symphony

Meanings

1. 1nouncountablemusic

   A long piece of classical music written for a full orchestra, usually made up of several separate parts called movements.

   Grammar: Countable and often named with a number or key: Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

   Patterns

   • a symphony by someone
   • compose a symphony

   Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, and the Ninth is the most famous.

   The orchestra will perform Mahler's Second Symphony on Friday.

   She composed her first symphony at the age of twenty-two.

2. 2nouncountable

   A large professional orchestra, often named after a city.

   Grammar: Often used in a name: the Boston Symphony. It can take a singular or plural verb in British English.

   Patterns

   • the city symphony
   • play in the symphony

   My aunt plays the cello in the city symphony.

   The symphony is raising money for a new concert hall.

   Tickets for the symphony sell out every winter.

3. 3nounusually singularfigurative

   A pleasing mix of many sounds, colors or other elements that blend together well.

   Grammar: Usually singular and followed by of: a symphony of colors.

   Patterns

   • a symphony of something

   The forest was a symphony of birdsong at dawn.

   The market was a symphony of smells, from fresh bread to spices.

   The autumn hillside was a symphony of red and gold.

Word forms

Common combinations

compose a symphony

He spent three years composing a symphony.

symphony orchestra

The symphony orchestra tuned up before the concert.

conduct a symphony

She will conduct the symphony at the festival.

a symphony of colors

The garden was a symphony of colors in June.

symphony hall

The new symphony hall has excellent acoustics.

Synonyms and how they differ

concerto

A concerto features a solo instrument against the orchestra, whereas a symphony gives the whole orchestra the spotlight.

orchestra

Orchestra names the group of players, while symphony usually names the piece they play, though it is also used in names of orchestras.

harmony

Harmony is the pleasant blending of sounds or things in general, and it lacks the grand, large-scale sense of a figurative symphony.

Opposites

Word family

symphonic adjective

relating to or like a symphony

symphonist noun

a composer of symphonies

Commonly confused: symphony or cacophony?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “symphony”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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