16. Ritornello Form and the Baroque Concerto

Overview

The distinction between chamber and orchestral music was not truly recognized until the late 17th century, when composers began to purposely write works for orchestra. Such works included the genre of the concerto, which, like most Baroque genres, grew out of the opera house. Opera was directly responsible for the evolution of overtures and dance suites and indirectly inspired the development of the concerto. This lecture looks at the three types of High Baroque concerti—orchestral or ripieno concerto, solo concerto, and concerto grosso. Also discussed is the terminology surrounding these orchestral genres. Finally, the concerto grosso is examined with special attention paid to the ritornello-form first movement of Johann Sebastian Bach’s concerto grosso, Brandenburg Concerto no. 5.

Cast