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A discourse formed on its theme, like variations on a musical air; a comment or comments. Upon that simplest of themes how magnificent a descant! De Quincey.

The elaboration of a theme or subject; the unfolding of a musical idea; the evolution of a whole piece or movement from a leading theme or motive. Development theory (Biol.), the doctrine that animals and plants possess the power of passing by slow and successive stages from a lower to a higher state of organization, a…

Union of musical sounds which strikes the ear harshly or disagreeably, owing to the incommensurability of the vibrations which they produce; want of musical concord or harmony; a chord demanding resolution into a concord. For a discord itself is but a harshness of divers sounds mBacon. Apple of discord. See under Apple…

Dissonant; not in harmony or musical concord; harsh; jarring; as, discordant notes or sounds. For still their music seemed to start Discordant echoes in each heart. Longfellow.

on, or solfeggio. It is the first of the seven syllables used by the Italians as manes of musical tones, and replaced, for the sake of euphony, the syllable Ut, applied to the note C. In England and America the same syllables are used by mane as a scale pattern, while the tones in respect to absolute pitch are named fr…

Plaintive; pathetic; -- used adverbially as a musical direction.

Of or relating to one of the ancient Greek musical modes or keys. Its character was adapted both to religions occasions and to war.

An ancient musical instrument in use among the Jews. Dan. iii. 5. It is supposed to be the same with the psaltery.

That department of musical science which relates to, or treats of, the power of tones.

Of or pertaining to that one of the three kinds of musical scale (diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic) recognized by the ancient Greeks, which consisted of quarter tones and major thirds, and was regarded as the most accurate.

To elevate the tone of, as of the voice or a musical instrument. Is. xxxvii. 23. Now Mars, she said, let Fame exalt her voice. Prior.

One who executes or performs; esp., a performer on a musical instrument. Great executants on the organ. De Quincey.

To perform musically.

for such ebbs; hence, a disquisition; a lesson; a task; as, military or naval exercises; musical exercises; an exercise in composition. The clumsy exercises of the European tourney. Prescott. He seems to have taken a degree, and preformed public exercises in Cambridge, in 1565. Brydges.

ity of being exhausted. I was seriously tormented by the thought of the exhaustibility of musical combinations. J. S. Mill.

s in music, or in the drama, designed to produce effect by its wild irregularity; esp., a musical caricature.

The act or manner of making or doing anything; -- now used of a literary, musical, or pictorial production. Bacon.

osition, not divided into what are called movements, or governed by the ordinary rules of musical design, but in which the author's fancy roves unrestricted by set form.

A complete or ridiculous failure, esp. of a musical performance, or of any pretentious undertaking.

A form of melody or accompaniment kept up through a strain or passage; a musical or motive; a florid embellishment.