Definition of ostinato Ostinato
/ɑˌstʌnɑˈtowˌ/ - [astunatow] - os•ti•na•to
We found 4 definitions of ostinato from 4 different sources.
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What does ostinato mean?
WordNet
NounPlural: ostinatoes |
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| ostinato - a musical phrase repeated over and over during a composition | ||
| musical phrase, phrase dance movements that are linked in a single choreographic sequence | ||
| ground bass a short melody in the bass that is constantly repeated | ||
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Wiktionary 
- ostinato (Noun)
A piece of melody, a chord progression , or a bass figure that is repeated over and over as a musical accompaniment.
Wikipedia 
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In music, an ostinato is a short pattern of notes which is repeated many times. The word "ostinato" is related to the word "obstinate". It is like a musical idea which is being obstinate and will not go away. The plural can be either "ostinati" or "ostinatos".
An ostinato can last for a section of a piece or it might last for the whole piece of music.
An ostinato can be a repeated group of notes or just a rhythm. It is similar to a riff in jazz. Many kinds of music use ostinati, e.g. classical music, jazz, Boogie-Woogie, African music.
A ground bass is an ostinato pattern in the lowest notes. An example is the famous "Canon in D" by Pachelbel.
An example of a rhythmic ostinato is the first movement from the "Planets Suite" by Gustav Holst. This is the movement in 5/4 time which describes Mars, the Roman God of War. "Boléro" by Maurice Ravel also uses a repeated rhythm all the way through the piece.
An example from popular music is Pink Floyd's "Money".
Using an ostinato is a good way for young people to start composing their own pieces of music.
Part of speech
🔤- ostinato, noun, singular of ostinatos.
