harmonist
noun
a person skilled in harmony.
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harmonist
1 American
[hahr-muh-nist]
/ ˈhɑr mə nɪst /
Harmonist
2
American
[hahr-muh-nist]
/ ˈhɑr mə nɪst /
Or
Harmonite
noun
harmonist
British
/ ˈhɑːmənɪst /
noun
-
a person skilled in the art and techniques of harmony
-
a person who combines and collates parallel narratives
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of harmonist1
First recorded in 1560–70; harmon(y) + -ist
Origin of Harmonist2
1815–25; after Harmony, town in Pennsylvania; see -ist
Explanation
A harmonist is someone who's very good at blending different voices or instruments into music that sounds pleasant. To be a successful composer, you have to be a great harmonist. Harmonists are skilled at harmonies, creating music from separate strands that go well together. Another kind of harmonist does a similar thing with literature or religious texts, interpreting different passages in a way that melds their meanings or finds agreement between them. Historically, Christian harmonists also brought harmony to the Bible by trying to arrange its parts in chronological order. The Greek root of harmonist is harmonia, "concord of sound."
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.
Mr. Jobim once called him “a great melodist, harmonist, king of rhythm, of syncopation, of swing” and “singular, without equal.”
From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2023
Above all, Mr. Sondheim said, he is a harmonist whose songs are inspired by theatrical characters.
From New York Times • Feb. 1, 2015
Throughout the vibrant Scherzo, the plaintive Adagio and the episodic and ultimately exuberant finale, Mr. Gilbert brought out musical resonances that linked Rachmaninoff as a harmonist to Debussy, Mahler and even early Schoenberg.
From New York Times • Jan. 9, 2010
Even the acquisition and exercise of critical knowledge tends to blunt the sense of natural beauties, as a refined harmonist becomes indifferent to the strains of simple melody.
From The works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 04 by Scott, Walter, Sir
Why not come out plumply with the truth: Velasquez is the supreme harmonist in art.
From Promenades of an Impressionist by Huneker, James
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.
