sonata

American  

[suh-nah-tuh] / səˈnɑ tə /

noun

Music.

• sonatas
  plural

1. a composition for one or two instruments, typically in three or four movements in contrasted forms and keys.

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sonata British  

/ səˈnɑːtə /

noun

1. an instrumental composition, usually in three or more movements, for piano alone ( piano sonata ) or for any other instrument with or without piano accompaniment ( violin sonata , cello sonata , etc) See also sonata form symphony concerto

2. a one-movement keyboard composition of the baroque period

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sonata Cultural  

1. A musical composition for one or two instruments, usually in three or four movements. The sonata of the classic era in music had a definite arrangement for its movements: the first and fourth had a fast tempo, the second had a slow tempo, and the third was in either playful style (a “scherzo”) or in dance form (a “minuet”).

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• sonatas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of sonata

1685–95; < Italian < Latin sonāta, feminine of sonātus (past participle of sonāre to sound ¹ ). See sonant, -ate ¹

Compare meaning

How does sonata compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• sonata vs. concerto

Explanation

A sonata is a long piece of classical music that's usually made up of several parts. A sonata can be played by an orchestra or just one instrument, like a piano. If you're a classical music fan, you've probably heard sonatas played in concert halls or on recordings. Beethoven and Mozart famously composed sonatas for the piano, and modern composers continue to write sonatas for many different instruments. The Italian word sonata has come to mean "piece of instrumental music," although its literal translation is "sounded" or "played." This is in contrast to another Italian musical term, cantata, which means "sung," or "musical piece that is sung."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sonata sonatas

Put on the sonata and let your mind swim unattended.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

Many fans have moved on as well, some perhaps deciding there’s more musical transcendence and power in one Beethoven sonata than in the entire rock catalog.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 6, 2026

The sonata does not have the vibrant complexity of Walker’s commanding later works, but it is tight, strong, accessible and with an inspired slow movement that it would be hard to get enough of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 19, 2026

“When Harry Met Sally” rings so true because there isn’t a single false note in its lovely sonata.

From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025

Some suggestions: an unaccompanied violin or cello sonata, a flute, oboe, trumpet, or horn concerto, Asaian or native American flute music, classical guitar, bagpipes, steel pan drums, panpipes, or organ.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

But a startling number of pieces—symphonies, sonatas, madrigals, sonnets, even ambitious operas—were composed to the highest standards of professional musicianship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

But let her sit at the piano to rip into some of the Beethoven sonatas and something astonishing emerges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2023

Largely erased from classical music history because he was biracial, the 18th-century French Caribbean violinist and composer Joseph Bologne wrote concertos, sonatas and symphonies.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 19, 2023

It was during one of those conversations recently that I asked a friend whether he was planning to see the pianist Mitsuko Uchida’s recital of late Beethoven sonatas at Carnegie Hall.

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2023

My especial favorites were those autumnal sonatas of Signor Corelli, which had made such a stir in the century previous.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson