symphony

symphony (ˈsɪmfənɪ)
—n , pl -nies
1.	an extended large-scale orchestral composition, usually with several movements, at least one of which is in sonata form. The classical form of the symphony was fixed by Haydn and Mozart, but the innovations of subsequent composers have freed it entirely from classical constraints. It continues to be a vehicle for serious, large-scale orchestral music
2.	a piece of instrumental music in up to three very short movements, used as an overture to or interlude in a baroque opera
3.	any purely orchestral movement in a vocal work, such as a cantata or oratorio
4.	short for symphony orchestra
5.	in musical theory, esp of classical Greece
	a.  another word for consonance Compare diaphony
	b.  the interval of unison
6.	anything distinguished by a harmonious composition: the picture was a symphony of green
7.	archaic harmony in general; concord
[C13: from Old French symphonie, from Latin symphōnia concord, concert, from Greek sumphōnia, from syn- + phōnē sound]
symphonic
—adj
sym'phonically
—adv

symphony
EXPAND

of sounds" is attested from mid-15c.; sense of "music in parts" is from 1590s. "It was only after the advent of Haydn that this word began to mean a sonata for full orchestra. Before that time it meant a prelude, postlude, or interlude, or any short instrumental work." ["Elson's Music Dictionary"] Meaning "elaborate orchestral composition" first attested 1789 (symphonic in this sense is from 1864). Elliptical for "symphony orchestra" from 1926.

COLLAPSE

symphony definition

An extended musical composition for orchestra in several movements, typically four. Among the composers especially known for their symphonies are Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Josef Haydn, Gustav Mahler, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Symphony definition

tool, product
Lotus Development's successor to their Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet. Unlike 1-2-3, Symphony allowed a limited form of multitasking. The user could switch manually between it and MS-DOS and separate graph and spreadsheet windows could be opened simultaneously and would be updated automatically when cells were changed. In addition, a small word processor could be opened in a third window. These all could be printed out on the same report. Symphony could read and write Lotus 1-2-3 files and had interactive graphical output and a word processor, thus making it effectively a report generator. Unlike 1-2-3, Symphony was not a great commercial success.
(1995-03-28)