passagework

[ pas-ij-wurk ]

/ ˈpæs ɪdʒˌwɜrk /

noun Music.

writing that is often extraneous to the thematic material of a work and is typically of a virtuosic or decorative character: passagework consisting of scales, arpeggios, trills, and double octaves.

the performance of such writing: The pianist's passagework is brilliantly clear and smooth.

Words nearby passagework

passage grave, passage hawk, passage to india, a, passage work, passageway, passagework, passaic, passalong, passamaquoddy, passamaquoddy bay, passament

Origin of passagework

First recorded in 1860–65; passage¹ + work

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for passage work

passage work

noun

music scales, runs, etc, in a piece of music which have no structural significance but provide an opportunity for virtuoso display

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012