Music Term
What is an ostinato?
Definition
An ostinato is a persistently repeated musical phrase or rhythm -- a short pattern that continues throughout a section or an entire piece, forming a hypnotic or structural backbone.
Ostinato in music -- explained
The word comes from the Italian for 'stubborn' or 'obstinate'. Ostinatos can be rhythmic (a repeating drum pattern), melodic (a repeating bass line), or harmonic (a chord sequence that loops). In classical music, a basso ostinato (ground bass) is the bass-line variant used by Bach, Purcell, and Handel as the foundation for variations above. In minimalist music (Philip Glass, Steve Reich), ostinatos are the entire compositional strategy -- gradual phase shifts between repeating patterns create hypnotic evolution over time. In rock and pop, the guitar riff often functions as an ostinato (the riff in Smoke on the Water, or the piano motif in Clocks by Coldplay). In electronic music, loops are ostinatos by definition -- the four-bar chord loop in house and techno creates a trance state through repetition. The line between an ostinato and a riff is blurry: most riffs are melodic ostinatos.
Notable examples of an ostinato
Clocks -- Coldplay
The rolling piano arpeggio is a textbook ostinato -- it runs under the entire song without significant variation.
In C -- Terry Riley
53 melodic cells played against a repeating C ostinato -- the founding document of minimalist music.
Superstition -- Stevie Wonder
The clavinet riff is an ostinato that drives the groove while vocals and horns weave above it.
Related music terms
Frequently asked questions
- What is an ostinato in music?
- An ostinato is a persistently repeated musical phrase or rhythm -- a short pattern that continues throughout a section or an entire piece, forming a hypnotic or structural backbone.
- What is an example of an ostinato?
- A well-known example is Clocks by Coldplay: The rolling piano arpeggio is a textbook ostinato -- it runs under the entire song without significant variation.
- How is an ostinato used in music?
- The word comes from the Italian for 'stubborn' or 'obstinate'. Ostinatos can be rhythmic (a repeating drum pattern), melodic (a repeating bass line), or harmonic (a chord sequence that loops).
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