concertos even had several soloists playing at once. These were called concerto grosso.

Concertos in the Baroque Period

The idea of a single soloist with an orchestra grew popular. Composers like Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) wrote many concertos. He created over 400 pieces for different instruments. His most famous are The Four Seasons. These are four violin concertos. Each one describes a different season: spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Other Baroque composers also wrote concertos. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) wrote several violin concertos. He also wrote concertos for the harpsichord. George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) wrote concertos for the organ. In Handel's time, organs in England were smaller. This made them sound good with an orchestra.

Handel sometimes left spaces in his concertos. Here, the soloist could improvise music. This means they made up music on the spot. These improvised parts became known as "cadenzas." Since then, most concertos have cadenzas. They let the soloist show off their amazing playing skills. Sometimes, composers wrote their own cadenzas for their music.

Concertos in the Classical Period

Sonata form in the Classical Concerto. This shows how the music is often structured.

In the Classical period, Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) wrote some concertos. These included two for the cello. However, he is more famous for his symphonies.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) wrote many amazing piano concertos. The piano was a new instrument back then. Mozart was a brilliant pianist himself. He wrote most of these concertos to perform them. He also wrote five violin concertos. Plus, he wrote four horn concertos, two flute concertos, and a clarinet concerto.

Mozart also wrote concertos for more than one soloist. An example is his flute and harp concerto. Another is his violin and viola concerto. He called this one Sinfonia Concertante. By this time, concertos usually had three parts, called movements:

• A fast movement, often in sonata form.
• A slow, expressive movement.
• Another fast movement, often a rondo, to finish the piece.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was first known as a pianist. Later, he became famous as a composer. He wrote five piano concertos. His last one is called the Emperor Concerto. It is a very big and powerful piece. It even hints at the music of the Romantic period.

Beethoven also wrote a beautiful violin concerto. At first, people thought it was too hard to play. But as music became more challenging, players got better. Today, professional violinists can play it. Beethoven also wrote a Triple Concerto. This piece is for piano, violin, cello, and orchestra.

Concertos in the Romantic Period

The 19th century is known as the age of Romanticism. People admired creative individuals. These included artists, musicians, and writers. They were seen as heroes. The concerto fit this idea perfectly. The soloist was the hero of the music. The concerto allowed them to show off their amazing skills.

The violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840) was one such hero. He played the violin like no one before him. He was a thin man with a pale face and long hair. Some people even thought he looked like the devil! He wrote violin concertos that, at the time, only he could play.

Famous Concertos: Romantic and Modern Eras

Many famous concertos come from the 19th and 20th centuries.

Violin Concertos

Some well-known violin concertos are by:

• Felix Mendelssohn
• Max Bruch (his first one)
• Johannes Brahms
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• Edward Elgar
• Dmitri Shostakovich (his first one)
• Béla Bartók
• Alban Berg
• Igor Stravinsky
• Sir William Walton

Piano Concertos

After Beethoven, famous piano concertos include those by:

• Frederic Chopin (2 concertos)
• Robert Schumann
• Johannes Brahms (2 concertos)
• Pjotr I. Tchaikovsky (3 concertos)
• Edvard Grieg
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (4 concertos)
• Béla Bartók (3 concertos)
• Sergei Prokofiev (5 concertos)
• Igor Stravinsky

Cello and Viola Concertos

Famous cello concertos include those by:

• Antonín Dvořák
• Edouard Lalo
• Edward Elgar
• Dmitri Shostakovich

Tchaikovsky wrote a piece for cello and orchestra called Rococo Variations. Benjamin Britten wrote a "Cello Symphony." He called it that because the cello and orchestra are equally important. Brahms wrote a Double Concerto for violin and cello with orchestra.

There are also viola concertos by Paul Hindemith and William Walton. Hector Berlioz wrote Harold in Italy, which is like a viola concerto.

Wind and Brass Concertos

Famous concertos for woodwind instruments include:

• Two for clarinet by Carl Maria von Weber
• Clarinet and flute concertos by Carl Nielsen
• A clarinet concerto by Aaron Copland
• An oboe concerto by Ralph Vaughan Williams

For brass instruments:

• Richard Strauss wrote two concertos for the French horn.
• Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov wrote a trombone concerto.
• Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote a tuba concerto.

Other Concertos

Modern composers have also written percussion concertos. These usually feature one percussion player. This player uses many different percussion instruments. The orchestra plays along. James MacMillan wrote Veni, Veni Emmanuel for percussion and orchestra.

Joaquin Rodrigo wrote several pieces for guitar and orchestra. His most famous is Concierto de Aranjuez.

Béla Bartók wrote a piece called Concerto for Orchestra. He gave it this name because, even though it's for the whole orchestra, many different instruments get solo parts. Other composers, like Alan Hovhaness, have also written concertos for orchestra.

Sir Peter Maxwell Davies wrote ten concertos. Each one is for a different solo instrument. They are known as the "Strathclyde Concertos."

See also

In Spanish: Concierto (forma musical) para niños