A percussion concerto is a piece of music performed by a solo percussionist with the assistance of a supporting musical ensemble. A musical ensemble could be as small as a quintet or as large as an orchestra. Percussion concertos come in a variety of styles, depending on the instruments used and the genre of music.
Concertos are performed by professionals, students, and amateurs alike. Because the musical form typically requires a group of musicians in addition to the soloist, concertos are more commonly performed in a concert setting. Concertos are sometimes assigned to students solely for educational purposes, and the piece is not performed with a group. These are usually adaptations of the original concertos, written for solo or piano accompaniment only performance.
The traditional concerto is usually divided into three movements, or musical pieces. The tempos usually differ, with the first and last pieces being faster and the middle piece being slower. At the end of the first or last movement, a cadenza, or grand solo, is frequently performed.
Concertos for percussion are a relatively new genre of music. Concertos were traditionally performed by pianists, string, brass, or woodwind players before the twentieth century. Composers adapted classical forms like the symphony and concerto into modern musical pieces as a result of modern influences. Composers have been known to add extra movements and use unusual instruments such as percussion. Despite this, violin and piano concertos remain the most popular.
Despite the fact that the piano is sometimes referred to as a percussion instrument, a concerto featuring the piano is not typically referred to as a percussion concerto. A percussion instrument is any instrument that makes sound by striking a surface, and the piano produces musical tones by striking its strings with felt lined hammers. When a piano is used in a concerto, it is referred to as a piano concerto.
A concerto is usually named after the instrument and the key it is written in. “Marimba Concerto in G,” for example. Some concertos feature multiple featured instruments, such as a drum set and percussion. Although mallet instruments are commonly used as solo instruments in percussion concertos, pieces for timpani, snare drum, and wood blocks have also been written. In a concerto, almost any percussion instrument can be used.
A percussion concerto, or a piece in which percussion is the main instrument, has been written by a number of world-famous composers. Major works of percussion literature have been created by Bela Bartok, John Cage, Benjamin Britten, Phillip Glass, Igor Stravinsky, and many others. Percussion concertos are one of the most diverse styles of music under one umbrella due to the wide range of instruments available.