Schedule
HostsWays to Give
HomePlaylistSchedule
HostsEventsOn DemandOur StoryOur TeamWays to Give Become a Sponsor
How to ListenVisit Help CenterContact Us

Find Us on Social Media:

Logo image

Find Us on Social Media:

Download Our Mobile App:

google play icon

About

HomePlaylistSchedule
HostsOn DemandOur StoryOur Team

Community

EventsWays to Give Become a SponsorPressDiversity StatementCareersAnnual EEO ReportDigital Accessibility

Help

Visit Help CenterContact UsHow to Listen

©2025 Classical California

Sweepstakes RulesFCC ComplianceLocal Public FilesCPB ComplianceAnnual EEO ReportPrivacy PolicyCode of Integrity

articles / Pop Culture

The Obstinate Ostinato

Pop CultureThe State of the Arts

An A-to-Z edition of State of the Arts, stopping at the letter “O”… For Ostinato, Orff, and “O Fortuna“…  An Ostinato is a musical idea that’s repeated with an insistent focus – it could be a repeated note, or rhythm, or motivic idea, maybe a repeated bass line that is played against an evolving melody. The word comes from the Italian for ‘obstinate’, since an ostinato refuses to give up, and can generate dramatic momentum with repetition. One of the many examples is the ever-growing “O Fortuna” in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana – as a choir chants over a determined and repeated accompaniment.

The Obstinate Ostinato
00:00

Classical Music is filled with repetition – what makes something an ostinato? It’s really a question of intensity, and the way the gesture is being used.

Gustav Holst used the low strings and percussion to create a rhythmic ostinato for “Mars, the Bringer of War” in his The Planets:

AnAnd here’s the famous “O Fortuna” from Carmina Burana, at :44 seconds in:

Pop CultureThe State of the Arts
Written by:
Jeffrey Freymann
Jeffrey Freymann
Published on 09.19.2017
Loading...

MORE LIKE THIS

Obstinate Ostinatos…

Obstinate Ostinatos…

Explore the concept of Ostinato in music, its intensity and usage, with examples from Carl Orff's "O Fortuna" and Gustav Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War".

03/06/2020
The Three Wise Ones

The Three Wise Ones

The Women’s Antique Vocal Ensemble (WAVE) is set to perform a concert focusing on the 'Three Wise Ones' from the nativity, with music sections corresponding to their gifts.

05/11/2018
Inspired by the Rain

Inspired by the Rain

Explore how composers like Chopin, Debussy, and Beethoven have used music to depict rain and thunderstorms, from gentle drizzles to intense downpours.

05/11/2018
The ‘Wrong’ Concerto

The ‘Wrong’ Concerto

Pianist Maria Joao Pires overcomes surprise during a concert, playing a different Mozart concerto than expected. Captured in the documentary, Attrazione d’amore.

05/09/2018
More Than the ‘Adagietto’

More Than the ‘Adagietto’

Marin Symphony and Music Director Alasdair Neale perform Mahler's 5th Symphony, a piece that encapsulates the human condition, featuring the famous Adagietto.

09/19/2017
The Enigmatic Elgar

The Enigmatic Elgar

Explore the mysteries of Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, including theories about the hidden theme and the unsolved Dorabella Cipher.

09/19/2017