a recurrent musical section that alternates with different episodes of contrasting material. The repetition can be exact or varied to a greater or lesser extent. In the concerto grosso the full orchestra (tutti) has the ritornello; the solo group (concertino) has the contrasting episodes.

In the Middle Ages, the term ritornello referred to the last two lines of a madrigal, as well as to a verse form having three lines, with the first and third rhyming. Its function in 17th-century operas and strophic (stanzaic) songs as an instrumental introduction, interlude, or conclusion derives from the popular practice of round-dances reflected already in the 13th- and 14th-century French rondeau (“little circle”). In the late 18th- and early 19th-century rondo (Italianized form), the ritornello often featured a catchy tune as a sort of refrain alternating with more elaborate instrumental excursions.