23 unique baby names inspired by classical music
5 November 2019, 14:07 | Updated: 5 November 2019, 14:11
Looking for a musical name for your sprog? Here’s a selection of unique, classical music-inspired names you might not have heard before…
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Aria
Meaning: A long, operatic piece for solo voice. From the Italian ‘air’
Air. Picture: Getty -
Carol
Meaning: A popular hymn, usually sung at Christmas time
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Melody
Meaning: The main tune in a piece of music or song
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Cadence (or Cadenza)
Meaning: A progression of notes that concludes a musical phrase
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Viola
Meaning: An orchestral stringed instrument, slightly larger than a violin
Viola - musical instrument. Picture: Getty -
Celeste (or Celesta)
Meaning: A small, heavenly-sounding instrument which looks like a piano, but sounds like a glockenspiel
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Dorian
Meaning: A musical mode, very similar to the modern natural minor scale
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Harmony
Meaning: A succession of supporting notes, played or sung under the melody
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Lyre (or Lyra)
Meaning: A small stringed instrument played by the ancient Greeks, similar to a harp
A Greek lyra. Picture: Getty -
Aida
Meaning: An opera set in Ancient Egypt, by prolific Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi. A timeless story of love and betrayal
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Allegra
Meaning: An Italian music term, meaning joyful or lively
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Lydian
Meaning: A musical mode similar to a major scale, but with one note sharpened to give a slightly unsettling sound
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Octave (or Octavia)
Meaning: A series of eight notes, separating one musical pitch and another with double its frequency
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Melisma
Meaning: A passage of several notes sung on one syllable
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Demi
Meaning: An Italian music term, meaning ‘half’, as in ‘demigod’
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Walton
Meaning: The surname of the late, prolific English composer William Walton
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Caprice
Meaning: A lively piece of music, typically virtuosic in nature
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Diva
Meaning: A prima donna, or female singer of exceptional talent
Renée Fleming, soprano. Picture: PA -
Jazz
Meaning: A genre of music, of black American origin, which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century
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Piper
Meaning: Someone who plays a pipe (e.g. bagpipes)
Bagpipes. Picture: Getty -
Sonatina
Meaning: A simple, short sonata (or instrumental work)
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Fife
Meaning: A flute. ‘Fife’ comes from the German Pfeife, or pipe.
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Rhapsody
Meaning: A single-movement work that has distinct groups of musical ideas, is free-flowing in structure and features a range of highly contrasting moods.
