Idyll vs. Instrumental

Idyllnoun

Any poem or short written piece composed in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the Idylls.

Idyllnoun

An episode or series of events or circumstances of pastoral or rural simplicity, fit for an idyll; a carefree or lighthearted experience.

Idyllnoun

(music) A composition, usually instrumental, of a pastoral or sentimental character, e.g. Siegfried Idyll by Richard Wagner.

Idyllnoun

an episode of such pastoral or romantic charm as to qualify as the subject of a poetic idyll

Idyllnoun

a musical composition that evokes rural life

Idyllnoun

a short descriptive poem of rural or pastoral life

Idyll

An idyll (British English) or idyl (American English) ( or ; from Greek εἰδύλλιον, eidullion, ) is a short poem, descriptive of rustic life, written in the style of Theocritus' short pastoral poems, the Idylls. Unlike Homer, Theocritus did not engage in heroes and warfare.

Instrumentaladjective

essential or central; of great importance or relevance.

Instrumentaladjective

(music) Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, especially a musical instrument (rather than the human voice).

Instrumentaladjective

(grammar) Applied to a case expressing means or agency, generally indicated in English by by or with with the objective.

Instrumentalnoun

(grammar) The instrumental case.

Instrumentalnoun

(music) A composition written or performed without lyrics, sometimes using a lead instrument to replace vocals.

Instrumentalnoun

The backing track of a song. The audio of a song without the vocal track.

Instrumentaladjective

Acting as an instrument; serving as a means; contributing to promote; conductive; helpful; serviceable; as, he was instrumental in conducting the business.

Instrumentaladjective

Pertaining to, made by, or prepared for, an instrument, esp. a musical instrument; as, instrumental music, distinguished from vocal music.

Instrumentaladjective

Applied to a case expressing means or agency; as, the instrumental case. This is found in Sanskrit and Russian as a separate case, but in Greek it was merged into the dative, and in Latin into the ablative. In Old English it was a separate case, but has disappeared, leaving only a few anomalous forms.

Instrumentaladjective

relating to or designed for or performed on musical instruments;

Instrumentaladjective

serving or acting as a means or aid;

Instrumental

An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instrumentals.