Magnum opus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the Latin term. For the album by Yngwie J. Malmsteen, see Magnum Opus.
Magnum opus (sometimes Opus magnum, plural magna opera), from the Latin meaning great work, refers to the best, most popular, or most renowned achievement of an author, artist, or composer, and most commonly one who has contributed a very large amount of material. For instance, Don Quixote is the magnum opus of Miguel de Cervantes; In Search of Lost Time (also known as Remembrance of Things Past) is the magnum opus of Marcel Proust; Leonardo Da Vinci's magnum opus is the Mona Lisa; Jonathon Swift's magnum opus is Gulliver's Travels. It can also refer to an individual literary or artistic masterpiece (for example, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony). The term is also used in alchemy, with a complex meaning which mainly refers to the Philosopher's stone.
[edit] See also
Song by American rock and roll band Kansas on the album Leftoverture.bg:Magnum opus de:Opus Magnum es:Magnum opus fr:Magnum opus it:Magnum opus nl:Magnum opus no:Magnum opus pl:Magnum opus pt:Magnum opus ru:Magnum opus tr:Magnum opus uz:Magnum opus
