obbligato

American  

[ob-li-gah-toh, awb-blee-gah-taw] / ˌɒb lɪˈgɑ toʊ, ˌɔb bliˈgɑ tɔ /

adjective

1. (used as a musical direction) obligatory or indispensable; so important that it cannot be omitted.

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noun

obbligatos, plural obbligati plural

1. an obbligato part or accompaniment.

2. a continuing or persistent subordinate or background motif.

3. a subordinate part of a solo.

obbligato British  

/ ˌɒblɪˈɡɑːtəʊ /

adjective

1. not to be omitted in performance

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noun

1. an essential part in a score

   with oboe obbligato

Etymology

Origin of obbligato

1715–25; < Italian: bound, obliged < Latin obligātus; see obligate

Example Sentences

The chord progression and measured pace come from vintage soul, along with the gospelly call-and-response ending and the organ obbligato.

From New York Times • Dec. 4, 2020

Boris Allakhverdyan supplied the fluid clarinet obbligato in the first.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2017

Colin St. Martin’s elegant flute obbligato and Bradley Tatum’s beautiful, pure sound on the natural horn adorned this pungently colorful performance.

From Washington Post • Feb. 26, 2017

The obbligato viole d’amore parts in the bass arioso “Betrachte, meine Seel’,” were ravishingly played.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2014

The captain settled back, tuned his guitar, and started to sing in a warm bass-baritone, with Herman whistling a tenor obbligato through his nose.

From Sugar Plum by Bretnor, Reginald