Music GCSE
Ostinato
What Ostinato means in Music GCSE, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definitions of Ostinato
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
A short, persistently repeated melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern.
A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm.
Topics that use Ostinato
- Appraising (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- J Williams: Main Title/Rebel Blockade Runner (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
- S Schwartz: Defying Gravity (from the cast recording of Wicked) (Pearson Edexcel GCSE)
Related terms
Using Ostinato in the exam
Definition questions usually carry one or two marks, and examiners look for the precise wording. Write the definition from memory, check it against the version above, and then use the term in a longer answer on the same topic so it sticks.
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