Sometimes in a speech you can hear the word "fanfare". At the mention of them, the melody of the victorious march or the solemn overture is played in the head. However, few people know what fanfare really is. This article provides the meaning of the word, possible examples of use and a brief history of the tool.
What is fanfare: definition
The word came from Italian and in its original form sounds like fanfara.
Fanfara is a brass musical instrument, which is an elongated trumpet with a narrow scale, usually without valves. Also, this word can be called a solemn melody published by this instrument.
Mostly the game of fanfare is used to give short solemn signals. Their sound informs about the occurrence of a significant event, for example, about the beginning of the war, victory, greeting an important person.
The sound itself can be described as beautiful, loud, life-affirming, solemn, bright, strong.
Use of the word in Russian
Statements with this word are often painted in a negative connotation. So, the expression “blow into fanfare” may have an ironic connotation, and not be used in its direct meaning. The joking phrase “rattling under fanfare” means disgracing oneself, failing, being publicly exposed. Sometimes it is pronounced to warn of the threat of failure.
Fanfare story
The ancestor of the instrument is considered a hunting horn, which was made of ivory and was used mainly to alert the alarm and give a warning signal about the upcoming attack. With the advent of the theater, the first fanfare prototypes arose which were used for musical accompaniment of military scenes. With the development of theatrical art, the instrument improved, and ultimately in the XVIII century it reached the form in which it exists now. For some nations, fanfare still remains an integral element of cultural heritage.
The geniuses of classical music also did not bypass this special instrument. The first official use of fanfare dates back to 1607 (overture to the Monteverdi opera Orpheus). Also found in some works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and other composers.
At present, fanfare is widely used in computer and video games to sound combat scenes and to give the user actions an emotional coloring.