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. It is now used almost exclusively to describe a self contained piece for one voice usually with
orchestral accompaniment, especially as part of an
opera.
In the 17th century, the aria was written in ternary form (ABA); these arias were known as arie col da capo). The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (Aria cantabile, Aria agitata, Aria di bravura, and so on). In the 18th century, operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for recitative[?].
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