ritornello

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

noun, plural ri·tor·nel·los, ri·tor·nel·li [rit-er-nel-ee; Italian ree-tawr-nel-lee] /ˌrɪt ərˈnɛl i; Italian ˌri tɔrˈnɛl li/. Music.

an orchestral interlude between arias, scenes, or acts in 17th-century opera.
a tutti section in a concerto grosso, aria, etc.

Origin of ritornello

1665–75; < Italian, diminutive of ritorno return

Example sentences from the Web for ritornello

British Dictionary definitions for ritornello

ritornello
/ (ˌrɪtəˈnɛləʊ) /

noun plural -los or -li (-liː) music

an orchestral passage between verses of an aria or song
a ripieno passage in a concerto grosso

Word Origin for ritornello

C17: from Italian, literally: a little return, from ritorno a return