recital

American  

[ri-sahyt-l] / rɪˈsaɪt l /

noun

1. a musical entertainment given usually by a single performer or by a performer and one or more accompanists.

2. a similar entertainment in a field other than music.

   a dance recital.

3. a program or concert by dance or music students to demonstrate their achievements or progress.

4. an act or instance of reciting.

5. a formal or public delivery of something memorized.

6. a detailed statement.

7. an account, narrative, or description.

   He gave a recital of the things he'd been doing since we'd last seen him.

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recital British  

/ rɪˈsaɪtəl /

noun

1. a musical performance by a soloist or soloists Compare concert

2. the act of reciting or repeating something learned or prepared

3. an account, narration, or description

4. a detailed statement of facts, figures, etc

5. (often plural) law the preliminary statement in a deed showing the reason for its existence and leading up to and explaining the operative part

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Related Words

See narrative.

Other Word Forms

• nonrecital noun
• prerecital noun
• recitalist noun

Etymology

Origin of recital

First recorded in 1505–15; recite + -al ²

Explanation

The hardest part about piano lessons is having to give a recital, or to demonstrate what you've learned in front of an audience. You can also use the noun recital to describe the telling of a story. Your uncle might be famous for boring people at parties with his recital of youthful Boy Scout adventures, for example. In the 1500s, recital was strictly a legal term, the "statement of relevant facts," but the musical meaning had come into use by the 1800s. The root is the Latin word recitare, "repeat from memory."

Example Sentences

That recital began a day the likes of which no British royal has experienced in centuries.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

But what was once known as the Lieder recital — the German title for songs in a genre once dominated by Schubert, Schumann, Hugo Wolf and Richard Strauss — has approached its sell-by date.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 19, 2026

Last week, the Samoan tenor Pene Pati made his North American solo recital debut with pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2025

"Whether you're here for an intimate recital, a powerful play, a mass sing-along or an eight-hour choral epic, you'll encounter connection, curiosity, and the power of great art to shift perspectives."

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2025

She cleared her throat as if doing a classroom recital.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

Related Words

• concert
• musical
• presentation
• reading
• recitation
• rehearsal