bel canto

American  

[bel kan-toh, -kahn-, bel kahn-taw] / ˌbɛl ˈkæn toʊ, -ˈkɑn-, bɛl ˈkɑn tɔ /

noun

Music.

1. a smooth, cantabile style of singing.

---

bel canto British  

/ ˈbɛl ˈkæntəʊ /

noun

1. music

   1. a style of singing characterized by beauty of tone rather than dramatic power

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bel canto aria

---

Etymology

Origin of bel canto

1890–95; < Italian: literally, fine singing, equivalent to bel (cognate with beau ) + canto ( see canto)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bel canto

Riccardo Frizza’s fluid conducting drew out the score’s long bel canto lines and limned its propulsive rhythmic structure, and his flexible support of the singers made every aria and ensemble breathe and soar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2025

The score calls for a large cast with serious bel canto skills, and Opera Philadelphia’s lineup delivered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2025

Born Maria Anna Sophie Cecilia Kalogeropoulos in New York in December 1923 to Greek parents, Callas was credited with the almost single-handed revival of the Italian bel canto vocal technique.

From Reuters ● Oct. 25, 2023

Teatro Nuovo, the brainchild of the bel canto specialist Will Crutchfield, inverts that value system.

From New York Times ● Jul. 21, 2023

But, some one will argue, with the passing of bel canto what will become of the operas of Mozart, Bellini, Rossini, and Donizetti?

From The Merry-Go-Round by Van Vechten, Carl