Kapellmeister
noun
a choirmaster.
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Kapellmeister
American
[kah-pel-mahy-ster, kuh-]
/ kɑˈpɛlˌmaɪ stər, kə- /
noun
-
a choirmaster.
-
a conductor of an orchestra.
-
a bandmaster.
kapellmeister
British
/ kæˈpɛlˌmaɪstə /
noun
Etymology
Origin of Kapellmeister
From German, dating back to 1830–40; see origin at chapel, master
Explanation
A kapellmeister is the conductor of a musical group, especially a choir or a small orchestra. Historically, a kapellmeister programmed music for monarchs or cathedrals. In German, Kapellmeister means "chapel master," or "master of the chapel choir." Starting in the early 16th century, German kapellmeisters programmed music for nobles and aristocrats, which was usually played in churches and cathedrals. Many famous composers, including Joseph Haydn, worked as kapellmeisters. Today, the term usually refers to a music director for a church or theater.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Amid these miscellaneous worthies, resting beneath a noble but unpretentious obelisk, is the composer Antonio Salieri, Kapellmeister to the emperor of Austria.
From The New Yorker • May 27, 2019
The once untouchable Kapellmeister began to suffer the kinds of reverses to which other composers had long been accustomed: the only opera that he completed in the four years after Joseph’s death went unperformed.
From The New Yorker • May 27, 2019
In 1970 he was named Kapellmeister of the Gewandhaus, one of Europe’s most venerable orchestras.
From New York Times • Dec. 19, 2015
Only in the late 1840s did Liszt give up his concert tours, settle down as Kapellmeister in Weimar and belatedly turn himself from great pianist into great composer.
From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2011
How're you s’posed to say Kapellmeister if you can't say Kapellmeister?
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
