OCR AoS2: The Concerto Through Time
What's covered
Key facts
A cadenza is a virtuosic, often unaccompanied solo passage near a movement's end.
A concerto contrasts a soloist (or solo group) with an orchestra.
The Baroque concerto grosso contrasts a concertino (soloists) with the ripieno (full ensemble).
A solo concerto is typically in three movements (fast–slow–fast).
In a concerto grosso the full ensemble is called the ripieno.
The Romantic concerto is more virtuosic and expressive, with a larger orchestra.
Sample questions
A taste of the 8 questions in this topic, answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is a concerto?
- •A large choir with no instruments
- •A piece for solo piano only
- ✓A soloist contrasted with an orchestra
- •A song for a solo voice
In a Baroque concerto grosso, what is the small group of soloists called?
- •The cadenza
- ✓The concertino
- •The full tutti
- •The ripieno
Compared with the Baroque, the Romantic concerto is generally?
- •Always fully unaccompanied
- ✓More virtuosic and expressive
- •Shorter and much simpler
- •Written for voice only
What is a cadenza?
- •A choral refrain
- •A repeated bass line
- •A slow chord sequence
- ✓A virtuosic solo passage
How many movements does a typical solo concerto have?
- •Five
- •One
- ✓Three
- •Two
A cadenza is a virtuosic solo passage within a concerto.
Answer: True
Try it for four weeks. Free.
One school. Unlimited classes. No card limit. No teacher limit. If your students aren't practising daily by the end of the trial, you owe us nothing.