symphonist
(ˈsɪmfənɪst)
[f. symphonize v. or symphony + -ist. Cf. F. symphoniste (18th c. in Hatz.-Darm.).]
† 1. (See quot., and cf. next, 1.) Obs. rare—0.
| 1656 Blount Glossogr., Symphonist..a Chorister, one that sings with true tune and time. |
2. † An orchestral performer who plays in a symphony (symphony 5 a) (obs.); a player in a symphony orchestra (rare).
| 1767 Ann. Reg., Ess. 196/2 The singers and the symphonists in the orchestra. 1790 Bystander 178 These symphonists were first placed between the wings of the stage. 1964 M. McLuhan Understanding Media (1967) ii. xxiii. 378 The satisfactions are just as few for the..symphonists, since a player in a big orchestra can hear nothing of the music that reaches the audience. |
3. A composer of symphonies (symphony 5 b).
| 1789 Burney Hist. Mus. IV. x. 595 John Christian Bach, the late celebrated opera composer and symphonist. 1820 Q. Mus. Mag. II. 63 The ponderous and heavy style of the early symphonists. 1845 E. Holmes Mozart 166 The great career of Mozart as symphonist and dramatic musician. 1884 Encycl. Brit. XVII. 96/2 Next in chronology [to Haydn] as a symphonist stands Mozart. |