AskDefine | Define arietta

Dictionary Definition

arietta n : a short aria [syn: short aria] [also: ariette (pl)]

User Contributed Dictionary



Italian diminutive


  1. a short aria.

Extensive Definition

This article is about the musical term "aria." For other meanings or uses of the word, see Aria (disambiguation).
An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and cantatas. Composers also wrote 'concert arias', which are not part of any larger work, such as "Ah Perfido" by Beethoven, and a number of concert arias by Mozart.
The aria first appeared in the 14th century when it signified a manner or style of singing or playing. Aria could also mean a melodic scheme (motif) or pattern for singing a poetic pattern, such as a sonnet. It was also attached to instrumental music, though this is no longer the case. Over time, arias evolved from simple melodies into a structured form; in about 17th century, the aria was written in ternary form (ABA); these arias were known as da capo arias. The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (Aria cantabile, Aria agitata, Aria di bravura, and so on). By the mid-19th century, many operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for recitative, while other operas (for instance those by Wagner) were entirely through-composed, with no section being readily identifiable as a self-contained aria.
An arietta is a short aria.


External links

arietta in Bosnian: Arija
arietta in Bulgarian: Ария
arietta in Catalan: Ària (música)
arietta in Czech: Árie
arietta in Danish: Arie
arietta in German: Arie
arietta in Estonian: Aaria
arietta in Modern Greek (1453-): Άρια
arietta in Spanish: Aria
arietta in Esperanto: Ario
arietta in French: Aria
arietta in Korean: 아리아
arietta in Croatian: Arija
arietta in Italian: Aria (musica)
arietta in Hebrew: אריה (מוזיקה)
arietta in Georgian: არია
arietta in Kazakh: Ария
arietta in Lithuanian: Arija
arietta in Malay (macrolanguage): Aria
arietta in Dutch: Aria (compositie)
arietta in Japanese: アリア
arietta in Norwegian: Arie
arietta in Polish: Aria
arietta in Portuguese: Ária
arietta in Russian: Ария
arietta in Simple English: Aria
arietta in Slovak: Ária
arietta in Slovenian: Arija
arietta in Finnish: Aaria
arietta in Swedish: Aria
arietta in Turkish: Arya
arietta in Ukrainian: Арія
arietta in Chinese: 詠嘆調
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