Posted by John Rasmussen on September 17, 19102 at 11:02:27:

In Reply to: Concerto for Violin posted by Kitty on June 27, 19102 at 20:45:43:

(This is the second time I've posted this. My first attempt apparently didn't go through. I hope it helps, even if late!)

A concerto doesn't really fit any of the categories you mention. Usually it's absolute music in that it doesn't have a program, but some concertos, such as Vivaldi's The Seasons, indeed do have a program. So the Mendelssohn concerto is:

f. concerto

I suppose it could also be called absolute music in that it has no known program.

By the way, the concerto is one of my favorite musical forms. Most of the great ones are like a conversation between the soloist and the orchestra. Some, such as the Paganini violin concertos, are mere display pieces, but others, like the Beethoven, Brahms, and Rachmaninoff concertos, are magnificent music worthy to stand next to any symphony, tone poem, concert overture, or anything else.

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