pastorale

[ pas-tuh-rahl, -ral, -rah-lee, pah-stuh-; Italian pahs-taw-rah-le ]

noun,plural pas·to·rales, pas·to·ra·li [pas-tuh-rah-lee, -ral-ee; Italian pahs-taw-rah-lee]. /ˌpæs təˈrɑ li, -ˈræl i; Italian ˌpɑs tɔˈrɑ li/. Music.
  1. an opera, cantata, or the like, with a pastoral subject.

  2. a piece of music suggestive of pastoral life.

Origin of pastorale

1
1715–25; <Italian, noun use of pastoralepastoral

Words that may be confused with pastorale

Words Nearby pastorale

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How to use pastorale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pastorale

pastorale

/ (ˌpæstəˈrɑːl) /


nounplural -rales music
  1. a composition evocative of rural life, characterized by moderate compound duple or quadruple time and sometimes a droning accompaniment

  2. a musical play based on a rustic story, popular during the 16th century

Origin of pastorale

1
C18: Italian, from Latin: pastoral

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