Concerto Grosso

I selected Antonio Vivaldi as from the list of composers due to his vast influence in the development of music, including current popular styles such as the double violin concertos and ritornellos, and his influence on future composers such as Bach. Vivaldi’s significance to the music world is further emphasized by the introduction and popularization of concepts such as his usage of rhythm to create escalating tension and the application of motivic elements as themes for his pieces. Vivaldi’s life was set out to pursue priesthood from a young age yet, ironically, an illness allowed him to follow his true passion as both a violinist and composer. Antonio Vivaldi remained pious throughout his life and it was his particular education as a priest

Finally another common characteristic between the pieces is that the texture of both is polyphonic. Polyphonic texture shows two of more melodic lines competing for attention. The listener would hear the polyphonic texture during the soloist performances in Bach’s work. One instrument would imitate the other leading to the competition of being heard. This is also seen in Corelli’s sonata. The two violins are the showcase for the melodic lines and are imitated by the bass continuo, played by the organ and cello.

A concerto grosso is small group of solo instruments that accompany a string orchestra. A solo concerto is instead only one instrument. They both generally have three movements

Giovanni Gabrieli was a legendary composer of the 16th century. As the fundamental structure and ideas of the Catholic Church were being challenged by the Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation, Gabrieli’s compositions were given the opportunity to be successful and influential to music in the coming centuries. His works helped to transform not only church music of the Catholic Church, but also secular music as well. Giovanni Gabrieli wrote significant works that ultimately shaped the rise of the symphony, including the development of purely instrumental works, the art of orchestration, and the concerto style. Without his innovations in composition, it is arguable that instrumental music would not have developed as quickly, or developed

Also he had composed keyboard pieces, oratorios, symphonies, and operas. He performed his first major opera when he was fourteen it was staged in Milan in 1770 the style of the opera was opera seria, Mitriade.

Guido d’Arezzo is the inventor of the music notation that we use today, as well as a song

Henry Purcell is seen as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque period and one of the greatest of all English composers. His earliest surviving works date from 1680 and show a complete command of musical composition. They include some fantasias for viols, masterpieces of contrapuntal writing, and more contemporary sonatas for violins, which reveal some acquaintance with Italian models. Purcell, in his time, became increasingly in demand as a composer, and his theatre music in particular made his name familiar to many who knew nothing of his church music or the odes and welcome songs he wrote for the court of three different kings over twenty-five years.

The abundance of harmonies never loses the thread to his audience. Furthermore, the opening of the slow movement inspires the imagination and attention of its listeners. All these elements make this piece one of the most successful concertos in the musical history.

This work was composed during the Classical period, 1750- 1820. One aspect of the classical music style beign applied to this work includes the reoccurance of two or more contrasting themes. Another is the use of short and clearly defined musical phrases. Lastly, this piece, on a purely musical level, was simply more to hum along to. This type of melody took over the complex polyphony of the Baroque period.

By doing this, the sound made by the groups swells, portraying to the audience a sound of growth and progression. According to the textbook Music Appreciation Online, in this type of concerto, “a tutti section, a full orchestra (with basso continuo), and a small group of solo instruments usually referred to as the concertino or principale” is used. In the concertino section, two or more soloists are used. Arcangelo Corelli was the first major composer of the concerti grossi (the Italian form of the concerto grosso). The concerto grosso comes in two major forms: the concerto da chiesa (church chant) and the concerto da camera (chamber concert). The concerto da chiesa was used for formal occasions and alternated between adagio and allegro movements. For the most part, the movements were written in the same key, however there were occasions where one or more of the movements were in contrasting tonality. The sonata de camera was made up of a prelude and a succession of dances that were all in the same key. Its structure was that of a slow introduction, a fugued allegro, a cantabile slow movement and an energetic finale. This setup created its dancelike sound and feeling. The sonata da camera composition grew to be referred to as a suite, a partita, or in the French opera

In the Baroque period, some composers are Vivaldi, Monteverdi, Pachelbel, and Handel. There, of course, are much more as these are just four composers. First, Vivaldi, his full name is Antonio Lucio Vivaldi. Vivaldi was born in 1678 and grew to be an Italian violinist and a composer. He was born with angina pectoris or chest pain due to heart disease caused by his heart not gaining enough oxygen, he was also born with asthma. Due to these conditions, he was known for running out of the church, but he was also known to run out

Rossini is probably the most popular composer of this era. His works are many and are extremely popular. Rossini was born in Pesaro in 1792 and on December15th, 1815 when he was only twenty-three years old, he signed a contract to write an opera for a theater in Rome (Weaver, 11). His childhood friend, Gertrude Righetti Giorgi, premiered as Rosina in Rossin’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, on opening night for the Nobile Teatro di Torre Argentina (Weaver, 19). Il barbiere di Siviglia went on to become one of the more famous operas of Rossini’s. This opera went through many struggles, however, because of the similar story

Antonio Vivaldi was born on March 4, 1678 in the town of Venice, Italy. His father was quite the musician and helped his son master the violin and also helped him get find lessons from some the best composers in Italy. Sadly, do to his symptoms that were similar to asthma often causing him to have severe shortness of breath he was unable to master several instruments. At one point in his early life he even became a priest but this was short lived do to his continuing health issues therefore he had to give up his priesthood. “At the age of 25, Antonio Vivaldi was named master of violin at the Ospedale della Pietà (Devout Hospital of Mercy) in Venice” (). This is where he spent in upwards of thirty years teaching his students and only having

In his concerto for trombone and orchestra, Concertino in Eb Major, Ferdinand David composed a concerto that would forever change the world of trombone. Since its original composition in 1837, the Concertino has become a standard piece of trombone repertoire. While it is believed that there have been changes since the original score was written, it still remains to be a staple in the education of trombone players.

Composing works derived from styles already in existence, he created an extremely unique and unprecedented genre of works. Thus Mozart became a trailblazer of the classical age. Music from this period consists largely of a lighter and clearer texture than the preceding Baroque music and is less intricate. One trademark especially evident in Mozart’s contribution to the classical period is the use of homophony. Examples of the homophonic effect are displayed in his piano concerto No. 23 and sonata No 16 in C. In these, the distinct pattern of an indubitable melody can be distinctly and easily recognized above the adjunct chordal accompaniment. Although Mozart contributed primarily to the growth of the classical era, he was also influenced by the works of Handel and Bach. Both were prominent composers of the baroque era. In some of his later works, Mozart indulged more in the incorporation of the previous baroque