Ostinato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In music, an ostinato is a short pattern of notes which is repeated many times. The word "ostinato" is related to the word obstinate. It is like a musical idea which is being obstinate and will not go away. The plural can be either "ostinati" or "ostinatos".
An ostinato can last for a section of a piece or it might last for the whole piece of music.
An ostinato can be a repeated group of notes or just a rhythm. It is similar to a riff in jazz. Many kinds of music use ostinati, e.g. classical music, jazz, Boogie-Woogie, African music.
A ground bass is an ostinato pattern in the lowest notes. An example is the famous Canon in D by Pachelbel.
An example of a rhythmic ostinato is the first movement from the Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. This is the movement in 5/4 time which describes Mars, the Roman God of War. Boléro by Maurice Ravel also uses a repeated rhythm all the way through the piece.
An example from popular music is Pink Floyd's Money.
Using an ostinato is a good way for young people to start composing their own pieces of music.
