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Literary notes about octave (AI summary)

The term "octave" has been employed in literature with remarkable versatility, serving both as a precise musical term and as a personal name or affectionate address. In technical passages, authors use “octave” to denote musical intervals, registers, or the doubling of specific instruments—for example, describing a trumpet sounding an octave higher than usual ([1]), specifying limits within vocal ranges ([2], [3]), or detailing instrumental techniques such as doubling in the upper or lower octave ([4], [5], [6], [7]). At the same time, in works of fiction—particularly in Proust’s writings—“Octave” emerges as a character or a term of endearment, giving the word a humanized quality in phrases like “Madame Octave” or when referring to someone affectionately in dialogue ([8], [9], [10], [11], [12], [13], [14]). In this way, “octave” bridges the gap between the technical intricacies of music and the nuanced portrayal of characters, underscoring both precision and personal charm in literary expression.
  1. The small trumpet, ( B♭-A ) sounding an octave higher than the ordinary trumpet has not yet appeared in musical literature.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  2. Voices possess the greatest amount of flexibility in their normal octave.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  3. A bracket under the notes defines the normal octave, the register in which the voice is generally used.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  4. The piece ended with a trill of octaves in the treble and a final deep octave in the bass.
    — from Dubliners by James Joyce
  5. To double a trumpet in the upper octave three or four wind instruments are required, but in the top register two flutes will suffice.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  6. The bass should rarely lie at a greater distance than an octave from the part directly above it (tenor harmony).
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  7. It comprised two full octaves, the left hand playing the same notes as the right an octave lower.
    — from Anabasis by Xenophon
  8. Octave; I mean the little girl, he one who goes to school at Jouy.
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  9. Octave, I will leave you to rest; you look utterly tired out.
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  10. Octave, you will live to be a hundred, as Mme.
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  11. And I've been dreaming that my poor Octave had come back to life, and was trying to make me take a walk every day!"
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  12. " "No, no, Madame Octave, they like it well enough.
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  13. Octave, I don't think I ought to; you know very well that I don't come here for that!"
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
  14. Indeed, it is time the Lord called me home too; I don't know what has become of my head since I lost my poor Octave.
    — from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust

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