ARIA. — Under this name various forms of composition were designated, which continually renewed themselves both in the field of sacred and religious music and in that of secular music. The use of the term, already encountered in the works of Ingegneri (1545–92), Giovannelli (1560–1625), and Caccini (1550–1618), spread rapidly, indicating solo singing. The aria reached its greatest development in the 1700s. It is a piece that can stand alone or form part of a cantata, oratorio, or opera, and is for a single voice with orchestral or piano accompaniment in arrangements. The music of the aria is a moment of emotional expansion, and always takes precedence over the words: it is the music that interprets the state of mind suggested by the text. Often with very brief texts, long arias were composed. The principal forms are: aria in rondo form, aria in variation form, aria in open form with ever-different periods, etc. The most important form is the closed one with the “da capo al fine,” which is encountered very frequently in the works of great masters. The aria of “bravura” or “agility,” with its abuse of repeated words and long vocalizations to highlight the vocal virtues of performers, has today fallen into disuse.
Enciclopedia Cattolica