bariolage
|ba-ri-o-lage|
🇺🇸
/ˌbæriəˈlɑːʒ/
🇬🇧
/ˌbærɪəˈlɑːʒ/
alternating color/effect
Etymology
'bariolage' originates from French, specifically the word 'barioler', where 'barioler' meant 'to variegate' or 'to streak with different colors'.
'bariolage' was used in French to denote variegated coloring; in the 19th century the term was applied in music to the technique of alternating strings, and it was borrowed into English musical vocabulary by the late 19th or early 20th century as 'bariolage'.
Initially it meant 'variegated coloring' in French, but in English musical usage it evolved into a specialized meaning: 'an alternating-string technique that produces contrasting timbres.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a bowed-string instrumental technique in which a player alternates rapidly between two or more strings (often an open string and a stopped string) to produce a contrasting, shimmering or variegated tone color.
The solo featured a rapid bariolage that contrasted the bright open string with the warmer stopped notes.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
a variegated or mottled effect in color or pattern; the act or result of variegating (chiefly in visual arts or decorative description).
The painter used a subtle bariolage of pigments to give the surface a lively, variegated look.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/16 12:32