accompanyist

8.8

A musician who plays music to support a singer or other player

noun
/əˈkʌmpəniɪst/

: acompañante

The talented accompanyist skillfully played the piano while the singer performed on stage.

Examples

During the concert, the accompanyist adjusted the tempo to match the soloist's voice.
GOULD WAS MOTHER'SACCOMPANIST ACCOMPANYIST.

Grey Gardens (2009)
As an accompanyist, she collaborated with various artists to enrich their performances.

Synonyms

accompanist

vsaccompanyist

5 6.2

A person who plays music to support a singer or other performer

has identical meaning but is an alternate spelling used for the same role

Antonyms

soloist

23 4.7

A performer who plays or sings alone for part of a piece

How Supportive

accompanyist

8.8

ensemble

57 5.3

Surface Forms

accompanyist singular

accompanyists plural

Morphology

accompanyist = accompany (transparent) = accompany + ist

Regular agentive formation from the verb 'accompany' using '-ist', giving the straightforward meaning 'one who accompanies'; the form is nonstandard compared with 'accompanist' but the derivation is clear.

Etymology

Accompanyist is built from the common verb accompany (to be 'with' someone) and the ending -ist ('a person who does something'). So an accompanyist is literally a person who is 'with' a performer, usually a pianist who plays to support and follow the soloist.