Voluntaries

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. A series of musical or liturgical pieces performed at one's discretion, often in a religious setting
2. Improvised or chosen works played voluntarily, typically within a church service or musical performance
3. Selections of music played freely by a musician, often intended to enhance a moment of reflection or spiritual experience

Etymology: "Voluntaries" is the plural of "voluntary," which as a noun names a piece of music played freely during a church service, usually on the organ, often before, after, or between parts of the liturgy. The musician improvises rather than following a fixed score, so the noun carries the sense of spontaneous or unbound performance. The word itself is a plain borrowing. It came into Middle English from Old French "volontaire," which took it from Latin "voluntarius," meaning "willing" or "of free will," built on "voluntas" ("will, choice, desire") and ultimately on the verb "volo," "to will." English already had a native word for the idea, "selfwille," literally "self-willed," but the Latin-derived term displaced it. The sense of an unforced act is the thread running from the Latin to the church organ loft: a voluntary is something done of one's own will rather than by obligation or command. The musical use grew from that core, and the adjective "voluntary" still carries it in phrases like "voluntary donation."