Mon Prof Augmenté
One soloist against the orchestra
Age 17 · Music
In a Baroque solo concerto, one instrument steps forward to play against a full orchestra. The orchestra’s full-ensemble music keeps returning, and between those returns the soloist plays on their own.
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In the picture
- The solo instrument: it plays the showy, virtuoso passages
- The orchestra strings: they play the full-ensemble (tutti) refrain
- The harpsichord: it supplies chords and holds the ensemble together
- The exchange: tutti and solo alternate, and the tutti theme keeps coming back (ritornello)
Examples
- Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, where a solo violin answers the string orchestra
- Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, where a harpsichord steps out from the group
Key takeaways
- A Baroque concerto sets one soloist against an orchestra, and the two take turns.
- In ritornello form the full orchestra’s main theme returns again and again, with solo passages in between.
Quiz: One soloist against the orchestra (Age 17)
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What best describes a Baroque solo concerto?
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In ritornello form, what keeps coming back throughout the piece?
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What happens between the returns of the full orchestra’s theme?
The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.
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