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A style of vocal writing that follows the natural rhythms of speech rather than strict musical meter. Used in opera and oratorio for dialogue and narrative.
Recitative advances the plot between arias. Secco recitative has sparse accompaniment (continuo only); accompagnato recitative has orchestral support for dramatic moments. When writing recitative, follow the natural stress of the text — irregular rhythms, repeated notes, speech-like inflection.
Mozart's "Don Giovanni" — the recitative scenes between arias carry the dramatic action, shifting between secco and accompagnato for the most intense moments.
Recitative is one of 228 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary, where every definition is written around how composers actually use the word.
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