pas·to·rale

(păs′tə-räl′, -răl′, -rä′lē, pä′stə-)

n. pl. pas·to·ra·li (-rä′lē) or pas·to·rales

1. An instrumental or vocal composition with a tender melody in a moderately slow rhythm, suggestive of traditional shepherds' music and idyllic rural life.

2. A dramatic performance or opera, popular in the 1500s and 1600s, that was based on a rural theme or subject.

[Italian, of herdsmen, pastorale, from Latin pāstōrālis; see pastoral.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pastorale

(ˌpæstəˈrɑːl)

n, pl -rales

1. (Music, other) a composition evocative of rural life, characterized by moderate compound duple or quadruple time and sometimes a droning accompaniment

2. (Music, other) a musical play based on a rustic story, popular during the 16th century. Also (archaic): pastourelle

[C18: Italian, from Latin: pastoral]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

pas•to•rale

(ˌpæs təˈrɑl, -ˈræl, -ˈrɑ li, -leɪ)

n., pl. -rales, -ra•li (-ˈrɑ li)

1. an opera or cantata with a pastoral subject.

2. a piece of music suggestive of pastoral life.

[1715–25; < Italian, n. use of pastorale pastoral]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

pastorale - a musical composition that evokes rural life

idyl, pastoral, idyll

musical composition, opus, piece of music, composition, piece - a musical work that has been created; "the composition is written in four movements"

Translations

pastorale

n (Mus) → Pastorale f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

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