Definition

Noun: 1. Orchestral music in symphonic form: A substantial and complex musical composition, typically in multiple movements, written for and performed by a full symphony orchestra. This term emphasizes the music's structure, scale, and orchestral nature.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The concert hall is renowned for its superb acoustics, perfect for symphonic music. (The building is famous for how well it sounds when an orchestra plays large-scale works there.)
  • She has a deep appreciation for classical symphonic music from the Romantic period. (She greatly enjoys the large orchestral works composed in the 19th century.)
  • Composing symphonic music requires mastery of both melody and orchestration. (Writing works for a full orchestra demands skill in creating tunes and assigning them effectively to different instruments.)

Advanced Usage

• The term symphonic music is often used to distinguish large-scale orchestral works (like symphonies, tone poems, and concertos) from chamber music, opera, or solo instrumental pieces. It highlights the music's conceptual and sonic scope.
• It can be used descriptively to characterize music that has the grandeur, complexity, or texture associated with a symphony orchestra, even if not strictly a symphony. For example: symphonic

Variants and Related Words

• Symphony (n): Most directly related; a specific type of symphonic music, usually a large-scale orchestral composition in several movements.
  • Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is a landmark of symphonic music.
• Symphonic (adj): Of, relating to, or having the character of a symphony or symphony orchestra.
  • The composer's symphonic works are his most famous.
• Orchestral music (n): A broader term for any music written for an orchestra, which includes but is not limited to symphonic music.

Synonyms

• Orchestral composition: A piece of music written for an orchestra.
• Symphony (in its general sense, though it usually refers to a specific form).

Notes on Meaning

The provided reference definition, "a long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra," is a technical description aligning with the core meaning. In broader usage, symphonic music encompasses not only works in sonata form but any large-scale, multi-movement, or through-composed work conceived for the resources of a symphony orchestra, including symphonies, concertos, overtures, and symphonic poems.

Noun

1. a long and complex sonata for symphony orchestra