An Aria Stops the Story to Show a Feeling
An aria is a solo song in an opera. It differs from recitative by pausing the plot rather than advancing it.
An aria is an accompanied solo song in an opera or oratorio. It has a structural job: opera alternates *recitative*, sung speech that carries the plot forward at conversational pace, with *aria*, which stops the action entirely so a character can dwell on a single feeling. The famous tunes are almost always arias, because that is where the music is allowed to take its time. Italian *aria* means air, in the sense of a melody, from Latin *aer*.
- A solo opera song. *A soprano aria.*
- Recitative — sung speech. *Recitative.*
- Air — the English equivalent. *An air.*
- Italian — *aria*, air or melody. *The source.*
- Da capo aria — a repeating form. *A da capo aria.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | aria | An aria. |
| Plural | arias | Arias. |
| Related | recitative | Recitative. |
| English | air | An air. |
| Italian | aria | Air. |
- The tenor sang the famous aria.Opera.
- Recitative carries the plot.Contrast.
- Aria means air, meaning a tune.Etymology.
How opera alternates
- Recitative — sung dialogue, sparse accompaniment, advances the plot
- Aria — full accompaniment, stops the action, explores an emotion
- Ensemble — several characters singing different feelings at once
- Chorus — the crowd commenting or reacting
- Overture — orchestral music before the curtain rises
Italian *aria*, air or melody, from Latin *aer*, from Greek *aer*, air.
What is the difference between an aria and recitative?
Recitative is sung speech that moves the plot along. An aria stops the action so a character can dwell on a feeling, and is where the memorable tunes are.
Why does aria mean air?
Italian aria means air, extended to mean a tune, exactly as English once used air to mean a melody.