ritornello

American  

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

noun

Music.

• ritornellos,
  plural
• ritornelli
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ritornelli
  plural
• ritornellos
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ritornello

1665–75; < Italian, diminutive of ritorno return

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ritornello ritornellos

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

She sang a couplet and the others sang in chorus a ritornello.

From Critical Studies by Ouida

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 Katharine Prescott Wormeley

Between the verses and at the close, a curious little ritornello is played.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 18, April, 1859 by Various

Written down a score of ritornellos; I have chosen the best of them.

From Recollections of My Childhood and Youth by Georg Morris Cohen Brandes

And to my surprise, I discovered that they were all what we call ritornellos.

From Recollections of My Childhood and Youth by Georg Morris Cohen Brandes