rondo

ron·do

R0296700 (rŏn′dō, rŏn-dō′)n. pl. ron·dos A musical composition built on the alternation of a principal recurring theme and contrasting episodes.

[Italian rondò, from French rondeau, rondeau; see rondeau.]

rondo

(ˈrɒndəʊ) n, pl -dos (Classical Music) a piece of music in which a refrain is repeated between episodes: often constitutes the form of the last movement of a sonata or concerto[C18: from Italian, from French rondeau]

ron•do

(ˈrɒn doʊ, rɒnˈdoʊ)

n., pl. -dos. 1. a musical form in which a refrain recurs typically four times in the tonic with intervening couplets in contrasting keys. 2. a movement in the form of a rondo. [1790–1800; < Italian < French rondeau; see rondel]

rondo

A piece of instrumental music with a recurring main theme.

Thesaurus

Noun

rondo - a musical form that is often the last movement of a sonatarondeauclassical, classical music, serious music - traditional genre of music conforming to an established form and appealing to critical interest and developed musical taste

Translations

rondo

(rŏn`dō, rŏndō`), instrumental musical form in which the opening section is repeated after each succeeding section containing contrasting thematic material. The complex rondeau of French keyboard music of the 17th cent., related to the poetic form, the rondel, was the most frequently occurring form. It was the predecessor of the 18th-century rondo, which became the usual concluding movement of the classical sonata.

Rondo

a common musical form based on the alternation of an unchanging, principal theme (the refrain) and continually changing episodes.

The rondo developed out of folk songs in which the lead-in (different each time) was counterposed to a stable refrain. The traditional, or couplet, rondo was widely used in 17th- and 18th-century French harpsichord music. The Viennese classical composers often used the rondo for the final movements of their symphonies and sonatas. In these compositions the rondo is characterized by a thematic contrast between the refrain and the episodes (two or, more rarely, three), the use of transitional sections between the refrain and the episodes, and a coda that completes the movement.

Later, the rondo was used as an independent form, and its compositional structure became freer. The rondo form has also been used in vocal genres, including the art song, the aria, and opera scenes, as well as in ballet music. Features of the rondo are found in many similar musical forms.

V. P. BOBROVSKII and M. L. GASPAROV

rondo

a piece of music in which a refrain is repeated between episodes: often constitutes the form of the last movement of a sonata or concerto

rondo

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Synonyms for rondo

noun a musical form that is often the last movement of a sonata

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