recital

American  

[ri-sahyt-l] / rɪˈsaɪt l /

noun

1. a musical entertainment given usually by a single performer or by a performer and one or more accompanists.

2. a similar entertainment in a field other than music.

   a dance recital.

3. a program or concert by dance or music students to demonstrate their achievements or progress.

4. an act or instance of reciting.

5. a formal or public delivery of something memorized.

6. a detailed statement.

7. an account, narrative, or description.

   He gave a recital of the things he'd been doing since we'd last seen him.

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recital British  

/ rɪˈsaɪtəl /

noun

1. a musical performance by a soloist or soloists Compare concert

2. the act of reciting or repeating something learned or prepared

3. an account, narration, or description

4. a detailed statement of facts, figures, etc

5. (often plural) law the preliminary statement in a deed showing the reason for its existence and leading up to and explaining the operative part

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Related Words

See narrative.

Other Word Forms

• nonrecital
  noun
• prerecital
  noun
• recitalist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of recital

First recorded in 1505–15; recite + -al ²

Explanation

The hardest part about piano lessons is having to give a recital, or to demonstrate what you've learned in front of an audience. You can also use the noun recital to describe the telling of a story. Your uncle might be famous for boring people at parties with his recital of youthful Boy Scout adventures, for example. In the 1500s, recital was strictly a legal term, the "statement of relevant facts," but the musical meaning had come into use by the 1800s. The root is the Latin word recitare, "repeat from memory."

Example Sentences

Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey and jazz pianist Baptiste Trotignon revisited the repertory of their 2017 recording “Thousands of Miles” on Dec. 2 at Weill Recital Hall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

SCMS’ summer and winter festival concerts will continue to take place at the 536-seat Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall in nearby Benaroya Hall.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 29, 2022

By now, the Park Avenue Armory’s Recital Series concerts are a known quantity: art song and chamber music in ornate, intimate spaces.

From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2022

Its second-floor Gorell Recital Hall, with soothing sightlines, auburn color scheme and balcony seating, is an attractive performance space.

From Washington Times • Mar. 20, 2021

And that’s where you find Werner Recital Hall.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Related Words

• concert
• musical
• presentation
• reading
• recitation
• rehearsal