Handel: Concerto Grosso in G Major, Op. 6, No. 1

The concerto grosso is a Baroque compositional form that pits a small group of instrumentalists against a larger orchestra. The term came into use with works by Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), and the form was adopted by later composers of the Baroque era, notably Telemann and Handel. It was essentially replaced in the Classical era by the solo concerto, a form that was quite different in many respects.

This short movement from one of Handel’s concerti grossi is by the Baroque orchestra Tafelmusik based on Toronto.