ostinato

American  

[os-ti-nah-toh, aws-tee-nah-taw] / ˌɒs tɪˈnɑ toʊ, ˌɔs tiˈnɑ tɔ /

noun

Music.

plural

ostinatos

1. a constantly recurring melodic fragment.

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ostinato British  

/ ˌɒstɪˈnɑːtəʊ /

noun

1. 1. a continuously reiterated musical phrase

   2. ( as modifier )

      an ostinato passage

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Etymology

Origin of ostinato

1875–80; < Italian: literally, obstinate < Latin obstinātus obstinate

Example Sentences

Rima Fand’s pleasant, folk-tinged score is illustrative rather than striking; the accompanying ensemble of mandolin, string quartet and bass, led from the piano by Mila Henry, plays a lot of ostinatos.

From The Wall Street Journal

Laid across this ostinato are various storylines involving recruits working out the issues that have brought them to this Parris Island of Misfit Boys.

From Los Angeles Times

After opening with a moody guitar ostinato, Beyoncé enters with the dark, melodramatic storytelling of a murder ballad, with a refrain like something out of “Carmen” in its bravado and rustic flavor.

From New York Times

“I remember getting chills the first time the ostinato started.”

From New York Times

“River Niger” has an infectious and captivating energy, rooted on a rhythmic B-flat minor ostinato, yet open in form with each soloist leading us on a journey throughout the recording.

From New York Times