cantabile

American  

[kahn-tah-bi-ley, -bee-, kuhn-, kahn-tah-bee-le] / kɑnˈtɑ bɪˌleɪ, -bi-, kən-, kɑnˈtɑ biˌlɛ /

adjective

1. songlike and flowing in style.

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adverb

1. in a cantabile manner.

cantabile British  

/ kænˈtɑːbɪlɪ /

adjective

1. (to be performed) in a singing style, i.e. flowingly and melodiously

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noun

1. a piece or passage performed in this way

Etymology

Origin of cantabile

1720–30; < Italian < Late Latin cantābilis worth singing, equivalent to Latin cantā ( re ) to sing ( cant ¹ ) + -bilis -ble

Example Sentences

That opulence was readily apparent in the ceaseless flow of cantabile melodies in Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony.

From New York Times

This led to Florence Price’s wistfully lyrical Andante cantabile movement from her 1935 String Quartet No. 2, which came across with glowing richness in this version for string ensemble.

From New York Times

I like very much that big duality, on one side drama and power, and on the other side such cantabile and a poetic approach to life.

From Los Angeles Times

Telemundo, using the marketing power of many NBCUniversal networks, wants to attract viewers with a different sound: Cantor’s cantabile con brio.

From Seattle Times

In Shostakovich’s D minor cello sonata, Isserlis gave a soft sheen to the cantabile parts of the first movement, and an intense serenity to the slow movement.

From Washington Post