# Sinfonia > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sinfonia > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Sinfonia.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinfonia > Source revision: 1342170171 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece}} {{Other uses|Sinfonia (disambiguation)}} '''Sinfonia''' ({{IPA|it|siɱfoˈniːa|IPA}}; plural ''sinfonie'') is the Italian word for [symphony](/source/symphony),{{cite book |last1=Abate |first1=Frank R. |title=The Oxford American Dictionary and Language Guide |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195134490 |edition=1999}} from the Latin ''symphonia'', in turn derived from [Ancient Greek](/source/Ancient_Greek) συμφωνία ''symphōnia'' (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and Φωνή (sound).{{cite web |title=Symphony |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symphony |website=Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=7 March 2026}} In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century [orchestral](/source/orchestral) piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an [opera](/source/opera), [oratorio](/source/oratorio), [cantata](/source/cantata), or [suite](/source/suite_(music)). The word is also found in other [Romance languages](/source/Romance_languages) such as Spanish or Portuguese. In the Middle Ages down to as late as 1588, it was also the Italian name for the [hurdy-gurdy](/source/hurdy-gurdy).{{cite web |last1=Liblin |first1=Laurence Elliot |title=Symphony |url=https://www.britannica.com/art/symphony-music |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |access-date=7 March 2026}} [Johann Sebastian Bach](/source/Johann_Sebastian_Bach) used the term for his keyboard compositions also known as ''[Three-part Inventions](/source/Inventions_and_Sinfonias_(Bach))'', and after about 1800, the term, when in reference to opera, meant "[overture](/source/overture)".{{cite book |last1=Fisher |first1=Stephen C. |editor1-last=Sadie |editor1-first=Stanley |title=The New Grove Dictionary of Opera |publisher=Macmillan Publishers Ltd. |isbn=1561592285 |page=386 |edition=1998 |chapter=Sinfonia}} [''Sinfonia in D major'', BWV 1045](/source/Sinfonia_in_D_major%2C_BWV_1045) is considered to belong to a lost cantata, because its manuscript indicates that the piece had four vocal parts.{{cite web |last1=Mincham |first1=Julian |title=Three cantata fragments: BWV 50, BWV 200 and BWV 1045 |url=https://www.jsbachcantatas.com/documents/chapter-55-bwv-50-bwv-200-bwv-1045/ |website=The Cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach |access-date=17 March 2023}} The instrumental overture to [George Frideric Handel](/source/George_Frideric_Handel)'s [oratorio](/source/oratorio) ''[Messiah](/source/Messiah_(Handel))'', [HWV](/source/H%C3%A4ndel-Werke-Verzeichnis) 56, modeled on the [French overture](/source/French_overture), was originally titled "Sinfony" in Händel's autograph score.{{cite book |last1=Burrows |first1=Donald |title=Handel: Messiah |date=1991 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, England |isbn=0521376203 |page=84}} Two examples of contemporary use, long after the [classical era](/source/classical_music_era), include [Igor Stravinsky](/source/Igor_Stravinsky)'s neoclassical [''Octet''](/source/Octet_(Stravinsky)) composed in 1923, the first movement of which he titled "Sinfonia", and [Benjamin Britten](/source/Benjamin_Britten)'s [requiem mass](/source/requiem_mass) composed in 1940, titled ''[Sinfonia da Requiem](/source/Sinfonia_da_Requiem)''. In the 20th and 21st centuries it is found in the names of some chamber orchestras, often pronounced with stress on the second syllable ({{IPA|it|siɱˈfoniːa|IPA}}), such as the [Northern Sinfonia](/source/Northern_Sinfonia).{{cite book |last1=Kennedy |first1=Michael |editor1-last=Bourne |editor1-first=Joyce |title=The Oxford Dictionary of Music |date=2006 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=9780198614593 |edition=2nd |chapter=Sinfonia}} ==Sinfonias in the vocal works by Johann Sebastian Bach== {| class="wikitable" ! Work !! Movement !! Related instrumental work !! Movement |- | [Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4](/source/Christ_lag_in_Todes_Banden%2C_BWV_4) || 1 || || |- | [Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12](/source/Weinen%2C_Klagen%2C_Sorgen%2C_Zagen%2C_BWV_12) || 1 || || |- | [Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18](/source/Gleichwie_der_Regen_und_Schnee_vom_Himmel_f%C3%A4llt%2C_BWV_18) || 1 || || |- | [Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis, BWV 21](/source/Ich_hatte_viel_Bek%C3%BCmmernis%2C_BWV_21) || 1 || || |- | [Wir danken dir, Gott, wir danken dir, BWV 29](/source/Wir_danken_dir%2C_Gott%2C_wir_danken_dir%2C_BWV_29) || 1 || [Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006](/source/BWV_1006){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 29|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/29.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}}|| 1 |- | [Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35](/source/Geist_und_Seele_wird_verwirret%2C_BWV_35) || 1 || | [Concerto in D minor (fragment), BWV 1059](/source/BWV_1059){{cite web |last1=Gardiner |first1=John Eliot |title=Cantatas for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity |url=http://www.monteverdi.co.uk/downloads/booklets/sdg134.pdf |publisher=Monteverdi Productions Ltd. |access-date=7 March 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504164037/https://www.monteverdi.co.uk/downloads/booklets/sdg134.pdf |archive-date=4 May 2012 |date=2007 |url-status=dead}} || |- | Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35 || 5 || Probably the same lost work as BWV 35/1 || |- | [Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats, BWV 42](/source/Am_Abend_aber_desselbigen_Sabbats%2C_BWV_42) || 1 || || |- | [Ich geh und suche mit Verlangen, BWV 49](/source/Ich_geh_und_suche_mit_Verlangen%2C_BWV_49) || 1 || [Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053](/source/BWV_1053){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 49|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/49.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 3 |- | [Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52](/source/Falsche_Welt%2C_dir_trau_ich_nicht%2C_BWV_52) || 1 || [Sinfonia in F major (early version of Brandenburg Concerto No. 1), BWV 1046a](/source/BWV_1046a){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 52|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/52.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Die Elenden sollen essen, BWV 75](/source/Die_Elenden_sollen_essen%2C_BWV_75) || 8 || || |- | [Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes, BWV 76](/source/Die_Himmel_erz%C3%A4hlen_die_Ehre_Gottes%2C_BWV_76) || 8 || [Organ Sonata No. 4 in E minor, BWV 528](/source/BWV_528){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 76|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/76.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Herr Gott, Beherrscher aller Dinge, BWV 120a](/source/Herr_Gott%2C_Beherrscher_aller_Dinge%2C_BWV_120a) || 4 || [Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006](/source/BWV_1006){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 120a|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/120a.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal, BWV 146](/source/Wir_m%C3%BCssen_durch_viel_Tr%C3%BCbsal%2C_BWV_146) || 1 || [Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052](/source/BWV_1052){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 146|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/146.html|access-date=2018-05-13|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150](/source/Nach_dir%2C_Herr%2C_verlanget_mich%2C_BWV_150) || 1 || || |- | [Tritt auf die Glaubensbahn, BWV 152](/source/Tritt_auf_die_Glaubensbahn%2C_BWV_152) || 1 || || |- | [Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156](/source/Ich_steh_mit_einem_Fu%C3%9F_im_Grabe%2C_BWV_156) || 1 || [Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056](/source/BWV_1056){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 156|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/156.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 2 |- | [Gott soll allein mein Herze haben, BWV 169](/source/Gott_soll_allein_mein_Herze_haben%2C_BWV_169) || 1 || [Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053](/source/BWV_1053){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 169|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/169.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174](/source/Ich_liebe_den_H%C3%B6chsten_von_ganzem_Gem%C3%BCte%2C_BWV_174) || 1 || [Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048](/source/BWV_1048){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 174|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/174.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 1 |- | [Ich habe meine Zuversicht, BWV 188](/source/Ich_habe_meine_Zuversicht%2C_BWV_188) || 1 || [Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052](/source/BWV_1052){{Cite web|title=Werk {{pipe}} Vokalwerke {{pipe}} BWV 188|url=http://www.bach.de/werk/bwv/188.html|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach.de}} || 3 |- | [Der Herr denket an uns, BWV 196](/source/Der_Herr_denket_an_uns%2C_BWV_196) || 1 || || |- | [Non sa che sia dolore, BWV 209](/source/Non_sa_che_sia_dolore%2C_BWV_209) || 1 || || |- | [St John Passion (third version), BWV 245.3](/source/St_John_Passion_structure) || 33 (lost){{Cite web|title=St. John passion [third version] BWV 245.3|url=https://www.bach-digital.de/receive/BachDigitalWork_work_00000309|access-date=2023-03-17|website=www.bach-digital.de}} || || |- | [Christmas Oratorio part 2, BWV 248 II](/source/Christmas_Oratorio) || 1 || || |- | [Easter Oratorio, BWV 249](/source/Easter_Oratorio)
[Entfliehet, verschwindet, entweichet, ihr Sorgen, BWV 249a](/source/Entfliehet%2C_verschwindet%2C_entweichet%2C_ihr_Sorgen%2C_BWV_249a) || 1 || || |} ==See also== *[Sinfonia concertante](/source/Sinfonia_concertante) *[Sinfonietta (symphony)](/source/Sinfonietta_(symphony)) *[Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia](/source/Phi_Mu_Alpha_Sinfonia) *[Overture](/source/Overture) ==References== {{reflist}} ===Other sources=== * {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Bukofzer|1947}}|reference=[Bukofzer, Manfred](/source/Manfred_Bukofzer). ''Music in the Baroque Era''. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1947. {{ISBN|0-393-09745-5}}.}} * {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Cusick|2001}}|reference=[Cusick, Suzanne G.](/source/Suzanne_Cusick); Jan Larue; [John Tyrrell](/source/John_Tyrrell_(professor_of_music)) (2001), "Sinfonia (i)" in [Stanley Sadie](/source/Stanley_Sadie) (ed.), ''[The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians](/source/The_New_Grove_Dictionary_of_Music_and_Musicians)'', 2nd edition, London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001.}} * {{wikicite|ref={{harvid|Randel|1986}}|reference=Randel, Don (ed.). ''The New Harvard Dictionary of Music''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1986. {{ISBN|0-674-61525-5}}.}} ==External links== * A [http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/make-table.cgi?preview=1&searchingfor=sinfonia&Composer=&Instrument=&Style=&timelength=1&timeunit=week&lilyversion= selection of ''sinfonias''] (from the [Mutopia project](/source/Mutopia_project)) {{Authority control}} Category:Symphonies Category:Renaissance music Category:Baroque music Category:Classical period (music) --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Sinfonia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinfonia) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinfonia?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.