passagework

noun

pas·​sage·​work ˈpa-sij-ˌwərk How to pronounce passagework (audio)
: a section of a musical composition characteristically unimportant thematically and consisting especially of ornamental figures

Examples of passagework in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His swirling passagework dazzles with virtuosity, and the cadenza is appealingly rhapsodic. Dallas News, 29 June 2022 Declarative episodes were vigorous without being forced, and nimble passagework was dispatched with a feathery touch. Dallas News, 7 Feb. 2022 A certain rhythmic freedom in some of his first-movement passagework felt new to his interpretation of this perennial favorite. BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2021 Connolly’s regal tone and Rae’s nuanced passagework partly redeemed these regressive conceptions. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022 See all Example Sentences for passagework 

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of passagework was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near passagework

Cite this Entry

“Passagework.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passagework. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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