symphony Hear it!

symphony Definition

sym·phony (sim′fə nē)

noun pl. -·nies

  1. harmony of sounds, esp. of instruments
  2. harmony of any kind, esp. of color
  3. anything, as a picture, characterized by harmonious composition
  4. Music
    1. an extended composition for full orchestra, usually having several movements
    2. an instrumental passage in a composition that is largely vocal or choral
    3. symphony orchestra
    4. Informal a concert by a symphony orchestra

Etymology: ME symfonye < OFr simphonie < L symphonia < Gr symphōnia < syn-, together + phōnē, a sound: see phono-

symphony Synonyms

symphony

n.

  1. Harmony

    concord, chord, consonance; see harmony 1.

  2. A musical form

    ritornelle, symphonic composition, orchestral sonata, major work; see music 1.

symphony Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • compose: Why hasn't someone composed a symphony for badly played violins?
  • write: PM: I have always wanted to write a symphony.
  • conduct: And she is the first British woman to have composed and conducted a symphony for over 30 years.
  • hear: The thought that the composer would never actually hear the symphony made it a very poignant occasion.
  • perform: He then went on to compose symphonies performed by a ' guitar orchestra ' of multiple players.
  • create: Like our own Mary Chain, the guitars create a symphony of noise which is tempered by wonderfully warm melodic moments.

Adjective modifier

  • ninth: He then takes the bass solos in Beethoven's ninth symphony for the inaugural performance of the Opera North 05/06 concert season in Huddersfield.
  • unfinished: Dr. King left an unfinished symphony which we must finish.
  • orchestral: He has written concert works for a variety of orchestral forces from solo instruments up to orchestral symphonies.
  • 9th: When Beethoven was writing his 9th symphony he requested a piano that had a percussion pedal on it.
  • eighth: Apparently, he spent much of that period working on an eighth symphony.
  • fifth: The second and fifth symphonies are brilliant, and the fourth symphony is also pretty good.

Modifies a noun

  • orchestra: The website for the bbc scottish symphony orchestra from bbc Scotland.
  • concert: A fish to symphony concert at food fun holiday time to.
  • hall: The data center is now akin to a symphony hall with 150 people per seat.
  • cycle: Complete Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kurt Masur at the Megaron Concert Hall in Athens.

Preposition: by

composer: Dover scores of string quartets and symphonies by all three composers are readily available and fairly inexpensive.

Noun used with modifier

  • Eroica: At the 1985 AGM Gordon Wilkinson gave us our first taste of CD sound with Neville Marriner's recording of the Beethoven Eroica symphony.
  • organ: Vierne produced a cycle of 24 Pièces de Fantaisie in addition to his organ symphonies.
  • twelve: Included are twelve symphonies, concertos, Chamber music, much Vocal and Choral music, Chamber works.