Literary notes about coda (AI summary)
The term "coda" is often employed in literature both as a musical device and as a metaphorical extension or conclusion. In musical contexts, it designates a concluding passage that brings closure to a composition, enhancing the overall impact through a final development or reflective echo—as when a work “winds up with a coda” to round out its formal structure [1, 2, 3]. In this role, it sometimes revisits earlier themes or introduces new climaxes to reinforce the narrative or emotional journey [4, 5, 6]. Beyond music, "coda" carries a broader figurative usage. It appears in literary and proverbial expressions to signify an appended statement or a tail-end element that completes the meaning of a saying, as illustrated by humorous or satirical remarks in proverbial aphorisms [7, 8, 9]. This dual usage underscores how "coda" functions as both a formal terminus in musical compositions and a metaphor for concluding thoughts in literary discourse.
- A coda or tail-piece is often added to round out the form.
— from Music: An Art and a Language by Walter Raymond Spalding - After this second form the first form would then be repeated, and after this a coda would be added.
— from The Masters and Their Music A series of illustrative programs with biographical, esthetical, and critical annotations by W. S. B. (William Smythe Babcock) Mathews - A long development follows and a superb return with a powerful coda.
— from Beethoven by Romain Rolland - The movement concludes with a vigorous coda evolved from the opening theme.
— from The Pianoforte SonataIts Origin and Development by J. S. (John South) Shedlock - Finally, a new and important climax is introduced in the coda by the opposition of the two chief subjects.
— from Life of Mozart, Vol. 1 (of 3) by Otto Jahn - The movement concludes with an impressive poco adagio coda, in which Rust makes use of the principal theme of the opening movement.
— from The Pianoforte SonataIts Origin and Development by J. S. (John South) Shedlock - The Sonetto a Coda is generally humorous or satiric.
— from The Sonnets of Michael Angelo Buonarroti and Tommaso Campanella; Now for the First Time Translated into Rhymed English by Michelangelo Buonarroti - Chi piglia l’anguilla per la coda, e la donna per la parola
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs - Chi ha coda di paglia, ha sempre paura che gli pigli fuoco.
— from A Polyglot of Foreign Proverbs
