Arioso

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In classical music, arioso is a style of solo opera singing between recitative and aria. Literally, arioso means airy. The term arose in the 16th century along with the aforementioned styles and monody. It is commonly confused with recitativo accompagnato.

Arioso is similar to recitative due to its unrestrained structure and inflexions, close to those of speech. It differs however in its rhythm. Arioso is similar to aria in its melodic form, both being closer to singing than recitative; however they differ in form, arioso generally not resorting to the process of repetition.

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[edit] Instances of arioso

At the start of the finale in the first act of Mozart's The Magic Flute, the andante of the priest (Sprecher) "Sobald dich führt des Freundschaft Hand ins Heiligtum zum ew'gen Band" is an example of arioso. "Amor ti vieta", sung by Loris at Giordano's Fedora could be a modern arioso example.

One of the more famous ariosos was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and serves as the sinfonia of his cantata BWV 156, as well as the middle movement of the harpsichord concerto BWV 1056.

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Bach's Arioso played by cellist Julian Lloyd Webber