Symphony, concerto, and sonata explained for kids and parents
Updated 2026-11-12
A symphony is a long piece for a whole orchestra. A concerto is a piece for one solo player with an orchestra. A sonata is a piece for one instrument, or for one instrument with a piano. All three are made of separate parts called movements. The quickest way to tell them apart is to ask who is playing.
What a movement is
A movement is one complete part of a longer piece. It has its own speed and mood, and it comes to a full stop. Then the next movement begins.
There is a short silence between movements. At a concert, the audience waits and claps after the last one.
The movements are set in contrast. A fast one is followed by a slow one. A serious one is followed by a light one.
The symphony
Who plays. The whole orchestra.
How many movements. Usually four. The first is fast. The second is slow. The third is a dance or a quick, playful piece. The fourth is fast again.
How long. Early symphonies run about 20 minutes. Later ones can run more than an hour.
A piece to hear. The second movement of Haydn’s “Surprise” Symphony, then the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. Haydn wrote more than 100 symphonies and shaped the form. Read Haydn for kids.
The concerto
Who plays. One soloist and an orchestra. The soloist stands or sits at the front, beside the conductor.
How many movements. Usually three: fast, slow, fast.
What to listen for. The soloist and the orchestra take turns and play together. Near the end of a movement, the orchestra may stop while the soloist plays alone. This showy solo passage is called a cadenza.
A piece to hear. “Spring” from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, which is a violin concerto. Then the last movement of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto.
The sonata
Who plays. One player, such as a pianist. Or two players, such as a violinist and a pianist.
How many movements. Usually three or four.
What to listen for. With so few players, every note is in the open. A sonata is music for a small room.
A piece to hear. The first movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata for piano. Then the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C major, K. 545, which Mozart wrote for beginners.
A quick way to tell them apart
| Symphony | Concerto | Sonata | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who plays | Orchestra | Soloist and orchestra | One or two players |
| Movements | Usually four | Usually three | Three or four |
| Listen for | The full sound | The soloist against the group | Each note in the open |
Other kinds of pieces
String quartet. A piece for two violins, a viola, and a cello. It is built like a small symphony.
Overture. A piece for orchestra that opens an opera or a play. Some are written to stand alone.
Suite. A set of short pieces meant to be played together. The Nutcracker Suite and the Peer Gynt Suite are two.
Opera. A story told on stage in which the characters sing, with an orchestra.
Ballet. A story told on stage through dance, with an orchestra.
Tone poem. A piece for orchestra that tells a story or paints a scene, such as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
Why so many pieces have numbers for names
A title such as “Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67” is a label. It says what kind of piece it is, which one, what key it is in, and where it sits in the composer’s list of works. What opus, K, and BWV numbers mean explains the last part.
Nicknames such as “Surprise,” “Moonlight,” and “Clock” were often added later, by publishers or by listeners.
Things to do together
Who is playing? Play the first minute of a piece. Is it a whole orchestra, a soloist with an orchestra, or one or two players? Name the kind of piece.
Count the movements. Look at the track list for a symphony. Each track is one movement. Note the speed word beside each one.
Fast, slow, fast. Play ten seconds from each movement of a concerto, in order. Ask your child to show the speed with their hands.
Wait for the cadenza. In a concerto video, watch for the moment the conductor’s arms drop and the soloist plays alone.
For the words used here, see the plain glossary of music words. For where to clap at a concert, read concert etiquette for kids.
More from this guide
This article is part of Music theory for parents: what your child is learning and how to help.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.