Meaning & use
recital
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Meanings
nouncountablemusic
A public concert of music or dance given by one performer or a small group.
Grammar: Often used with give or attend: give a recital.
Patterns
- give a recital
- a recital of something
The young pianist gave a recital at the town hall.
We attended a student recital on Friday evening.
Her ballet recital drew a crowd of proud parents.
nouncountableformal
The act of reading or saying aloud from memory, such as poems or a list.
Grammar: Often followed by of: a recital of poems.
Patterns
- a recital of something
The evening ended with a recital of poems by local writers.
He gave a long recital of the names of the fallen.
nouncountabledisapproving
A detailed telling of facts or events, often a tedious one.
Grammar: Often found as a recital of complaints.
Patterns
- a recital of something
Her letter was a long recital of grievances.
The report was little more than a recital of dates.
nounusually plurallegal
A section of a legal contract that explains the background and reasons for the agreement.
Grammar: Usually plural: the recitals of the contract.
Patterns
- the recitals of an agreement
The recitals of the contract explain why the parties signed.
A lawyer checked the recitals for errors.
Word forms
| plural | recitals |
|---|
Common combinations
- piano recital
- Her piano recital sold out within a day.
- give a recital
- The cellist will give a recital in June.
- dance recital
- The children rehearsed for the dance recital.
- poetry recital
- The library hosts a poetry recital each month.
- end-of-year recital
- We're going to the end-of-year recital at school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- concert
- A concert usually has a larger group or a lighter program, while a recital is smaller and more formal.
- performance
- Performance is general for any show, whereas recital is a specific kind, often by one performer.
- account
- Account is a plain telling of events, while recital stresses a detailed run-through.
- rendition
- Rendition is a particular interpretation of a piece, not the entire event.
Word family
- recite verb
- to say aloud from memory
- recitation noun
- the act of reciting
- recitalist noun
- a person who gives a recital
- reciter noun
- a person who recites
Commonly confused: recital or recitative?
recital vs recitative
A recitative is a speech-like style of singing in opera, while a recital is a whole performance.
Practice
A violinist plays a solo program of sonatas in a small hall. What is the event best called?
Choose one answer.
A recital is a performance by a soloist or small group. A rehearsal is practice before a performance, not the performance itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “recital”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.