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

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

But unlike that idyllic pastorale — or even Tero Saarinen’s more recent, wonderful dance “Borrowed Light” — “Angel Reapers” offers a layered, conflicted, even tortured look at its subject.

From New York Times • Nov. 27, 2011

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

From The Guardian • Apr. 7, 2011

When the Boy was painting in the beautiful undulating country that lay between Son Españolet and the mountains, he sometimes discovered a reference to himself in the pastorale.

From The Fortunate Isles Life and Travel in Majorca, Minorca and Iviza by Boyd, Mary Stuart