Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adverb Without instrumental accompaniment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun In the style of church or chapel music.
  • noun In music, noting a species of time which employs four minims or half-notes in each measure.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • In church or chapel style; -- said of compositions sung in the old church style, without instrumental accompaniment.
  • A time indication, equivalent to alla breve.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb obsolete, music In alla breve time.
  • adjective obsolete, music alla breve.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb without musical accompaniment
  • adjective sung without instrumental accompaniment

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Italian : a, in the manner of + cappella, chapel, choir.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Italian alla cappella ("in the manner of the [Sistine] chapel"), referring to non-instrumental choirs; from Latin a-, ad, "to", + cappella, "chapel".

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