int. and sb. Also extended tantarara, tantara-rara, tantaratara. (Cf. TARATANTARA.) [Echoic.]
A. int. Imitative of the sound of a flourish blown on a trumpet, or sometimes of a drum.
c. 1537. W. Gray, ‘Hunt is up,’ iv., in W. Chappell, Popular Music, I. 60. The woddes rejoyce at the mery noise Or hey tantara tee ree!
1580. H. Gifford, Gilloflowers (Grosart), 60. Tantara, tantara, the trumpets sound, Which makes our hearts with joy abound.
1589. Love & Fortune, C iij b. Then, tantara tara, we shall haue good play.
1590. Nashe, Pasquil’s Apol., I. B iv. Tantara, tantara, is he fled indeede? let me sende a Sakar after him.
a. 1600. Winning of Cades, Chorus, in Percy, Reliques (1765), II. 224. Dub a dub, dub a dub, thus strike their drums, Tantara, tantara, the Englishman comes.
1644. Z. Boyd, Gard. Zion, in Zion’s Flowers (1855), App. 12/1. The trump of war doth still Tantara blow.
1680. Otway, Caius Marius, III. ii. Tantarara go the Trumpets.
1846. A. Beckett, Comic Nursery Tales, 35.
B. sb. A fanfare, or flourish of trumpets; hence, any similar sound.
1584. Reg. Stationers’ Co., 19 July (Arb.), II. 434. [License to print a ballad entitled] The saylers newe tantara.
1605. Sylvester, Du Bartas, II. iii. III. Law, 1009. A Heav’nly Trump, a shrill Tantara blowes.
1641. Earl Monm., trans. Biondi’s Civil Warres, III. 118. There should want instruments to outdoe the Tantaraes of the enemies contemptible Campe.
1750–51. Mrs. Delany, in Life & Corr. (1861), Ser. I. III. 17. I heard a tantararara at the door, and in walked my Mrs. Hamilton.
1843. Lever, J. Hinton, lv. Amid a cheer … and a tantarara from the trumpets.
attrib. 1800. Wordsworth, Andrew Jones, i. I wish the press-gang or the drum With its tantara sound would come And sweep him from the village!
