obbligato

views updated May 14 2018

ob·bli·ga·to / ˌäbləˈgätō/ (also ob·li·ga·to) • n. (pl. -ga·tos or -ga·ti / -ˈgätē/ ) an instrumental part, typically distinctive in effect, that is integral to a piece of music and should not be omitted in performance.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

obbligato

views updated May 11 2018

obbligato (It.; Fr. obligé; Ger. obligat). Indispensable. Adjective attached to the name of an instr., e.g. ‘vc. obbligato’, where the instr.'s part is obligatory, and special or unusual in effect. To use the term in the opposite sense of optional or ad libitum is wrong, as is the frequently-encountered spelling obligato (favoured by Britten).

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

obbligato

views updated Jun 27 2018

obbligato (mus.) a part essential to the effect of a composition. XVIII. — It., sb. use of pp. of obbligare OBLIGE.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

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