sb. and a. Also 7 sola. Pl. solos (also soli). [It. solo:—L. sōlum, sōlus SOLE a. Cf. SOLUS a. and SOLA a.]
A. sb. I. 1. Mus. An instance of a song, melody, or other piece of music being rendered or performed by one singer or player; a piece of vocal or instrumental music performed, or intended for performance, by a single person.
1695. Congreve, Love for Love, II. vii. I don’t much matter your Sola’s or Sonata’s, they give me the Spleen.
1710. Tatler, No. 222, ¶ 12. There is not a labourer or handicraftman, that in the cool of the evening does not relieve himself with solo’s and sonata’s!
1742. Pope, Dunciad, IV. 324. With nothing but a Solo in his head.
1844. Musical World, XIX. 87/3. There was a solo on the cornet-à-piston by König.
1879. Grove’s Dict. Music, I. 306. The word was used for vocal soli of some length.
1890. J. Hatton, By Order of Czar, II. II. xiv. 180. Walter … led off with the solo, and the chorus followed.
transf. 1755. J. Hervey, Theron & Aspasio, dial. ix. II. 8. A spreading Cascade … soothed the Air with a Symphony of soft and gurgling sounds…. This liquid Instrument still played its Solo: still pursued its busy Way.
1791. Gilpin, Forest Scenery, III. xi. II. 295. The rook has but two, or three notes; and when he attempts a solo, we cannot praise his song.
1860. O. W. Holmes, E. Venner, iii. Solos on the slate-pencil (making it screech on the slate).
1900. F. F. Moore, Nell Gwyn, viii. There came from the room … a loud peal of laughter—not a solo, but a duet.
b. fig. and in fig. context.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, V. xi. Though the pedagogue chose rather to play solos on the human instrument.
1784. Mme. D’Arblay, Diary, Oct. I went upstairs as usual, to treat myself with a solo of impatience for the post.
1849. E. Fitzgerald, Lett. (1889), I. 195. The trees murmur a continuous soft ‘chorus to the solo which my soul discourses within.’
2. Performance by one singer or player.
1779. Mirror, No. 54. 215. In the solo or the song, no such deception as the theatrical is pretended.
1797. Monthly Mag., III. 466. We here find a trio introduced by four lines solo.
1834. [A. Prinsep], Baboo, II. vii. 124. He was obliged to play his flute-parts of the opera, in solo.
1866. Engel, Nat. Music, iii. 111. A very usual form of national songs is that in which Solo and Chorus alternate.
3. A dance by one person.
1794. Mrs. Radcliffe, Myst. Udolpho, III. xiii. 433. Behind, stood a boy, flourishing a tamborine, and dancing a solo.
1855. Englishwoman in Russia, 18. Another peasant danced a solo in very good style.
1857. Wilkinson, Egypt. Time of Pharaohs, 28. Sometimes a man danced a solo to their sound, and to the clapping of hands.
4. attrib., as solo exhibition, part, -player.
1776. Burney, Hist. Music, II. iii. (1789), I. 347. Pliny tells us that he was … the first solo-player.
1785. Grose, Dict. Vulgar T., Solo player, a miserable performer on any instrument, who always plays alone, because no one will stay in the room to hear him.
1795. Mason, Ch. Music, I. 52. To perform a solo part in the Church Service.
1846. Dickens, Cricket on Hearth, i. The kettle had had the last of its solo performance.
1859. Habits of Gd. Society, v. 217. A bass [voice] should be prohibited, I think, from solo exhibitions, unless very good.
1868. Athenæum, 29 Feb., 330/2. At Mr. H. Leslie’s concert the soli parts were extremely well sung.
b. Special combs.: solo organ, a partial organ introduced into a larger one, for producing solo effects; solo pitch (see quot. 1875); solo stop, an organ stop of special quality or position for the performance of solos; solo voice (see quot. 1873).
1843. Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl., VI. 108/1. The fourth is the combination or solo organ, upon which … can be played any stop or stops out of the swell or choir, without interfering with their previous arrangement.
1868. Athenæum, 11 April, 533/3. Another new composition for solo voices, chorus of men and orchestra.
1873. H. C. Banister, Music (1877), 251. The principal voices in an Oratorio or Opera are termed the Solo voices, as distinguished from the chorus.
1875. Stainer & Barrett, Dict. Mus. Terms, Solo pitch, the tuning of an instrument a little higher than the ordinary pitch in order to obtain brilliancy of tone with a certain amount of ease to the player.
II. † 5. A carriage accommodating only one person. Obs. (Cf. B. 2.)
1787. J. Pugh, Life J. Hanway, II. 120. His [Hanway’s] carriage, which was a kind of Solo, from its holding but one person, was ornamented with his motto, ‘never despair.’
III. 6. In card-playing (see quots.).
1878. H. Gibbs, Ombre, 38. Solo is an engagement on the part of the Ombre to win the game without discard. Ibid., 40. If one player has a hand so good as to enable him to venture a Solo.
1898. ‘Hoffmann,’ Hoyle’s Games Modern., 143. [In solo whist] he can call a solo, which is a declaration to make five of the thirteen tricks without having a partner.
b. Solo whist, Heart solo (see quots. 1898, 1907).
1892. Zangwill, Childr. Ghetto, I. 124. Solo-whist had not yet come in to drive everything else out.
1898. ‘Hoffmann,’ Hoyle’s Games Modern., 142. The objects of Solo Whist are—to make eight tricks out of the thirteen in conjunction with a partner; to make five or nine tricks out of your own hand against the other three players in combination; or to play your own hand so as to avoid taking a trick.
1907. Hoyle’s Games, 360. Heart Solo. This is solo for 3 players, reducing the pack to 24 cards by throwing out the 8 of hearts and all the diamonds but the 7.
B. adj. 1. Alone; without a companion or partner. (Cf. SOLUS a. and SOLA a.)
1712. Arbuthnot, John Bull, I. xvii. How Lewis Baboon attempted to play a game solo in clubs.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), I. 79. Madam … would not be left solo.
1881. W. S. Gilbert, Foggerty’s Fairy, III. Lately I’ve been dancing solo.
2. Made to accommodate one person. (Cf. A. 5.)
1774. H. Finlay, Postal Jrnl. (Brooklyn, 1867), 52. I was in a solo chair, Wills the guide was on horseback, leading a horse to relieve the chair horse.
3. Of musical instruments, or the players of these: Playing or taking the solo part.
1880. Grove, Dict. Mus., s.v. Cornet, The great organ Solo Cornet comprised either 5, 4, or 3 ranks of pipes.
1897. Sherlock, trans. Riemann’s Dict. Mus., 745/1. Only one violinist (the solo violin, leader) is to play the passage.
1901. Jedburgh Gazette, 9 Nov., 2. [He] was librarian [of the band] and solo euphonium.
