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- Dictionaryleit·mo·tif/ˈlītmōˌtēf/
noun
- 1. a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation: "there are two leitmotifs in his score marking the heroine and her Fairy Godmother"
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Learn the origin, usage, and examples of leitmotif, a word from German that means "leading motive" or "dominant recurring theme". Find out how leitmotif differs from motif and see related words and articles.
A leitmotif is a recurring musical theme that reinforces the dramatic action, characterizes the characters, and suggests extramusical ideas in operas and symphonic poems. Learn how Wagner and other composers used leitmotifs in their works and how they differ from motives and idées fixes.
Leitmotiv is a German word that means a phrase or feature that is repeated often in a work of art, literature, or music and that tells you something important about it. Learn how to use leitmotiv in sentences with examples from the Cambridge English Corpus and other sources.
A leitmotif is an idea or an object which occurs again and again in something such as a book or film or in a person's life. It can also be a short, recurring musical phrase or theme, especially in Wagnerian opera.
Leitmotif definition: a motif or theme associated throughout a music drama with a particular person, situation, or idea.. See examples of LEITMOTIF used in a sentence.
A leitmotif or Leitmotiv (/ ˌ l aɪ t m oʊ ˈ t iː f /) is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of idée fixe or motto-theme . [2]
The noun leitmotif is most useful for talking about music, and it usually comes up in the context of classical music, whenever a particular phrase or tune is repeated.
