Ostinato: meaning, pronunciation and examples
Ostinato noun. A short musical pattern repeated over and over beneath the rest of a piece.
How to say it
oss-tih-NAH-toh/ˌɒstɪˈnɑːtəʊ/
4 syllables, stressed on the third (NAH).
Ostinato in a sentence
Ravel's Boléro is built on a snare-drum ostinato that never lets up.
The bassline is a three-note ostinato you'll be humming all day.
Similar and opposite
Similar:
- riff
- loop
- repeated figure
- ground
Where ostinato comes from
Italian for stubborn or obstinate.
Test yourself
Which word fills the gap?
The bassline is a three-note _____ you'll be humming all day.
- dissonance
- ostinato
- ensemble
Show the answer
ostinato: The bassline is a three-note ostinato you'll be humming all day.