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A self-contained song for a solo voice in an opera, oratorio, or cantata — usually expressing a character's emotions at a particular dramatic moment.
Printed as a heading over the number — “Aria”, often naming the voice and any obbligato instrument — in operas, cantatas and passions, often after the number’s place in the work (“No. 4. Aria”). Instrumental music borrows the title for a song-like piece, as in the Aria of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. A da capo aria ends with “Da capo” or “D.C.”, sending the singer back to the opening.
The aria is where dramatic action pauses and emotion takes over. Write arias that give the voice room to express and display — long melodic lines, expressive intervals, climactic high notes. The text repeats because the emotion needs time to unfold. Match the vocal style to the character and dramatic moment.
Puccini, Turandot, “Nessun dorma”: the quintessential tenor aria, building from its hushed opening to the sustained high B of “Vincerò!” at its climax.
Aria is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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