sonata
noun
so·na·ta
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Definition of sonata
: an instrumental musical composition typically of three or four movements in contrasting forms and keys
Examples of sonata in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The festival program is dotted with Enescu: a violin sonata, a piano quintet, Œdipe (his sole opera), etc. — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, "Mozart & Co. at the Salzburg Festival," 22 Aug. 2019 Even five years earlier, in one of his finest piano sonatas, Op. — Tim Page, Washington Post, "Beethoven: The genius who broke all the rules," 16 Aug. 2019 His buildings have a moving simplicity, the restraint and humility of a Mozart sonata. — oregonlive.com, "Celebrating architect Pietro Belluschi’s 120th anniversary: You’re invited to walking tours, talks this weekend," 16 Aug. 2019 Similarly expressive were the singing tones of Jaap ter Linden’s viola da gamba on a sonata by J.S. Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. — Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, "Review: Early Music Festival brings fresh energy to old sounds," 2 Aug. 2019 Lenin has no use for art, though his wife describes him as being unnervingly moved by a Beethoven sonata. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Review: Screwball Eggheads Tear Up the Library in ‘Travesties’," 24 Apr. 2018 His buildings have a moving simplicity, the restraint and humility of a Mozart sonata. — Janet Eastman, oregonlive.com, "Celebrating architect Pietro Belluschi’s 120th anniversary: Building tours, book talk and dinner in his home," 8 Aug. 2019 Find more information and book tickets at www.velocityartssf.com 8 Get your Beethoven fix A 19th-century Viennese fortepiano, first-edition sonatas — and even a lock of the great master’s hair? — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, "12 coolest Bay Area things you didn’t know you could do," 29 July 2019 But close behind was Canada’s Kevin Chen, who made the bold choice of performing two movements from a sonata by contemporary Australian composer Carl Vine, suffusing it with passion and eye-opening digital pyrotechnics. — Rob Hubbard, Twin Cities, "Review: Young pianists play their hearts out at e-Piano Competition," 10 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sonata.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sonata
sonata
noun
English Language Learners Definition of sonata
music
: a piece of music written for one or two instruments that has usually three or four large sections that are different from each other in rhythm and mood
See the full definition for sonata in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sonata
noun
so·na·ta
| \ sə-ˈnä-tə
\
\
Kids Definition of sonata
: a musical composition for one or two instruments consisting of three or four separate sections in different forms and keys
Sonata
trademark
So·na·ta
| \ sō-ˈnä-tə
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Medical Definition of Sonata
—used for a preparation of zaleplon
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