ritornello

American  

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

noun

Music.

plural

ritornellos, ritornelli

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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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

Then, through a ventilator, he permitted these fragrant waves to escape, only preserving the field which he renewed, compelling it to return in his strophes like a ritornello.

From Against the Grain by Huysmans, J.-K. (Joris-Karl)

Every ritornello lasts a quarter of an hour; then the hero appears, lifts one leaden foot after the other and plumps them down alternately.

From Mozart: the man and the artist, as revealed in his own words by Kerst, Friedrich

Occasionally, an Alpine horn sent among the mountains its melancholy ritornello, swelling, echoing from gorge to gorge, and slowly diminishing, like a cloud that dissolves into vapour.

From Tartarin On The Alps by Wormeley, Katharine Prescott