Literary notes about duet (AI summary)
The term “duet” has been employed in literature with rich versatility, functioning both as a literal description of a musical performance and as a metaphor for harmonious or contrasting partnerships. In many narratives, such as those by Chekhov ([1], [2], [3]) and Chopin ([4], [5]), “duet” vividly captures the intimate act of sharing music, imbuing the moment with a sense of fleeting beauty or domestic simplicity. Mark Twain ([6]) and Oscar Wilde ([7], [8]) extend this imagery, at times critiquing the missed opportunities for a blend of voices or playfully noting the complexities of performance. Authors like Dumas ([9]) and George Eliot ([10], [11], [12], [13]) elevate the expression, using the duet as a symbol for artistic passion and emotional interplay, while even texts such as those by Thomas Jefferson ([14], [15], [16], [17]) invoke the term in more formal or analytical contexts. This breadth of usage across genres and periods highlights how “duet” effectively conveys the nuanced interplay of individual contributions, whether on a piano, in conversation, or in the melding of ideas.
- After dinner they played a duet on the piano; then it got dark, and I went home.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Then followed the duet, and after the duet there was the clatter of crockery. .
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Then followed the duet, and after the duet there was the clatter of crockery. .
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - Two young girls, the Farival twins, were playing a duet from “Zampa” upon the piano.
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - They played a duet from “Zampa,” and at the earnest solicitation of every one present followed it with the overture to “The Poet and the Peasant.”
— from The Awakening, and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin - If two of them would but put in a duet occasionally and blend the voices; but no, they don't do that.
— from What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain - We were to have played a duet together,--three duets, I believe.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - The audience probably thought it was a duet.
— from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - This duet is one of the most beautiful, expressive and terrible conceptions that has ever emanated from the fruitful pen of Donizetti.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet - "Now for Raphael's great song," said Lucy, when they had finished the duet.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - "More, more!" said Lucy, when the duet had been encored.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - Give us the duet in 'Masaniello'; Maggie has not heard that, and I know it will suit her."
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - "Oh no, I shall not respect an Adam who drags the tempo , as you will," said Lucy, beginning to play the duet.
— from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot - Pan Voyevoda , duet in Act II 145 .
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - All that has been said regarding the relationship of voices in duet applies with equal force to the combination of three, four, five or more voices.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Sadko 99-101 —Duet (cf. Ex.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - Examples: Snegourotchka 292-293 —Duet (cf. Ex. 118 ).
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson