Aria
This article is about the musical term "aria." For other meanings or uses of the word, see Aria (disambiguation).An
aria (
Italian for
air;
plural:
arie or
arias in common usage) in
music was originally any expressive
melody, usually, but not always, performed by a
singer. It is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with
orchestral
accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is
opera; there are also many arias that form movements of
oratorios and
cantatas. Composers also wrote "concert arias", not part of any larger work, such as "Ah Perfido" by
Beethoven and a number of concert arias by
Mozart.
The aria first appeared in the 14th century. In that time, it signified a manner or style of singer or plating. Aria could also mean a melodic scheme (motif) or pattern for singing a poetic pattern, such as a sonnet. It was also attached to instrumental music, though this is no longer the case. Over time, arias evolved from simple melodies into a structured form; in about 17th century, the aria was written in
ternary form (ABA); these arias were known as
da capo arias. The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (
Aria cantabile,
Aria agitata,
Aria di bravura, and so on). By the mid-19th century, many operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for
recitative, while other operas (for instance those by
Wagner) were entirely through-composed, with no section being readily identifiable as a self-contained aria.
*
Air (music)*
Aria (film)*
The Aria Database
