Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Charles Ives

Charles Ives

1 8.2
An American classical composer who makes music with unusual sounds and overlapping parts
  • proper noun
  • /ˈtʃɑrlz aɪvz/
: Charles Ives
  • The music of Charles Ives challenged conventional ideas about harmony and rhythm.

Examples

  • Many consider Charles Ives one of the pioneers of American classical music.

  • My professor recommended listening to Charles Ives for his groundbreaking orchestral works.

  • The music of Charles Ives often incorporates unconventional harmonies.

  • Many consider Charles Ives a pioneer of modern classical music.

  • Many consider Charles Ives one of the pioneers of American classical music.

  • My professor recommended listening to Charles Ives for his groundbreaking orchestral works.

  • The music of Charles Ives challenged conventional ideas about harmony and rhythm.

Synonyms

Charles Edward Ives
vsCharles Ives
7.5

An American composer who mixed different musical keys at the same time

is the common name and emphasizes experimental musical techniques

Surface Forms

Charles Ives main

Morphology

Charles + Ives

This is a proper name referring to a specific historical composer; knowing the constituent name tokens 'Charles' and 'Ives' does not allow a learner to infer the biographical/professional meaning (American composer, polytonality). Proper nouns are referential and arbitrary rather than compositional, so the overall meaning is not derivable from the parts.

Etymology

Charles Ives was an American composer who liked to mix everyday sounds like church bells and marching bands with music written in more than one key at the same time. Imagine him hearing two bands at once and writing both parts together; that image explains why people call him an early 'experimental' composer and one of the first in American classical music.