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What is the meaning of ritornello form?
The ritornello form was one of the musical structures developed in the Baroque period. It is characterised by a recurring A section in between new sections of music, and is often described as ‘ABACA’, where the A section contains a distinctive theme.
When was ritornello form used?
Baroque era
Ritornello form was used most predominantly in the Baroque era. The term ‘ritornello’ translates as ‘little return’ and is a passage of music that reoccurs throughout a piece; these passages are separated by episodes.
What is ritornello form quizlet?
Ritornello form. – compositional form usually employed in the baroque concerto grosso. – which tutti refrain, alternating with one or more soloist playing new material. – often in this form of the first and last movements of concerti grossi.
What are the sections of ritornello form?
The sections between the ritornello sections are called episodes. Ritornello form evolved into rondo form in the Classical period.
What is a ritornello and what musical purpose does it serve?
The ritornellos are guideposts to the tonal structure of the music, confirming the keys to which the music modulates. The first and last statements are in the tonic; at least one (usually the first to be in a new key) is in the dominant; and others may be in closely related keys.
What is a ritornello in a Baroque opera?
The ritornello, a recurrent phrase or passage, is a feature of the Baroque, where an aria may be punctuated by the return of a short instrumental phrase. It became a frequent element in Baroque solo concertos by composers such as Vivaldi and works with operatic connotations.
What is the role of ritornello?
What is ritornello form and how does it fit so well with the Baroque concerto?
Many Baroque concertos are structured in a form known as ritornello form. In this form, a repeated section of music, the ritornello (literally, “the little thing that returns”) alternates with freer episodes. Initially ritornellos were found in trecento Italian madrigals, such as those of Jacopo da Bologna.
What is the ritornello form in the Concerto Grossi?
The first and last movements of concerti grossi follow a structure or form called Ritornello Form. Ritornello Form is a form characterized by an alternation between the tutti and soloists in the orchestra very much like contemporary jazz ensembles.
Is ritornello a concerto?
Many Baroque concertos are structured in a form known as ritornello form. In this form, a repeated section of music, the ritornello (literally, “the little thing that returns”) alternates with freer episodes.
How does ritornello form work?
What is the ritornello form and how does it work?
Many Baroque concertos are structured in a form known as ritornello form. In this form, a repeated section of music, the ritornello (literally, “the little thing that returns”) alternates with freer episodes. The verse and chorus sturcture of modern popular song derives from this form.
What does ritornello stand for in Italian music?
In the concerto grosso the full orchestra (tutti) has the ritornello; the solo group (concertino) has the Ritornello, (Italian: “return”) a recurrent musical section that alternates with different episodes of contrasting material. The repetition can be exact or varied to a greater or lesser extent.
When did the ritornello form start and end?
Many of these are founded upon the return of musical ideas, including rondo and sonata form, and these perhaps owe some debt to the ritornello form. The ritornello, borrowed from the Italian for ‘little return,’ was a popular compositional device during the Baroque Period, which lasted about 1685-1750.
Which is an example of a ritornello form?
You can see that the piece begins and ends with the ritornello and that the ritornello is played again between each section of music. While this is a common example of the ritornello form, composers were not bound by this and would experiment with the number of returns and where they were placed.
What was the role of the ritornello in Baroque music?
In operas and cantatas, the dominant vocal forms of the Baroque, ritornello was performed by the instruments that accompanied the singer for an aria, a solo song that give the singer an opportunity to show their technical and interpretative skills.