A small concerto or a group of solo instruments that play together against the larger orchestra in Baroque music.
From Italian 'concertino,' the diminutive form of 'concerto,' meaning a 'small concerto.' The word evolved to describe both short compositions and the smaller ensemble in concerto grosso.
In a concerto grosso, you have the 'concertino' (small group of soloists) playing against the 'ripieno' (full orchestra)—it's literally putting a musical conversation at the center of a larger work, and it's one of Baroque music's greatest inventions.
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