sonata

noun

so·​na·​ta sə-ˈnä-tə 

: an instrumental musical composition typically of three or four movements in contrasting forms and keys

Examples of sonata in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But plans to record Brahms violin sonatas with the pianist Julius Katchen, a frequent duet partner, fell through after Solovieff suffered a breakdown during a recording session. —Sarah Weinman, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024

The duo will perform violin sonatas by Beethoven, Debussy and Franck. —Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024

Not far from where Joseph buys her pinot noir in the Chehalem Mountains, the famed German winemaker Ernst Loosen is pursuing an even more ambitious project with his winery, Appassionata Estate — named for the Beethoven piano sonata. —Dave McIntyre, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024

The four movements of the sonata are meditations on New England transcendentalist writers: Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts and Thoreau. —Patrick Neas, Kansas City Star, 26 Jan. 2024

This collection of 18 movements (three per sonata) was written in the late 1720s for the composer’s eldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, to perfect his playing. —Paul Jacobs, WSJ, 20 Oct. 2023

But that did not mean the complete absence of moments of sunshine that showed foliage to good advantage, in what seemed the visual counterpart of an almost audible seasonal sonata. —Martin Weil, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023

For spice, there was a sonata by Johann Gottlieb Janitsch, one generation later than Bach. —Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Feb. 2023

To encounter one of the late sonatas on a recital program is a treat. —Jeremy Eichler, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Mar. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Italian, from sonare to sound, from Latin

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing sonata

• sonata form

Kids Definition

sonata

noun

so·​na·​ta sə-ˈnät-ə 

: a piece of music written for instruments and usually having three or four main parts in different styles and different keys

Medical Definition

Sonata

trademark

So·​na·​ta sō-ˈnä-tə 

—used for a preparation of zaleplon