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
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His swirling passagework dazzles with virtuosity, and the cadenza is appealingly rhapsodic.
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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
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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
See All Example Sentences for passagework
Cite this Entry
“Passagework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passagework. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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