a musical form where a main melody returns again and again between different sections.
From Italian and French 'ronde,' meaning 'round.' Derived from Latin 'rotundus' (round), reflecting the circular return structure of the musical form.
The rondo is basically music's way of making a catchy hook—composers knew that repeating a memorable tune with variations would stick in listeners' heads, which is why you hear this structure everywhere from classical concertos to pop songs today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.