tremulant

(ˈtrɛmjʊlənt)

(Music, other) music

a. a device on an organ by which the wind stream is made to fluctuate in intensity producing a tremolo effect

b. a device on an electrophonic instrument designed to produce a similar effect

[C19: from Medieval Latin tremulāre to tremble]

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

trem•u•lant

(ˈtrɛm yə lənt)

adj.

trembling; tremulous.

[1830–40; < Medieval Latin tremulant-, s. of tremulāns, present participle of tremulāre to tremble; see -ant]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

tremulant

adjective

Marked by or affected with tremors:

aquiver, quaky, quivery, shaky, shivery, tremulous, twittery.

Mentioned in ?

References in periodicals archive ?

Finds included a bone disk engraved 'Tremulant', probably a gaming counter, and several moulded Ruabon style bricks which would have formed part of the detailing around windows and doors on the church.

Lost Tribes The People's Memories with Ken Rogers

Landels has specialized in investigating the aulos, and his presentation, which is clear and easily grasped, shows convincingly that the twin pipes, played by the same musician, were normally sounded in unison, using "a beating or tremulant effect" that "could be controlled by a skilful player, and [that] no doubt contributed to the mood or ethos of the music" (p.

Music in Ancient Greece and Rome & Apollo's Lyre: Greek Music and Music Theory in Antiquity and the Middle Ages

But there is evidence that the convention indicated the slurred tremolo described by Stewart Carter (`The string tremolo in the 17th century', EM, xix (1991), pp.42-59), in which the strings produced an effect described by Brossard, for example, as resembling an organ tremulant. Although Carter discusses the phenomenon in a predominantly Italian context, it is frequently found in French scores, from Lully to Gluck.