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ostinato

English translation: Ostinato

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:ostinato
English translation:Ostinato
Entered by: Don Green

14:56 Apr 15, 2004
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Music
Italian term or phrase: ostinato
un ostinato: a repetitive melody as in a musical theme.
Is there a corresponding English word?
Don Green
France
Local time: 00:13
Ostinato
Explanation:

Riff, ostinato and loop

These three words mean the same thing. Ostinato is more often used when describing serious music. Riff is more often used when describing pop music and Loop is used in Techno or modern dance music.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/ musicalelements/devicesrev3.shtml - 37k
A Riff or ostinato is a repeated pattern of notes.

Listen to this example of an ostinato from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The ostinato is played on the bass instruments:

Real Audio Clip

Here is an example of a riff from a disco track of the 1970s. You can hear the riff played on the guitar.

Real Audio Clip

Finally, here is a loop from modern techno music. It is called a loop because this is the process used on the computer when it is played on a program called a sequencer. Here, you can hear loops on the drums and the synthesised xylophone sound.

Real Audio Clip

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Note added at 7 mins (2004-04-15 15:03:51 GMT)
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note: above is all from same BBC ref; I cleverly stuck the ref in the wrong place.
Selected response from:

writeaway
Grading comment
Thanks
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +7Ostinato
writeaway
4leitmotif/leitmotiv
Lucie Brione
3obstinate - resolute- stubborn
Vittorio Felaco


  

Answers


6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
obstinate - resolute- stubborn


Explanation:
Given the paucity of real context, I say look up words like obstinate, resolute, stubborn, firm, oppositional, hostile;

Vittorio Felaco
Local time: 18:13
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 7
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +7
Ostinato


Explanation:

Riff, ostinato and loop

These three words mean the same thing. Ostinato is more often used when describing serious music. Riff is more often used when describing pop music and Loop is used in Techno or modern dance music.
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/ musicalelements/devicesrev3.shtml - 37k
A Riff or ostinato is a repeated pattern of notes.

Listen to this example of an ostinato from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. The ostinato is played on the bass instruments:

Real Audio Clip

Here is an example of a riff from a disco track of the 1970s. You can hear the riff played on the guitar.

Real Audio Clip

Finally, here is a loop from modern techno music. It is called a loop because this is the process used on the computer when it is played on a program called a sequencer. Here, you can hear loops on the drums and the synthesised xylophone sound.

Real Audio Clip

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 7 mins (2004-04-15 15:03:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

note: above is all from same BBC ref; I cleverly stuck the ref in the wrong place.


    www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/music/ musicalelements/devicesrev3.shtml - 37k
writeaway
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 43
Grading comment
Thanks

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Grace Anderson
3 mins
agree  Paola Gallarato: I agree: definitely
5 mins
agree  Lucie Brione: also see http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwor... It looks like there is a slight difference between leitmotif and ostinato (see comments in my suggestion) .
6 mins
  -> AFAIK, a leitmotiv is a recurring theme (but does not always recur in identical form)
agree  Jane Griffiths (X): Yes, if you're talking about classical music, the English for ostinato is... ostinato.
39 mins
agree  Iulia Matei
52 mins
agree  Ilaria Bottelli
54 mins
agree  Giuseppina Gatta, MA (Hons): in genere non si traducono i termini musicali
3 hrs
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5 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
leitmotif/leitmotiv


Explanation:
Sounds like that's what you're after.
It is actually a german word, but an accepted term in music.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 14 mins (2004-04-15 15:11:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

leitmotif :
In music, a recurring theme or motive used to illustrate a character or idea. The term is strongly associated with Richard Wagner, who frequently employed this technique with great sophistication in his music dramas it is also strongly prevalent in music for film.

ostinato :
In music, a persistently repeating melodic or rhythmic figure conveying an ambiguous message of dynamic action unrelated to any movement.
Ostinati play an important role in Igor Stravinsky\'s\'s The Rite of Spring (1913) and the Symphony of Psalms (1930), also in the Carmina Burana (1937) of Carl Orff. Ostinato-like structures are also characteristic of Balinese gamelan (percussion ensemble). In the 1960s, tape loop recycling of fragments of melody and sound provided a starting point for the minimalism of Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and John Adams.

It would appear that writeaway\'s suggestion is the best.



    Reference: http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwor...
    Reference: http://www.yourencyclopedia.net/Leitmotif.html
Lucie Brione
United Kingdom
Local time: 23:13
Native speaker of: Native in FrenchFrench
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