sonata
pronunciation
How to pronounce sonata in British English:
UK [səˈnɑ:tə]
How to pronounce sonata in American English:
US [səˈnɑtə]
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- Noun:
- a musical composition of 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms
Word Origin
- sonata
- sonata: see sound
- sonata (n.)
- 1690s, from Italian sonata "piece of instrumental music," literally "sounded" (i.e. "played on an instrument," as opposed to cantata "sung"), fem. past participle of sonare "to sound," from Latin sonare "to sound," from PIE *swene-, from root *swen- "to sound" (see sound (n.1)). Meaning narrowed by mid-18c. toward application to large-scale works in three or four movements.
Example
- 1. Composers began writing in more complicated musical forms such as the fugue chaconne passacaglia toccata concerto sonata and oratorio .
- 2. It is a well-mannered film about artistic ambition in which he still manages to look menacing even while playing the quiet bits in a beethoven sonata .
- 3. Last year , rauscher reported that , for rats at least , a mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling in the brain .
- 4. Indeed the finale of his symphony no. 9 can be thought of as a sort of combination of sonata form and theme and variations .
- 5. When it comes to bedtime , and matters of the night you need to be play your woman like a piano - you can play a soft sonata , some freeform jazz , or a drive time power ballad .