Aria

ARIA. - This name was given to various forms of composition that were continually renewed both in the field of sacred and religious music and in that of secular music. The use of the term, which is already encountered in the works of Ingegneri (1545-92), Giovannelli (1560-1625), and Caccini (1550-1618), spread rapidly, denoting song for one voice. 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 one voice with orchestral accompaniment or, in reductions, piano accompaniment. The music of the aria is a moment of sentimental outpouring, and it always takes precedence over the word: it is the music that interprets the state of mind that the text suggests. Often long arias were composed to very brief texts. The principal forms are: the rondo aria, the aria in variation form, the aria in open form with ever-changing periods, etc. The most important form is the one closed with the "da capo al fine," which is encountered very frequently in the works of the great masters. The "bravura" or "agility" aria, with its excessive repetition of words and long vocalizations to highlight the singers' vocal prowess, has today fallen into disuse.

Alessandro Santini