Construct · 1 fields · 1 citations

ostinato: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · a single construct Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed

A single standalone construct; nearby constructs are located against it in the Collider. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

Music theory

A short figure repeated persistently

An ostinato is a short musical figure (melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic) repeated persistently through a passage while other elements change around it. Randel's The Harvard dictionary of music describes its range from the repeated bass patterns of a passacaglia or chaconne to the looping figures of much popular and non-Western music. The referent is a deliberately recurring pattern that anchors a texture, identified by its literal repetition beneath or within changing material.[1]

Unit: A short figure repeated continuously through a passage
Recovery means: Not applicable
Measured by: Identified by the literal, sustained repetition of a melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic figure

Run it through the Collider, or take the citations with you.

See how ostinato sits against neighbouring constructs in the Collider, or export every reference on this page in one click.

Open in Collider Export BibTeX Report this entry

Nearby constructs

dictionary3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructs figure2 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, two constructs harmonic3 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, three constructs

References

Randel, D. M. (Ed.). (2003). The Harvard dictionary of music (4th ed.). Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674011632

Cited on this page?

Confirm your construct, or correct us.

If your work is cited behind one of these entries, you know better than we do whether we captured the meaning right. Confirm it, suggest an edit, or dispute it, and your name goes on the entry as an author who has checked it, linked to your ORCID.

Claim your construct