Definition of tiento in English:
tiento
nounPlural tientos ˈtjɛntəʊ
(in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish music) a contrapuntal piece resembling a ricercar, originally for strings and later for organ.
Example sentencesExamples
- Is there something specific that is supposed to be included in the song for it to be considered a tiento?
- In this volume, which deals with tientos, he examines the meter, guitar playing, singing and dancing in this flamenco form.
- The tientos are ‘essays’ and the form is not that different from the Elizabethan fantasia, a sort of improvisation on a musical phrase obeying its own internal rules.
- Among his best pieces are tientos of great structural variety, glosas, and diferencias.
- Musically, tientos and all flamenco songs employ a variety of challenging techniques.
Origin
Spanish, literally 'touch, feel'.