aria

¹ American  

[ahr-ee-uh, air-ee-uh] / ˈɑr i ə, ˈɛər i ə /

noun

1. an air or melody.

2. an elaborate melody sung solo with accompaniment, as in an opera or oratorio.

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Aria ² American  

[ahr-ee-uh, uh-rahy-uh] / ˈɑr i ə, əˈraɪ ə /

noun

Classical Mythology.

1. a nymph, the mother of Miletus, by Apollo.

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-aria ³ American  

1. a suffix occurring in scientific terms of Latin origin, especially in names of biological genera and groups.

   filaria.

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aria British  

/ ˈɑːrɪə /

noun

1. an elaborate accompanied song for solo voice from a cantata, opera, or oratorio See also da capo

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aria Cultural  

1. A piece of music for one voice (or occasionally two voices) in an opera, oratorio, or cantata. In contrast with recitative singing, arias are melodious; in contrast with ordinary songs, arias are usually elaborate.

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Some composers, such as Richard Wagner, have felt that arias interrupt the action of opera too much and hence have written operas without them.

Etymology

Origin of aria¹

From Italian, dating back to 1735–45; air ¹

Origin of -aria³

< Latin: feminine singular or neuter plural of -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

“Hercules” is more streamlined than Handel’s operas, and its most dramatic passages—including Hercules’ death and Dejanira’s subsequent mad scene—are written as accompanied recitatives rather than da capo arias.

From The Wall Street Journal

By contrast, Tyson’s subsequent aria revealing his own old trauma is pat and unconvincing.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yvonne Russo’s documentary “Viva Verdi!” captures the vibrant life inside its walls, expressed in the aria “Sweet Dreams of Joy,” sung by soprano Ana María Martínez and composed by Nicholas Pike.

From Los Angeles Times

The entire cycle converges in her final 20 minute-long aria, a task that demands the endurance of a cross-country skier and the precision of a sharpshooting biathlete.

From The Wall Street Journal

She takes all the repeats, which makes it one of the longest arias in the Baroque literature.

From The Wall Street Journal