recitative C1 Topic:Art & Music US /ˌrɛsɪtəˈtiːv/ UK /ˌrɛsɪtəˈtiːv/ See IPA manual Freq #243970 Meanings 1 noun a speechlike style of singing in opera, oratorio, and related music, used especially to advance dialogue or narrative between more melodic passages A brief recitative carried the opera's action forward before the soprano's aria. 2 adj performed or written in the speechlike style of recitative The singer delivered the recitative passage with flexible rhythm and sparse accompaniment. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a speechlike style of... sung dialoguedeclamatory singing 2 adj · performed or written in the... declamatory Word family Derived forms recitativelike Related forms ariaoperaoratoriocontinuodeclamation Etymology Borrowed from Italian recitativo, from recitare ("to recite"), ultimately Latin recitare ("to read aloud"). The form imitates the rhythms and inflections of speech while remaining sung. Topics Art & Music External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # recitative **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun, adj **IPA (US):** /ˌrɛsɪtəˈtiːv/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌrɛsɪtəˈtiːv/ **Frequency rank:** 243970 ## Meanings 1. a speechlike style of singing in opera, oratorio, and related music, used especially to advance dialogue or narrative between more melodic passages 2. performed or written in the speechlike style of recitative ## Examples - A brief recitative carried the opera's action forward before the soprano's aria. - The singer delivered the recitative passage with flexible rhythm and sparse accompaniment. ## Synonyms - sung dialogue - declamatory singing - declamatory ## Derived Forms - recitativelike ## Related Forms - aria - opera - oratorio - continuo - declamation ## Etymology Borrowed from Italian recitativo, from recitare ("to recite"), ultimately Latin recitare ("to read aloud"). The form imitates the rhythms and inflections of speech while remaining sung. ## Topics - Art & Music markdown