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sextette

sextette

8.6
A musical piece written for six players or instruments
  • noun
  • /sɛkˈtɛt/
  • UK
translation icon : sexteto
  • They commissioned a new sextette for strings and piano to debut at the festival.

Examples

  • Have you ever heard a sextette by Beethoven?

  • The orchestra performed a beautiful sextette last night.

  • Beethoven's Opus 81b is an example of a famous sextette.

  • The ensemble performed a sextette composed by a contemporary artist.

  • The composer wrote a beautiful sextette for strings and winds, showcasing the unique sound of six instruments.

  • During the concert, the audience was captivated by the sextette, which featured six talented musicians harmonizing perfectly.

  • She performed a lively sextette that highlighted the individual skills of each of the six performers on stage.

Synonyms

sextet
vssextette
1 7.1

A musical piece written for six players or singers

has identical musical meaning but is an alternative spelling
sestet
vssextette
9.8

A group of six musicians who perform together or a piece for six players

is focused on the written composition rather than the performer group

Surface Forms

sextette singular
sextettes plural

Morphology

sextette = sextet (transparent) = sext + ette

Formed from the familiar base 'sextet' (six) with a French-derived diminutive/spelling variant '-ette', so the meaning 'group/composition for six' is directly recoverable.

Etymology

Sextette comes from the Latin root sex- meaning 'six' and the ending -ette, the same idea you see in duet or quartet, for small musical groups, so it names a musical piece written for six performers.