Definition of sonata Sonata

/sʌnɑˈtʌ/ - [sunatu] - so•na•ta

We found 6 definitions of sonata from 6 different sources.

What does sonata mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: sonatas
sonata - a musical composition of 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms
		classical, classical music, serious music traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste
		piano sonata a sonata for piano
		sonatina a short and simple sonata
		symphonic music, symphony a long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra

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Wiktionary

sonata (Noun)
A musical composition for one or a few instruments, one of which is frequently a piano, in three or four movements that vary in key and tempo.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

sonata (n.)
An extended composition for one or two instruments, consisting usually of three or four movements; as, Beethoven's sonatas for the piano, for the violin and piano, etc.

Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕

sonata
sō-nä′ta, n. a musical composition usually of three or more movements or divisions, designed chiefly for a solo instrument.—n. Sonatina (sō-nä-tē′na), a short or simplified sonata. [It.,—L. sonāre, to sound.]

Wikipedia

A sonata is a piece of music for one instrument or one instrument with another instrument accompanying. The word comes from the Italian “sonare” which means “to sound”.

A composer could call any solo instrumental piece “sonata” if he or she wants to, but usually a sonata is quite a long piece with several movements.

The term “sonata” was used in the 16th century to mean anything that was not sung.

In the Baroque period (17th and early 18th centuries) many composers like Arcangelo Corelli wrote sonatas with several movements. There were two types: “sonata da camera” (“room sonata” i.e. “chamber sonata”) which were for playing in people’s homes, and “sonata da chiesa” (“church sonata”) which were for being played in churches. The first type would have harpsichord accompaniment and the second type organ accompaniment. There would also be a cello playing the bass line. The solo instrument might be a violin, flute, recorder or oboe.

At the end of the Baroque period Domenico Scarlatti wrote over 500 sonatas for harpsichord. These are all short pieces in binary form (two sections).

By the time we come to the Classical period sonatas have become longer pieces with three or four movements. They would usually start with a fast movement, then a slow one, and then a fast one at the end. If there were four movements the extra one would be a minuet and trio or a scherzo, either before or after the slow movement. The first movement would be in sonata form. The most important composers of so

Part of speech

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sonata, noun, singular of sonatas.

Pronunciation

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Sign Language

sonata in sign language