tone painting

noun

1. musical description, by harmonic, melodic, or rhythmic means, of the words of a text or the story elements in program music.

Word History and Origins

Origin of tone painting¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

There is experimentation with found-object percussion, and recent Glass touches including colorful texture, expressive shifts in harmony and soundtrack-like tone painting.

From New York Times

And the “Pastoral,” which is easy to read as folk-inspired tone painting, was here more subtly evocative than straightforwardly illustrative.

From New York Times

A gorgeous encore, Henry Purcell’s “Music for a While,” from Fretwork and Davies’s lovely Nyman and Purcell disc released earlier this year on Signum Classics, closed out the evening with its rapturous phrasing and charming tone painting.

From Washington Post

This allowed Ms. Coleman to show off her gifts for tone painting.

From New York Times

The first part, in which shy, secretive Tom attempts the delicate balance of male bonding and “no homo” with his teammates, is mostly tone painting.

From Slate