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symphony - 6 dictionary results

sym⋅pho⋅ny

[sim-fuh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies.
1. Music.
a. an elaborate instrumental composition in three or more movements, similar in form to a sonata but written for an orchestra and usually of far grander proportions and more varied elements.
b. an instrumental passage occurring in a vocal composition, or between vocal movements in a composition.
c. an instrumental piece, often in several movements, forming the overture to an opera or the like.
2. symphony orchestra.
3. a concert performed by a symphony orchestra.
4. anything characterized by a harmonious combination of elements, esp. an effective combination of colors.
5. harmony of sounds.
6. Archaic. agreement; concord.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME symfonye < OF symphonie < L symphōnia concert < Gk symphōnía harmony. See sym-, -phony
sym·pho·ny   (sĭm'fə-nē)   
n.   pl. sym·pho·nies
  1. Music
    1. An extended piece in three or more movements for symphony orchestra.
    2. An instrumental passage in a vocal or choral composition.
    3. An instrumental overture or interlude, as in early opera.
    4. A symphony orchestra.
    5. An orchestral concert.
  2. Music
    1. A symphony orchestra.
    2. An orchestral concert.
  3. Harmony, especially of sound or color.
  4. Something characterized by a harmonious combination of elements.

[Middle English symphonye, harmony, from Old French symphonie, from Latin symphōnia, from Greek sumphōniā, from sumphōnos, harmonious : sun-, syn- + phōnē, sound; see bhā-2 in Indo-European roots.]

Symphony

Sym"pho*ny\, n.; pl. Symphonies. [F. symphonie (cf. It. sinfonia), L. symphonia, Gr. ?; sy`n with + ? a sound, the voice. See Phonetic.]

1. A consonance or harmony of sounds, agreeable to the ear, whether the sounds are vocal or instrumental, or both.

The trumpets sound, And warlike symphony in heard around. --Dryden.

2. A stringed instrument formerly in use, somewhat resembling the virginal.

With harp and pipe and symphony. --Chaucer.

3. (Mus.) (a) An elaborate instrumental composition for a full orchestra, consisting usually, like the sonata, of three or four contrasted yet inwardly related movements, as the allegro, the adagio, the minuet and trio, or scherzo, and the finale in quick time. The term has recently been applied to large orchestral works in freer form, with arguments or programmes to explain their meaning, such as the "symphonic poems" of Liszt. The term was formerly applied to any composition for an orchestra, as overtures, etc., and still earlier, to certain compositions partly vocal, partly instrumental. (b) An instrumental passage at the beginning or end, or in the course of, a vocal composition; a prelude, interlude, or postude; a ritornello.
Language Translation for : symphony
Spanish: sinfonía,
German: die Sinfonie,
Japanese: 交響曲

symphony

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 
c.1290, the name of various musical instruments, from O.Fr. symphonie "harmony" (12c.), from L. symphonia "a unison of sounds, harmony," from Gk. symphonia "harmony, concert," from symphonos "harmonious," from syn- "together" + phone "voice, sound" (see fame). Meaning "harmony of sounds" is attested from c.1440; sense of "music in parts" is from 1599. "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.

Symphony 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)

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