pianism

noun

pi·​a·​nism ˈpē-ə-ˌni-zəm How to pronounce pianism (audio)
1
: the art or technique of piano playing
2
: the composition or adaptation of music for the piano

Examples of pianism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And this manifested itself in Michael’s very busy mind into an exploration of their mutual love of Gershwin and his contemporaries and combining the incredible encyclopedic knowledge of the American Songbook that Michael has with the absurdly skilled pianism of Jean. cleveland, 20 July 2023 The weight of shoring up the point of the play thus falls heavily on Levant’s pianism — and Hayes’s. Jesse Green, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2023 However, the pianist—who played on 273 recording sessions, according to Tom Lord’s authoritative jazz discography—was an elemental presence as a bandleader and in-demand sideman who synthesized several strands of jazz pianism into a distinctive, soulful whole. Larry Blumenfeld, WSJ, 20 July 2021 On recordings, Gershwin’s own pianism was pretty brisk and businesslike, but this concerto has long since belonged to a concert world of more generous expressive freedom. Dallas News, 23 Apr. 2022 His often big-boned urgency, technically assured, suggested continuity with traditional Russian pianism. Dallas News, 13 June 2022 His pianism was steeped in jazz tradition yet spoke more deeply of a personal odyssey. Larry Blumenfeld, WSJ, 14 Sep. 2022 Musical references abound throughout—to 19th-century pianism à la Liszt, to Ravel and Debussy, to Rachmaninoff, Bernstein and Manuel de Falla, and to at least three major film composers: Danny Elfman, Bernard Herrmann and John Williams. David Mermelstein, WSJ, 11 Jan. 2022 But as a conductor Schiff affects no airs; his gestural vocabulary feels of a piece with his pianism. BostonGlobe.com, 19 Oct. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pianism.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1844, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pianism was in 1844

Dictionary Entries Near pianism

Cite this Entry

“Pianism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pianism. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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