| / English Dictionary |
OPUS
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A musical work that has been created
Example:
the composition is written in four movements
Synonyms:
composition; musical composition; opus; piece; piece of music
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("opus" is a kind of...):
music (an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner)
Meronyms (parts of "opus"):
coda; finale (the closing section of a musical composition)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "opus"):
etude (a short composition for a solo instrument; intended as an exercise or to demonstrate technical virtuosity)
idyl; idyll; pastoral; pastorale (a musical composition that evokes rural life)
toccata (a baroque musical composition (usually for a keyboard instrument) with full chords and rapid elaborate runs in a rhythmically free style)
fantasia (a musical composition of a free form usually incorporating several familiar themes)
musical passage; passage (a short section of a musical composition)
movement (a major self-contained part of a symphony or sonata)
largo ((music) a composition or passage that is to be performed in a slow and dignified manner)
larghetto ((music) a composition or passage played in a slow tempo slightly faster than largo but slower than adagio)
suite (a musical composition of several movements only loosely connected)
symphonic poem; tone poem (an orchestral composition based on literature or folk tales)
medley; pastiche; potpourri (a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources)
nocturne; notturno (a pensive lyrical piece of music (especially for the piano))
adagio ((music) a composition played in adagio tempo (slowly and gracefully))
song; vocal (a short musical composition with words)
study (a composition intended to develop one aspect of the performer's technique)
capriccio (an instrumental composition that doesn't adhere to rules for any specific musical form and is played with improvisation)
motet (an unaccompanied choral composition with sacred lyrics; intended to be sung as part of a church service; originated in the 13th century)
program music; programme music (musical compositions intended to evoke images or remind the listener of events)
incidental music (music composed to accompany the action of a drama or to fill intervals between scenes)
morceau (a short literary or musical composition)
sheet music (a musical composition in printed or written form)
arrangement; musical arrangement (a piece of music that has been adapted for performance by a particular set of voices or instruments)
realisation; realization (a musical composition that has been completed or enriched by someone other than the composer)
intermezzo (a short piece of instrumental music composed for performance between acts of a drama or opera)
allegro (a musical composition or musical passage to be performed quickly in a brisk lively manner)
allegretto (a musical composition or musical passage to be performed at a somewhat quicker tempo than andante but not as fast as allegro)
andante (a musical composition or musical passage to be performed moderately slow)
introit (a composition of vocal music that is appropriate for opening church services)
solo (a musical composition for one voice or instrument (with or without accompaniment))
duet; duette; duo (a musical composition for two performers)
trio (a musical composition for three performers)
quartet; quartette (a musical composition for four performers)
quintet; quintette (a musical composition for five performers)
sestet; sextet; sextette (a musical composition written for six performers)
septet; septette (a musical composition written for seven performers)
octet; octette (a musical composition written for eight performers)
bagatelle (a light piece of music for piano)
divertimento; serenade (a musical composition in several movements; has no fixed form)
canon (a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts)
Context examples:
Laurie sold his busts, made allumettes of his opera, and went back to Paris, hoping somebody would arrive before long.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Whether he could come out by force at the opera, and succeed by violence?
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
The carriage stopped, as I had expected, at the hotel door; my flame (that is the very word for an opera inamorata) alighted: though muffed in a cloak—an unnecessary encumbrance, by-the-bye, on so warm a June evening—I knew her instantly by her little foot, seen peeping from the skirt of her dress, as she skipped from the carriage-step.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
"But music, you know, is a matter of training," Ruth argued; "and opera is even more a matter of training. May it not be—"
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
In vain Mrs. Chester alluded to her 'charming novel', and the Misses Chester introduced parties, picnics, the opera, and the fashions.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
She had always been used to music, and she had enjoyed opera ever since she was a child, and all her world had enjoyed it, too.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
She is going in the spring when the opera comes, and it will be perfectly splendid, if Mother only lets me go, answered Meg, cheering up at the thought.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
"That I am not trained in opera?" he dashed in.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Then he tried an opera, for nothing seemed impossible in the beginning, but here again unforeseen difficulties beset him.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
And so with the stage, with sculpture, with opera, with every art form.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
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