A piano concerto is a concerto for solo piano and orchestra. It may be divided into several movements. In classical music, the word concerto (pl. ... A grand piano A piano is a musical instrument which is classified as a keyboard, percussion or string instrument, depending on the system of classification used. ... The Boston Pops orchestra performing on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston, Massachusetts. ... In music, a movement is a large division of a larger composition or musical form. ...

History

Concerti for the harpsichord were written throughout the Baroque era, notably by Johann Sebastian Bach (see list of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach for a list). Today these harpsichord concerti are often performed with a piano as the solo instrument. Harpsichord in Flemish style; for more info, click the image. ... Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 to 1750 (see Dates of classical music eras for a discussion of the problems inherent in defining the beginning and end points). ... Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685 O.S. – 28 July 1750 N.S.) was a prolific German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra and solo instruments drew together almost all of the strands of the baroque style and brought it to its ultimate maturity. ... The BWV numbers given here for the works of Johann Sebastian Bach are from Bach-Werke Verzeichnis by Wolfgang Schmieder, a thematic catalogue of Bachs works. ... A harpsichord concerto is a concerto for harpsichord and orchestra. ...

As the piano developed and became accepted, composers naturally started writing concerti for it. This happened in the 18th century, and so corresponded to the Classical music era. The most important composer in the development of the form in these early stages was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. A composer is a person who writes music. ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... Mozart drawing by Doris Stock, 1789 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart; January 27, 1756 – December 5, 1791) is among the most significant and enduringly popular composers of European classical music. ...

Mozart wrote many of his 27 piano concerti for himself to perform. Mozart's large body of piano concerti, being written by such a great composer during a time of musical change when other composers during the era such as Joseph Haydn largely ignored the genre, put Mozart's stamp firmly on that genre well into the Romantic era. With the development of the piano virtuoso many composer-pianists did likewise, notably Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Sergei Prokofiev, and also the somewhat lesser-known Johann Nepomuk Hummel and John Field. Many other Romantic composers wrote pieces in the form, well known examples being those by Robert Schumann, Edward Grieg, Johannes Brahms and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Franz Joseph Haydn (March 31 or April 1, 1732 – May 31, 1809) was a leading composer of the Classical period, called the Father of the Symphony and Father of the String Quartet. A life-long resident of Austria, Haydn spent most of his career as a court musician for the... A pianist is a person who plays the piano. ... A virtuoso (from the Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability at singing or playing a musical instrument. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Frédéric François Chopin as portrayed by Eugène Delacroix in 1838. ... Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Russian: , Sergej Vasilevič Rahmaninov, April 1, 1873 (N.S.) or March 20, 1873 (O.S.) – March 28, 1943) was a Russian-American composer, pianist, and conductor. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofev, 15/April 271, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Ukrainian-born Russian composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Johann Nepomuk Hummel Johann Nepomuk Hummel or Jan Nepomuk Hummel (14 November 1778 – 17 October 1837) was a composer and virtuoso pianist of Austrian origin who was born in today Slovakia. ... John Field (July 26, 1782 – January 23, 1837) was an Irish composer and pianist. ... The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer and pianist. ... Edvard Hagerup Grieg (June 15, 1843 – September 4, 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist who was also of partial Scottish descent. ... Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a German composer of Romantic music, who predominantly lived in Vienna, Austria. ... Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильич Чайкoвский Pëtr Ilič ÄŒajkovskij) (7 May [O.S. 25 April] 1840 – 6 November [O.S. 25 October] 1893), also transliterated Piotr Ilitsch Tschaikowsky or Peter Ilich Tschaikowsky, was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. ...

The few well-known piano concerti which dominate today's concert programs and discographies account for only a minority of the repertoire which proliferated on the European music scene during the 19th century. Critical opinion has often dismissed the bulk of the Romantic piano concerto repertoire for its vapid mediocrity (many pieces were slavish variations on opera tunes). However, many of these compositions were more than just flashy calling-cards churned out by composer-virtuosi for their sensational tours of Europe and America. These "showpieces" were also a formative influence on the training and styles of the composers whose concerti managed to secure a place in the canon of "greatness" [1]. In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognizable opera houses and landmarks Opera refers to a dramatic art form, originating in Europe, in which the emotional content or primary entertainment is conveyed to the audience as much through music, both vocal and instrumental, as it is through the...

The piano concerto form survived through the 20th century into the 21st, with examples being written by Béla Bartók, Sergei Prokofiev, Igor Stravinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich, Samuel Barber, Michael Tippett, Witold Lutosławski, György Ligeti, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Leroy Anderson, Philip Glass and others. Béla Bartók in 1927 Béla Viktor János Bartók (March 25, 1881 – September 26, 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and collector of Eastern European and Middle Eastern folk music. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofev, 15/April 271, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Ukrainian-born Russian composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович Страви́нский Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ... Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich (help· info) (Russian: , Dmitrij Dmitrievič Å ostakovič) (September 25 [O.S. September 12] 1906–August 9, 1975) was a Russian composer of the Soviet period. ... Samuel Barber, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1944 Samuel Osborne Barber (March 9, 1910 – January 23, 1981) was an American composer of classical music best known for his Adagio for Strings. He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania and began to compose at the age of seven. ... Sir Michael Kemp Tippett (2 January 1905 – 8 January 1998) was one of the foremost English composers of the 20th century. ... Witold LutosÅ‚awski at his home. ... György Sándor Ligeti (born May 28, 1923) is a Jewish Hungarian composer (now living in, and a citizen of, Austria), widely seen as one of the great composers of instrumental music of the 20th century. ... Einojuhani Rautavaara (born October 9, 1928) is a Finnish composer of classical music, probably the best known Finnish composer of his generation. ... Leroy Anderson (June 29, 1908 – May 18, 1975) was best known as an American composer of short, light concert music pieces, many of which were introduced by the Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Arthur Fiedler. ... Philip Glass looks upon sheet music in a portrait taken by Annie Leibovitz. ...

There are examples of piano concerti written to commissions by pianists. Paul Wittgenstein, who lost his right arm during World War I, on resuming his musical career asked a number of composers to write pieces for him which required the pianist to use his left hand only. The results of these commissions include the concertante pieces for orchestra and piano left hand by Benjamin Britten, Franz Schmidt, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Prokofiev (Piano Concerto No. 4) and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Paul Wittgenstein (May 11, 1887 – March 3, 1961) was an Austrian-born pianist. ... Combatants Allies: Serbia, Russia, France, Romania, Belgium, British Empire, United States, Italy, and others Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Ottoman Empire Casualties Military dead:5 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:8 million Military dead:4 million Civilian dead:3 million Total dead:7 million The First World... Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh, OM (November 22, 1913 – December 4, 1976) was a British composer, conductor and pianist. ... Franz Schmidt (December 22, 1874 – February 11, 1939) was an Austrian composer, cellist and pianist. ... Joseph-Maurice Ravel (March 7, 1875 – December 28, 1937) was a French composer and pianist, known especially for the subtlety, richness, and poignancy of his music and generally considered to be one of the major composers of the 20th century. ... Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: , Sergej Sergejevič Prokofev, 15/April 271, 1891–March 5, 1953) was a Ukrainian-born Russian composer who mastered numerous musical genres and came to be admired as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. ... Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was a composer. ...

Form

A classical piano concerto is often in three movements.

1. A quick opening movement in sonata form including a cadenza (which may be improvised by the soloist).
2. A slow expressive movement
3. A faster rondo

Examples by Mozart and Beethoven follow this model, but examples abound which do not. Many composers have introduced innovations - for example Liszt's single-movement concerti. Sonata form refers to both the standard layout of an entire musical composition and more specifically to the standardized form of the first movement. ... A cadenza is usually now taken to mean a portion near the end of a movement of a concerto (though it can be at any point in a concerto; an example is Tchaikovskys First Piano Concerto, where in the first five minutes a cadenza is used) in which the... Improvisation is the act of making something up as it is performed. ... Rondo, and its French equivalent rondeau, is a word that has been used in music in a number of ways, most often in reference to a musical form, but also in reference to a character-type that is distinct from the form. ...

Other compositions for piano and orchestra

Concerti have been written where the piano is not the only solo instrument. A famous example is the Triple concerto (for piano trio and orchestra) by Beethoven. A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, almost always a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. ...

There also exist a number of compositions for piano and orchestra which treat the piano as a solo instrument while not being piano concerti. Examples of such works include George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini and Liszt's Totentanz. The last two of these works are each in variation form, based on the 24th Caprice for solo violin by Niccolò Paganini and the ancient Gregorian Dies Irae chant respectively. George Gershwin photograph by Edward Steichen in 1927. ... Rhapsody in Blue is a composition by George Gershwin which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. ... Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff, also Sergey Rachmaninov or Serge Rakhmaninov (Серге́й Васи́льевич Рахма́нинов), (April 1, 1873 – March 28, 1943) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. ... Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is a piece of classical music for orchestra and solo piano by Sergei Rachmaninoff. ... This article is about La Dance Macabre, the late-medieval allegory. ... In music, variation is a formal technique where material is altered during repetition; reiteration with changes. ... Niccolò Paganini Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini, (October 27, 1782 – May 27, 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist and composer. ... Gregorian chant is also known as plainchant or plainsong and is a form of monophonic, unaccompanied singing, which was developed in the Catholic church, mainly during the period 800-1000. ... Dies Iræ (Day of Wrath) is a famous 13th-century Latin hymn written by Thomas of Celano. ...

There are also works written for orchestra or large ensemble requiring a solo pianist, such as Olivier Messiaen's Des canyons aux étoiles... and Turangalîla-Symphonie, and Karol Szymanowski's 4th Symphony. A musical ensemble is, by definition, a group of three or more musicians who gather to perform music. ... Olivier Messiaen. ... The Turangalîla-Symphonie is a large-scale piece of orchestral music by Olivier Messiaen. ... Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (October 6, 1882 - March 28, 1937) was a Polish-Swedish composer and pianist. ...

Composers also occasionally bring orchestral pianists into the limelight, as for example Igor Stravinsky does in episodes of his ballet Petrushka. Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Russian: И́горь Фёдорович Страви́нский Igor Fëdorovič Stravinskij) (June 17, 1882 – April 6, 1971) was a Russian-born composer of modern classical music. ... Ballet as musical form is a musical composition intended for ballet performance. ... Pétrouchka (English: Petrushka; Russian: петрушка) is a ballet with music by the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. ...

See also

• Clarinet concerto
• Harpsichord concerto
• List of compositions for piano and orchestra
• Viola concerto
• Violin concerto
• Violoncello concerto

A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet and orchestra. ... A harpsichord concerto is a concerto for harpsichord and orchestra. ... This is a list of musical compositions for piano and orchestra. ... The viola concerto is a concerto contrasting a viola with another body, usually a full or string orchestra but sometimes smaller. ... A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin and orchestra. ... A violoncello concerto is a concerto for solo violoncello with orchestra or, very occasionally, smaller groups of instruments. ...

External links

• Hyperion's Romantic Piano Concerto Series A project to record and reassess the work of Romantic composers whose contributions to the development of the piano concerto (in some cases entire careers) have been neglected or forgotten. Contains the sleeve notes of many of the recordings, offering both musical and biographical analysis. Streaming audio of selected movements also available.
• Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra An analysis of Rachmaninoff's Works for Piano and Orchestra including the Piano Concertos and the Paganini Rhapsody.
• Classical and Romantic Piano Concertos, an extensive list of Classical and Romantic piano concertos, and other music for piano and orchestra from the same period.