rondo

views updated Jun 08 2018

rondo (It., properly spelt rondó). Round. Form of comp., usually instr., in which one section intermittently recurs. By Mozart's day it was the usual form for the last movt. of a conc. or sonata. Frequent pattern is ABACADA etc., A being the recurring rondo theme and B, C, and D contrasting episodes. Mozart and Beethoven combined this with sonata form into a sonata-rondo. Strauss's Till Eulenspiegel is designated a rondo. The term is also sometimes used in opera for an aria with a slow section followed by a faster one.

rondo

views updated May 23 2018

ron·do / ˈrändō; ränˈdō/ • n. (pl. -dos) a musical form with a recurring leading theme, often found in the final movement of a sonata or concerto.

rondo

views updated May 29 2018

rondo (mus.) piece in which a return is continually made to the principal subject. XVIII. — It. — F. rondeau (see prec.).

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