pastorale

American  

[pas-tuh-rahl, -ral, -rah-lee, pah-stuh-, pahs-taw-rah-le] / ˌpæs təˈrɑl, -ˈræl, -ˈrɑ li, ˌpɑ stə-, ˌpɑs tɔˈrɑ lɛ /

noun

Music.

plural

pastorales, pastorali

1. an opera, cantata, or the like, with a pastoral subject.

2. a piece of music suggestive of pastoral life.

---

pastorale British  

/ ˌpæstəˈrɑːl /

noun

1. a composition evocative of rural life, characterized by moderate compound duple or quadruple time and sometimes a droning accompaniment

2. a musical play based on a rustic story, popular during the 16th century

---

Etymology

Origin of pastorale

1715–25; < Italian, noun use of pastorale pastoral

Explanation

A pastorale is a piece of music that makes the listener think of simple, old-fashioned days or of life in the country. Some pastorales have a rural subject, while others use familiar musical themes to evoke this feeling. A true pastorale is a simple opera that takes place in the countryside or on a farm. Other musical pastorales recall earlier forms of music and tend to be very slow, with droning bass notes. Baroque pastorales include parts of Handel's "Messiah" and a piece by Bach called "Pastorale." The word comes from pastoral, originally "pertaining to shepherds," from the Latin pastoralis, "of herdsmen."

Example Sentences

The scene was a vibrant pastorale, rendered in thousands of shimmering sequins and beads that filled a nine-foot-wide canvas with a red tasseled border.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2023

He scored the opening scenes, which paint a portrait of the vibrant, thriving Dahomey village, with African pastorale — bouncing a string orchestra along with a gentle groove on regional instruments including kalimba and kora.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2022

With the Friends’ full cooperation, he helped carry “The Wheel” far from its usual country-ish territory, toward a kind of extraterrestrial pastorale with glimmers of Terry Riley’s Minimalism and Miles Davis’s “In a Silent Way.”

From New York Times • Apr. 16, 2014

Shulgin and the Joiner's Arms further essay Hot Horizons' brand of electronic pastorale.

From The Guardian • Apr. 7, 2011

So the history of Christianity at its birth is a "délicieuse pastorale" an "idylle," a "milieu enivrant" of joy and hope.

From Occasional Papers Selected from the Guardian, the Times, and the Saturday Review, 1846-1890 by Church, R. W. (Richard William)