concert

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kɔ̃.sɛʁ/^[1]

Forms

concert m (plural concerts)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Italian concerto (“agreement; ensemble of voices and instruments”) (16th century),^[2][3][4][5] a noun from concertare (“to bring into agreement”),^[2][3] from Latin concertō (“to contend, vie”), hence “to come to an agreement”.^[4][6] Etymonline notes that the sense development from Latin “to contend” to medieval Italian “to bring into agreement” is not clear.^[6]

The Italian word was taken again in the form “concerto” in 1739 (de Brosses), with another sense.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Étienne Pasquier, in his Recherches de la France, lists concert for conférence among the words recently borrowed from Italy;^[7][8] the TLFi records his use for a public lecture before 1615.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The musical sense, a group of instruments playing together, is in Régnier's Satires (1608) and Cotgrave (1611);^[2][4][9] in the 19th century it came to mean a musical performance, the hall where it takes place and the musicians themselves.^[3] In the 20th century the word was used both of classical concerts and of popular music before very large audiences.^[3] By extension it names any set of simultaneous sounds (un concert de klaxons).^[3][10]

The general sense “agreement, concert of action” (Corneille, 1632–1633) survives in de concert “together, in agreement” (Pascal) and in the concert des nations;^[2][3] concert de louanges is a chorus of praise.^[3][11] In Belgium concert was the name of bourgeois assemblies.^[12] English concert was borrowed from the French word in the 1660s, first in the sense “agreement”.^[6]

Timeline

• Late 16th century – Concert for conférence, in Pasquier.^[7]
• 1608 – A group of musical instruments, in Régnier.^[2]
• 1632–1633 – “Agreement” in Corneille.^[2]
• 1657–1661 – De concert in Pascal.^[2]
• 1660s – English borrows concert.^[6]
• 1739 – The Italianism concerto.^[3]
• 1852 – Café-concert.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. A concert, musical performance: aller au concert, salle de concert.^[11][10]
2. A chorus of sounds: le concert des oiseaux, un concert de sifflets.^[11][10]
3. (literary) Agreement, harmony between people or states: le concert des nations.^[10][11]
4. De concert: together, in concert.^[11][10]
5. Un concert de louanges: a chorus of praise.^[11][3]

Word family

• concerter
• concertiste
• café-concert

Related words

• concerto
• déconcerter
• English concert

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
5. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 999a
6. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b c d e Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
11. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
12. ^ Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF