passagework
noun
pas·sage·work
ˈpa-sij-ˌwərk 
: a section of a musical composition characteristically unimportant thematically and consisting especially of ornamental figures
Examples of passagework in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His swirling passagework dazzles with virtuosity, and the cadenza is appealingly rhapsodic.
—
Dallas News, 29 June 2022
Declarative episodes were vigorous without being forced, and nimble passagework was dispatched with a feathery touch.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
A certain rhythmic freedom in some of his first-movement passagework felt new to his interpretation of this perennial favorite.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2021
Connolly’s regal tone and Rae’s nuanced passagework partly redeemed these regressive conceptions.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
Teaming up with Chen, cellist Taeguk Mun met technical demands with ease, navigating wide leaps, tossing off fast passagework and dispatching virtuosic pluckings in the second movement scherzo.
—Dallas News, 21 Feb. 2022
Mamora rippled through virtuosic passagework, and there was plenty to enjoy in his shaping of melodies.
—Dallas News, 25 June 2022
The orchestra showed an impressive ability to build energy over time, and later, triumphant fugal passagework displayed more of the high level of ensemble synchrony in winds and strings that characterizes the orchestra’s present sound.
—Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022
However, at times that power drained away during rapid passagework, sometimes dragging behind the beat.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022
Dallas News, 29 June 2022
Declarative episodes were vigorous without being forced, and nimble passagework was dispatched with a feathery touch.
—Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022
A certain rhythmic freedom in some of his first-movement passagework felt new to his interpretation of this perennial favorite.
—BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2021
Connolly’s regal tone and Rae’s nuanced passagework partly redeemed these regressive conceptions.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
Teaming up with Chen, cellist Taeguk Mun met technical demands with ease, navigating wide leaps, tossing off fast passagework and dispatching virtuosic pluckings in the second movement scherzo.
—Dallas News, 21 Feb. 2022
Mamora rippled through virtuosic passagework, and there was plenty to enjoy in his shaping of melodies.
—Dallas News, 25 June 2022
The orchestra showed an impressive ability to build energy over time, and later, triumphant fugal passagework displayed more of the high level of ensemble synchrony in winds and strings that characterizes the orchestra’s present sound.
—Lukas Schulze, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2022
However, at times that power drained away during rapid passagework, sometimes dragging behind the beat.
—Christian Hertzog, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'passagework.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near passagework
Cite this Entry
“Passagework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passagework. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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