Aria

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This article is about the musical term "aria." For other meanings or uses of the word, see Aria (disambiguation).

An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and cantatas. Composers also wrote 'concert arias', which are not part of any larger work, such as "Ah Perfido" by Beethoven, and a number of concert arias by Mozart.

The aria first appeared in the 14th century when it signified a manner or style of singing or playing. Aria could also mean a melodic scheme (motif) or pattern for singing a poetic pattern, such as a sonnet. It was also attached to instrumental music, though this is no longer the case. Over time, arias evolved from simple melodies into a structured form; in about 17th century, the aria was written in ternary form (ABA); these arias were known as da capo arias. The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (Aria cantabile, Aria agitata, Aria di bravura, and so on). By the mid-19th century, many operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for recitative, while other operas (for instance those by Wagner) were entirely through-composed, with no section being readily identifiable as a self-contained aria.

An arietta is a short aria.

Notable arias
Voice range	Aria	Opera	Operatic composer
soprano	O mio babbino caro	Gianni Schicchi	Giacomo Puccini
soprano	Der Hölle Rache	The Magic Flute	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
mezzosoprano	Habanera	Carmen	Georges Bizet
mezzosoprano	Ombra mai fu	Serse	George Frideric Handel
tenor	La donna è mobile	Rigoletto	Giuseppe Verdi
	Nessun dorma	Turandot	Giacomo Puccini
	E lucevan le stelle	Tosca	Giacomo Puccini
baritone	Largo al factotum	The Barber of Seville	Gioachino Rossini
	Votre toast (Toreador song)	Carmen	Georges Bizet
	Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja	The magic flute	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
bass	Non più andrai	The Marriage of Figaro	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
bass	Madamina, il catalogo è questo	Don Giovanni	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Notable operatic duets
Voice ranges	Aria	Opera	Operatic composer
tenor and soprano	Libiamo ne' lieti calici	La traviata	Giuseppe Verdi
tenor and soprano	O soave fanciulla	La bohème	Giacomo Puccini
tenor and mezzo-soprano	Già i sacerdoti adunansi	Aida	Giuseppe Verdi
tenor and baritone	O Mimì, tu più non torni	La bohème	Giacomo Puccini
soprano and mezzosoprano	Che soave Zeffiretto	The Marriage of Figaro	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
soprano and mezzosoprano	Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio	Madama Butterfly	Giacomo Puccini
soprano and contralto	The Flower Duet	Lakmé	Léo Delibes