fantasia
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.
About Our Definitions: All forms of a word (noun, verb, etc.) are now displayed on one page.fan·ta·sia
noun \fan-ˈtā-zhə, -z(h)ē-ə; ˌfan-tə-ˈzē-ə\Definition of FANTASIA
1
: a free usually instrumental composition not in strict form
2
a : a work (as a poem or play) in which the author's fancy roves unrestricted b : something possessing grotesque, bizarre, or unreal qualities
See Origin of FANTASIA
Italian, literally, fancy, from Latin phantasia — more at fancy
First Known Use: 1724
fantasia
noun (Concise Encyclopedia)Musical composition free in form and inspiration, often for an instrumental soloist. Most fantasias try to convey the impression of improvisation. The first were Italian works for lute (c. 1530). Keyboard fantasias became common in the late 16th century; both organ and harpsichord fantasias flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries in Britain, Germany, and France. Fugal, imitative texture, sometimes highly learned in character, was common from the beginning, often alternating with running passagework and highly chromatic chordal passages in free rhythms. Ensemble fantasias were widely composed as well.
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