: an instrumental musical composition typically of three or four movements in contrasting forms and keys
Examples of sonata in a Sentence
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In the Franck sonata, Malofeev staked out rich, dense chords for Dueñas to twirl through.
—
Justin Davidson, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
The end result might not be like a Beethoven sonata.
—John Kounios, Scientific American, 30 May 2024
The sound of gut strings on McIntosh’s violin played without vibrato, for instance, had the florescence that Stravinsky so enjoyed in the Bach sonata.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2024
He’s credited with 722 individual works, including symphonies, sonatas, and choral music — creations that pushed the boundaries of composition and performance, and helped usher in the Romantic era of music.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 27 June 2024
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Justin Davidson, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2024
The end result might not be like a Beethoven sonata.
—John Kounios, Scientific American, 30 May 2024
The sound of gut strings on McIntosh’s violin played without vibrato, for instance, had the florescence that Stravinsky so enjoyed in the Bach sonata.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2024
He’s credited with 722 individual works, including symphonies, sonatas, and choral music — creations that pushed the boundaries of composition and performance, and helped usher in the Romantic era of music.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for sonata
Dictionary Entries Near sonata
Cite this Entry
“Sonata.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonata. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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