concerto

noun

con·​cer·​to kən-ˈcher-(ˌ)tō How to pronounce concerto (audio)
 also  -ˈchər-
plural concerti kən-ˈcher-(ˌ)tē How to pronounce concerto (audio)
 also  -ˈchər-
or concertos
: a piece for one or more soloists and orchestra with three contrasting movements
a violin concerto

Examples of concerto in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Another camp believes that almost any spray-can concerto is art, and the sprayer an embryo Rembrandt. Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Simon’s concerto was especially vivid in Milan, its vaguely phonetic two-note salvo sounding an alarm that scarcely relented. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 6 Mar. 2024 Sometimes, her dad would bring home random recordings with cello on them; a concerto by avant-garde composer Gyorgy Ligeti opened up a fissure in her 11-year-old mind. Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 5 Mar. 2024 The Phoenix Symphony The Phoenix Symphony led by guest conductor Ankush Bahl presents Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, the most popular concerto ever composed for guitar and orchestra, inspired by the Royal Gardens at Aranjuez in Spain. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024 Word went out in mid-November that Turkish pianist Fazil Say — who was scheduled this week to join the NSO to perform concertos by Stravinsky and Bach — had to cancel his appearance due to scheduling conflicts. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024 Gershwin’s proposal was bold and obvious: Early forms of African American ragtime and blues had taken the nation by storm, and his job was to allude to those idioms in a virtuoso concerto. Ethan Iverson, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 And what followed that night was also familiar, as the orchestra turned out a program of the Mozart, a new percussion concerto and a Tchaikovsky rarity at the exhilaratingly high level that has led many to call this ensemble the finest in America. Joshua Barone, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2024 Focusing on narrative over virtuosity, this is as much a story as a concerto. Luke Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'concerto.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from concerto concert

First Known Use

1710, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of concerto was in 1710

Dictionary Entries Near concerto

Cite this Entry

“Concerto.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/concerto. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

concerto

noun
con·​cer·​to kən-ˈchert-ō How to pronounce concerto (audio)
plural concerti -(ˌ)ē How to pronounce concerto (audio) or concertos
: a piece for one or more soloists and orchestra usually in three movements

More from Merriam-Webster on concerto

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