scordatura

American  

[skawr-duh-toor-uh, skawr-dah-too-rah] / ˌskɔr dəˈtʊər ə, ˌskɔr dɑˈtu rɑ /

noun

Music.

plural

scordature, scordaturas

1. the tuning of a stringed instrument in other than the usual way to facilitate the playing of certain compositions.

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Etymology

Origin of scordatura

First recorded in 1875–80; from Italian, equivalent to scordat(o), past participle of scordare “to be out of tune” (from Latin discordāre; see discord) + -ura noun suffix

Example Sentences

The first thing you have to do is get the score translated into what I call scordatura notation, where what you hear is not what you see.

From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2024

The abrasive sound of a scordatura violin colors the second movement, but the concertmaster, Frank Huang, slyly played it straight, letting the instrument’s fiendish, squirrelly sound speak for itself.

From New York Times • Feb. 2, 2024

Sonya Monosoff plays these with rich tone and temperament and gets colors seldom heard today, for Biber liked to use scordatura, an unorthodox tuning of the strings.

From Time Magazine Archive