ritornello

American  

[rit-er-nel-oh, ree-tawr-nel-law] / ˌrɪt ərˈnɛl oʊ, ˌri tɔrˈnɛl lɔ /

noun

Music.

ritornellos, plural ritornelli plural

1. an orchestral interlude between arias, scenes, or acts in 17th-century opera.

2. a tutti section in a concerto grosso, aria, etc.

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ritornello British  

/ ˌrɪtəˈnɛləʊ /

noun

1. an orchestral passage between verses of an aria or song

2. a ripieno passage in a concerto grosso

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• ritornelli
  plural
• ritornellos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ritornello

1665–75; < Italian, diminutive of ritorno return

Example Sentences

The tenor starts out in synch with the ritornello; attempts to assume an independent melodic shape; and then, failing that, tries to join up with the accompaniment again.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 25, 2016

It’s a ritornello, a continual refrain: ‘Be America! Be the future! Take back the narrative of Europe! Compete!’

From The New Yorker • Jun. 22, 2015

Hence in the classical concerto the ritornello is never abandoned, in spite of the enormous dimensions to which the sonata style expanded it.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various

The ritornello falls into statement and counterstatement, and the counterstatement secures one repetition of the tune, after which no more is heard of it.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various

But if we, with spring-days mellow,   Wake to woeful wrecks of change, And the sparrow's ritornello   Scaling still its old sweet range;     Can we do a better thing     Than, with him, still build and sing?

From Rose and Roof-Tree — Poems by Lathrop, George Parsons