Ripieno concerto
Encyclopedia
The ripieno concerto is a somewhat later type of Baroque
music, the term concerto
here reverting to its earlier meaning of work for an ensemble
. The word ripieno is from the Italian
for "padding". The concerto ripieno was sometimes referred to as a "concerto à quatre" (or "à cinque" if the orchestra included two viola
parts, a standard scoring in the 17th century). These were merely compositions for the ripieno alone (i.e. for string orchestra
and continuo), with either no solo parts or clearly subsidiary ones. Beginning with the six ripieno concertos of Giuseppe Torelli
’s op. 5 (1692), this genre
enjoyed an efflorescence that extended until about 1740.
type and a sinfonia type. The sonata type generally mirrors the form and style of the "sonata da chiesa" in its use of four-movement slow-fast-slow-fast cycles and predominantly fugal texture.
The more modern sinfonia type was firmly established in Torelli’s second publication to include concertos, op. 6 (1698), and in Giulio Taglietti’s Concerti a Quattro op. 4 (1699), which turn to the three-movement (fast-slow-fast) pattern and more homophonic texture familiar to us from the solo concerto
and opera
sinfonia. The opening movements also parallel the solo concerto in utilizing ritornello form (without solo sections), in which the opening material recurs from one to several times in various keys, the last statement normally in the tonic. Finales are most often binary in form and dancelike in style. The sinfonia type gradually merged with the early concert symphony
beginning in the 1720s, doubtless in part because the term concerto was by that time acquiring an indelible association with the notion of tutti-solo contrast.
A special class of 20th century concertos is the concerto for orchestra. These works are not for the most part ripieno concertos in the Baroque
sense but rather display pieces in which the orchestra itself is the virtuoso
, from soloists to sections of the orchestra, choirs or tutti. Examples of this genre, best known through Bartok’s popular work of 1943, include compositions by Hindemith (1925), Walter Piston
(1933), Zoltan Kodaly
(1939–40), Michael Tippett
(1962–63), and Elliott Carter
(1969). In the latter piece, Carter dramatically personifies or characterizes the various concertino groupings, a technique he had previously explored in his Double Concerto for harpsichord and piano (1961) and his Piano Concerto (1964–65).
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
music, the term concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
here reverting to its earlier meaning of work for an ensemble
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. The word ripieno is from the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
for "padding". The concerto ripieno was sometimes referred to as a "concerto à quatre" (or "à cinque" if the orchestra included two viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
parts, a standard scoring in the 17th century). These were merely compositions for the ripieno alone (i.e. for string orchestra
String orchestra
A string orchestra is an orchestra composed solely or primarily of instruments from the string family. These instruments are the violin, the viola, the cello, the double bass , the piano, the harp, and sometimes percussion...
and continuo), with either no solo parts or clearly subsidiary ones. Beginning with the six ripieno concertos of Giuseppe Torelli
Torelli
Torelli may refer to:*Torelli Bicycles, 40-year-old custom bicycle and parts manufacturer*Giacomo Torelli, seventeenth century Italian set designer*Giuseppe Torelli, Baroque composer from Bologna...
’s op. 5 (1692), this genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
enjoyed an efflorescence that extended until about 1740.
Types
Most ripieno concertos fall into one of two distinct classes: a sonataSonata
Sonata , in music, literally means a piece played as opposed to a cantata , a piece sung. The term, being vague, naturally evolved through the history of music, designating a variety of forms prior to the Classical era...
type and a sinfonia type. The sonata type generally mirrors the form and style of the "sonata da chiesa" in its use of four-movement slow-fast-slow-fast cycles and predominantly fugal texture.
The more modern sinfonia type was firmly established in Torelli’s second publication to include concertos, op. 6 (1698), and in Giulio Taglietti’s Concerti a Quattro op. 4 (1699), which turn to the three-movement (fast-slow-fast) pattern and more homophonic texture familiar to us from the solo concerto
Solo concerto
A solo concerto is a concerto in which a single soloist is accompanied by an orchestra. It is the most frequent type of concerto. It originated in the Baroque Period as an alternative to the traditional concertino in a concerto grosso.A typical concerto has three movements, traditionally fast,...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
sinfonia. The opening movements also parallel the solo concerto in utilizing ritornello form (without solo sections), in which the opening material recurs from one to several times in various keys, the last statement normally in the tonic. Finales are most often binary in form and dancelike in style. The sinfonia type gradually merged with the early concert symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
beginning in the 1720s, doubtless in part because the term concerto was by that time acquiring an indelible association with the notion of tutti-solo contrast.
A special class of 20th century concertos is the concerto for orchestra. These works are not for the most part ripieno concertos in the Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
sense but rather display pieces in which the orchestra itself is the virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
, from soloists to sections of the orchestra, choirs or tutti. Examples of this genre, best known through Bartok’s popular work of 1943, include compositions by Hindemith (1925), Walter Piston
Walter Piston
Walter Hamor Piston Jr., , was an American composer of classical music, music theorist and professor of music at Harvard University whose students included Leroy Anderson, Leonard Bernstein, and Elliott Carter....
(1933), Zoltan Kodaly
Zoltán Kodály
Zoltán Kodály was a Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, pedagogue, linguist, and philosopher. He is best known internationally as the creator of the Kodály Method.-Life:Born in Kecskemét, Kodály learned to play the violin as a child....
(1939–40), Michael Tippett
Michael Tippett
Sir Michael Kemp Tippett OM CH CBE was an English composer.In his long career he produced a large body of work, including five operas, three large-scale choral works, four symphonies, five string quartets, four piano sonatas, concertos and concertante works, song cycles and incidental music...
(1962–63), and Elliott Carter
Elliott Carter
Elliott Cook Carter, Jr. is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer born and living in New York City. He studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in the 1930s, and then returned to the United States. After a neoclassical phase, he went on to write atonal, rhythmically complex music...
(1969). In the latter piece, Carter dramatically personifies or characterizes the various concertino groupings, a technique he had previously explored in his Double Concerto for harpsichord and piano (1961) and his Piano Concerto (1964–65).