ostinato
[ os-ti-nah-toh; Italian aws-tee-nah-taw ]
/ ˌɒs tɪˈnɑ toʊ; Italian ˌɔs tiˈnɑ tɔ /
noun, plural os·ti·na·tos. Music.
a constantly recurring melodic fragment.
Origin of ostinato
1875–80; < Italian: literally, obstinate < Latin
obstinātus
obstinate
Words nearby ostinato
osteotribe,
osteotrite,
ostia,
ostiak,
ostiary,
ostinato,
ostiole,
ostitis,
ostium,
ostium abdominale tubae uterinae,
ostium of uterus
Example sentences from the Web for ostinato
In my opinion, your Basso ostinato should be written in 3/4 or 6/4 time, but not in 5/4.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky |Modeste TchaikovskyYou have made just such a mistake in your otherwise beautiful Basso ostinato.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky |Modeste Tchaikovsky
British Dictionary definitions for ostinato
ostinato
/ (ˌɒstɪˈnɑːtəʊ) /
noun
- a continuously reiterated musical phrase
- (as modifier)an ostinato passage
Word Origin for ostinato
Italian: from Latin
obstinātus
obstinate