Sinfonia (pronounced as /it/; plural sinfonie) is the Italian word for symphony, from the Latin symphonia, in turn derived from Ancient Greek συμφωνία symphōnia (agreement or concord of sound), from the prefix σύν (together) and ϕωνή (sound). In English it most commonly refers to a 17th- or 18th-century orchestral piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite (who gives the origin of the word as Italian) . The word is also found in other 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 . Johann Sebastian Bach used the term for his keyboard compositions also known as Three-part Inventions, and after about 1800, the term, when in reference to opera, meant "Overture" .
In George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah (HWV 56), "Overture to the Messiah" (French Overture in E minor) was originally titled "Sinfony".
In the 20th and 21st centuries it is found in the names of some chamber orchestras, such as the Northern Sinfonia .
| Work | Movement | Related instrumental work | Movement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006[1] | 1 | ||
| 1 | ||||
| Geist und Seele wird verwirret, BWV 35 | 5 | Probably the same lost work as BWV 35/1 | ||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053[2] | 3 | ||
| 1 | Sinfonia in F major (early version of Brandenburg Concerto No. 1), BWV 1046a[3] | 1 | ||
| 8 | ||||
| 8 | Organ Sonata No. 4 in E minor, BWV 528[4] | 1 | ||
| 4 | Partita for Violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006[5] | 1 | ||
| 1 | 1 | |||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056[6] | 2 | ||
| 1 | Keyboard Concerto No. 2 in E major, BWV 1053[7] | 1 | ||
| 1 | Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048[8] | 1 | ||
| 1 | Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052[9] | 3 | ||
| 1 | ||||
| 1 | ||||
| St John Passion (third version), BWV 245 | 33 (lost)[10] | |||
| Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 | Part II, 1 | |||
| 1 |
The opening movements of cantatas BWV 31 and BWV 182[11] [12] are named "sonata" and the first movement of cantata BWV 106 "sonatina".[13] Sinfonia in D major, BWV 1045 is considered a sinfonia of a lost cantata, because its manuscript indicates that the piece had four vocal parts.[14]
Examples of such "sinfonias" composed after the classical era include: