recitativo

[ res-i-tuh-tee-voh; Italian re-chee-tah-tee-vaw ]

/ ˌrɛs ɪ təˈti voʊ; Italian ˌrɛ tʃi tɑˈti vɔ /

Origin of recitativo

Borrowed into English from Italian around 1610–20

In his Matthew Passion and some of his cantatas the organist is to play short chords in recitativo secco.

Bach |Charles Francis Abdy Williams
The most important of all these improvements was the abandonment of recitativo secco.

How Music Developed |W. J. Henderson
The first interruption, indeed, was a recitativo with chords, followed by a verse from the leading treble.

The Woman-Hater |Charles Reade
It must consist of poetic passages connected by recitativo, to use an opera word; but it is perhaps better for that.

The Letters of Ambrose Bierce |Ambrose Bierce

Alessandro Scarlatti was the first to make systematic use of that richer form of recitation known as recitativo stromentato.

How Music Developed |W. J. Henderson