ritornello

[ rit-er-nel-oh; Italian ree-tawr-nel-law ]

noun,plural ri·tor·nel·los, ri·tor·nel·li [rit-er-nel-ee; Italian ree-tawr-nel-lee]. /ˌrɪt ərˈnɛl i; Italian ˌri tɔrˈnɛl li/. Music.
  1. an orchestral interlude between arias, scenes, or acts in 17th-century opera.

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

Origin of ritornello

1
1665–75; <Italian, diminutive of ritornoreturn

Words Nearby ritornello

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How to use ritornello in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ritornello

ritornello

/ (ˌrɪtəˈnɛləʊ) /


nounplural -los or -li (-liː) music
  1. an orchestral passage between verses of an aria or song

  2. a ripieno passage in a concerto grosso

Origin of ritornello

1
C17: from Italian, literally: a little return, from ritorno a return

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