Concerto structure across the period: the three-movement plan (fast, slow, fast), ritornello form in the Baroque, sonata and rondo forms in the Classical and Romantic concerto, and the place of the cadenza, across roughly 1650 to 1910.

What this dot point is asking

This dot point pulls Area of Study 2 together by looking at structure. You need to know the standard three-movement plan (fast, slow, fast), how the forms changed over time (ritornello form in the Baroque; sonata and rondo forms in the Classical and Romantic concerto), and where the cadenza sits. The listening paper expects you to identify a movement's form and describe the overall shape of a concerto.

The three-movement plan

This plan holds across the Baroque, Classical and Romantic concerto. Recognising where you are in the plan (a weighty opening movement, a songlike slow movement, or a bright finale) is the first step in analysing any extract, and the tempo and mood usually make it clear.

Forms within the movements

The internal forms changed as the concerto developed.

• Ritornello form (Baroque). Fast movements alternate a recurring orchestral ritornello with contrasting solo episodes, the ritornello returning in different keys. This is covered in detail on the Baroque concerto page.
• Sonata-influenced first movement (Classical and Romantic). The first movement combines ritornello and sonata principles: an exposition states the themes, a development explores them, and a recapitulation brings them back, with orchestral tuttis framing the soloist.
• Rondo finale. Many finales use rondo form, where a main theme (A) returns between contrasting episodes, giving a pattern such as ABACA. The returning theme is usually lively and in the home key.

The cadenza in the structure

The cadenza is part of the concerto's structure, not just a flourish. In the Classical concerto it sits near the end of the first movement: the orchestra pauses, the soloist plays an unaccompanied virtuoso passage on the themes, and a trill cues the closing tutti. In the Romantic concerto the cadenza is often integrated earlier into the movement and written out in full. Either way, it is the structural moment where the soloist takes the spotlight alone.

Examples in context

A Mozart piano concerto shows the mature plan: a sonata-influenced first movement with the orchestra and piano sharing themes through exposition, development and recapitulation, a cadenza near the end, then a lyrical slow movement, and a rondo finale whose sparkling main theme returns between episodes. A Vivaldi violin concerto shows the Baroque version: ritornello-form fast movements framing a slow middle movement. The three-movement plan is constant; what changes is the form inside each movement.

Try this

Q1. What is the usual three-movement plan of a concerto? [2 marks]

• Cue. Fast, slow, fast: a substantial fast first movement, a lyrical slow movement, and a lively fast finale.

Q2. What defines rondo form? [2 marks]

• Cue. A main theme (refrain) that returns several times, separated by contrasting episodes, giving patterns such as ABACA; common in finales.

Q3. Describe the three-movement plan and how tempo and mood change between movements. [6 marks]

• What the marker wants. All three movements with tempo, mood and typical form: a fast, substantial first movement (sonata-influenced with a cadenza in later periods), a slow lyrical middle movement in a related key, and a fast lively finale (often a rondo).