tone poem

American  

noun

Music.

1. an instrumental composition intended to portray a particular story, scene, mood, etc.

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tone poem British  

noun

1. another term for symphonic poem

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Etymology

Origin of tone poem

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Written for large orchestra and inspired by Madame Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophical Society, the symphonic tone poem is a fantastical transformation of the Greek myth of Prometheus, who steals fire from the gods.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

Without news from home, “Orbital” might well have been more of a tone poem than fully realized fiction.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2023

Warren uses an assured hand in treating the family melodrama with the tenderness of a tone poem.

From New York Times • Feb. 23, 2023

“The Inspection” filters the brutal claustrophobia of Stanley Kubrick’s boot camp horror show through the piercing subjectivity of Barry Jenkins’ coming-of-age tone poem.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 2, 2022

She prepared a dinner with a balance of contrast and climax that a composer might show in writing a tone poem.

From The Parts Men Play by Baxter, Arthur Beverley