[suh-nah-tuh] 
| a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements in contrasted forms and keys. |
| so·na·ta (sə-nä'tə) n. A composition for one or more solo instruments, one of which is usually a keyboard instrument, usually consisting of three or four independent movements varying in key, mood, and tempo. [Italian, from feminine past participle of sonare, to sound, from Latin sonāre; see swen- in Indo-European roots.] |
A musical composition for one or two instruments, usually in three or four movements. The sonata of the classic era in music had a definite arrangement for its movements: the first and fourth had a fast tempo, the second had a slow tempo, and the third was in either playful style (a “scherzo”) or in dance form (a “minuet”).
Sonata operating system
The code name for the major Mac OS release due in mid-1999.
(http://devworld.apple.com/mkt/informed/appledirections/mar97/roadmap.html).
(1997-10-15)
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