Sinfonia (; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for
symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning com ...
, from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from
Ancient Greek συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sound). In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century
orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an
opera,
oratorio,
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir.
The meaning of ...
, or
suite
Suite may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
*Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition
** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach
** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó
** ''Suite' ...
(, who gives the origin of the word as Italian) . The word is also found in other
Romance languages such as Spanish or Portuguese.
In the Middle Ages down to as late as 1588, it was also the Italian name for the
hurdy-gurdy .
Johann Sebastian Bach used the term for his keyboard compositions also known as ''
Three-part Inventions'', and after about 1800, the term, when in reference to opera, meant "
Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
" .
In
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...
's
oratorio Messiah (HWV 56), "
Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
to the
Messiah" (
French Overture in
E minor) was originally titled "Sinfony".
In the 20th and 21st centuries it is found in the names of some chamber orchestras, such as the
Northern Sinfonia .
Sinfonias in the vocal works by Johann Sebastian Bach
The opening movements of cantatas
BWV 31
(Heaven laughs! Earth exults), 31, is a church cantata by Johann Sebastian Bach for the first day of Easter. Bach composed the cantata in Weimar and first performed it on 21 April 1715.
History and words
On 2 March 1714 Bach was appointed conc ...
and
BWV 182
The (BWV; ; ) is a catalogue of compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach. It was first published in 1950, edited by Wolfgang Schmieder. The catalogue's second edition appeared in 1990. An abbreviated version of that second edition, known as BWV2a ...
are named "sonata" and the first movement of cantata
BWV 106 "sonatina".
Sinfonia in D major, BWV 1045
Sinfonia in D major, BWV 1045, sometimes referred to as a violin concerto movement (''Konzertsatz''), is an orchestral work for solo violin, three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, strings and continuo, written down by Johann Sebastian B ...
is considered a sinfonia of a lost cantata, because its manuscript indicates that the piece had four vocal parts.
Three cantata fragments: BWV 50, BWV 200 and BWV 1045. Julian Mincham
/ref>
Symphony with an alternative scope
Examples of such "sinfonias" composed after the classical era include:
* Vincent d'Indy wrote a ''Sinfonia brevis de bello Gallico'', Latin for: "Short Symphony about the War in Gaul".
* Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...
titled the first movement of his 1923 Octet "Sinfonia".
See also
*Sinfonia concertante
Sinfonia concertante (; also called ''symphonie concertante'') is an orchestral work, normally in several movements, in which one or more solo instruments contrast with the full orchestra.Collins: ''Encyclopedia of Music'', William Collins Sons & C ...
*Sinfonietta (symphony)
A sinfonietta is a symphony that is smaller in scale (either in terms of length or the instrumental forces required), or lighter in approach than a standard symphony. Although of Italian form, the word is not genuine in that language and has sel ...
* Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
*Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overt ...
Sources
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References
External links
*
selection of ''sinfonias''
(from the Mutopia project
The Mutopia Project is a volunteer-run effort to create a library of free content sheet music, in a way similar to Project Gutenberg's library of public domain books. It started in 2000.Portal page at thInternet ArchiveRetrieved January 24, 20 ...
)
Symphonies
Renaissance music
Baroque music
Classical period (music)
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