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🖼️ About exhibitions 📝 Explaining ideas 🎶 Music introduction
expositional

expositional

8.2
About the first section in a piece of music that introduces the main musical ideas
  • adjective
  • /ˌɛkspəˈzɪʃənl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : expositivo
  • In classical music, the expositional part introduces key themes.

Examples

  • Composers often use the expositional part to introduce motifs that will be developed later.

  • The expositional section of the sonata clearly states the main musical themes.

  • Her analysis focused on the expositional passages in Beethoven's symphonies.

  • The expositional section of the symphony sets the mood.

  • The expositional section of the sonata clearly states the main musical themes.

  • Composers often use the expositional part to introduce motifs that will be developed later.

  • In classical music, the expositional part introduces key themes.

Synonyms

thematic
vsexpositional
15 6.0

Relating to a main idea in art, music or writing

concerns introducing musical themes rather than describing the theme itself
prefatory
vsexpositional
1 7.6

Giving a short introduction to a book or speech

focuses on introducing main musical themes within the opening section

Surface Forms

expositional positive

Morphology

expositional = exposition (semi-transparent) = exposition + al

This is a regular adjective formed from the noun 'exposition' with -al, but the musical sense is technical and may not be obvious without knowing the base term.

Etymology

Expositional comes from the Latin parts ex- 'out' and ponere 'to put', and in music an 'exposition' is the part that 'puts out' the main themes. That's why an expositional section in a piece of music introduces the main ideas that will be used later.