der Farbton
shade
A specific nuance or shade of a color.
EXAMPLE
Wir müssen genau den richtigen Farbton für die Wand finden, damit er zu den Möbeln passt.
We need to find exactly the right shade for the wall so that it matches the furniture.
der Farbton
shade / timbre
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
der Farbton
timbre
In music, the specific sound quality or timbre of a tone that distinguishes it from other tones of the same pitch and volume.
EXAMPLE
Die Oboe hat einen ganz besonderen, leicht nasalen Farbton.
The oboe has a very distinctive, slightly nasal timbre.
Usage tips
Compound word
'Farbton' (shade/timbre) is made up of 'Farbe' (color) and 'Ton' (tone). Interestingly, 'Ton' can refer both to a visual nuance (color) and to an auditory quality (music).
EXAMPLE
Dieser Farbton passt perfekt zu deiner Augenfarbe.
This shade matches your eye color perfectly.
Context clue
You can tell from the context whether a color nuance or the sound quality in music is meant. Words like 'Wand' (wall), 'Kleid' (dress), or 'malen' (to paint) point to the color meaning, while 'Instrument' (instrument), 'Stimme' (voice), or 'Musik' (music) indicate the sound meaning.
EXAMPLE
Der Maler mischte einen ganz besonderen Farbton für den Himmel.
The painter mixed a very special shade for the sky.
Typical collocations
For the color meaning, combinations with adjectives like 'hell' (light), 'dunkel' (dark), 'kräftig' (strong/vivid), 'warm' (warm), or 'kalt' (cool) are very common. Typical verbs are 'einen Farbton treffen' (to match/get a shade right) or 'einen Farbton mischen' (to mix a shade).
EXAMPLE
Ich suche ein T-Shirt in einem hellen Blauton.
I'm looking for a T-shirt in a light shade of blue.
Register and style
Using 'Farbton' (timbre) for the sound quality of an instrument or a voice is typical of specialist musical language.
EXAMPLE
In der Partitur notierte der Komponist Anweisungen zum Farbton der Geigen.
In the score, the composer noted instructions about the timbre of the violins.
Compare with
Farbton vs Ton
tone / clay
Ton and Farbton can both describe a musical sound quality. Ton refers to a single audible sound, whereas Farbton describes that tone's particular timbre, even when its pitch and volume remain the same. Use Ton for the individual sound event and Farbton for its sound quality.
Farbton
Der Farbton dieses hohen Tons klingt warm und weich.
The timbre of this high tone sounds warm and soft.
Ton
Die Sängerin hielt einen klaren hohen Ton lange aus.
The singer held a clear, high tone for a long time.
In real life
Loading video examples...