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A persistently repeating musical pattern — melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic.
Ostinato creates hypnotic persistence. Use it as a structural foundation (like a ground bass), for rhythmic drive, or for coloristic effect. The challenge is maintaining interest above the repeating pattern — vary the material that accompanies the ostinato.
Ravel's "Boléro" — the snare drum ostinato repeats unchanged for the entire piece while the melody and orchestration evolve above it.
Ostinato is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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