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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.
  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. We were to have played a duet together,--three duets, I believe.
    — from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  8. The audience probably thought it was a duet.
    — from The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
  9. 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
  10. "Now for Raphael's great song," said Lucy, when they had finished the duet.
    — from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
  11. "More, more!" said Lucy, when the duet had been encored.
    — from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
  12. 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
  13. "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
  14. Pan Voyevoda , duet in Act II 145 .
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  15. 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
  16. Sadko 99-101 —Duet (cf. Ex.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  17. Examples: Snegourotchka 292-293 —Duet (cf. Ex. 118 ).
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson

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