Definitions

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

  • adjective Not to be left out; indispensable. Used of an accompaniment that is an integral part of a piece.
  • noun An obbligato accompaniment.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In music, indispensable; so important that it cannot be omitted: especially used of accompaniments of independent value.
  • noun An accompaniment, whether for a solo or a concerted instrument, which is of independent importance; especially, an instrumental solo accompanying a vocal piece.
  • noun Also spelled obligato.

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

  • noun a part of the score that must be performed without change or omission
  • noun a persistent but subordinate motif

Etymologies

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

[Italian, past participle of obbligare, to obligate, from Latin obligāre, to oblige; see oblige.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Italian obbligato.

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Examples

  • Recitative comes in two main forms, semplice or secco, which comprises most of the dialogue, and accompagnato or obbligato, which is reserved for passages requiring particular dramatic emphasis, though fully spoken parts (parlante), were not uncommon, particularly in Mozart.

    'An assiduous frequenter of the Italian opera': Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound and the opera buffa 2005

  •  The wind itself answered in a kind of obbligato descant: The Witch is dead!

    Son of a Witch Maguire, Gregory 2005

  • The outstanding soloist in the concerto was 26-year-old Alec Frank-Gemmill, playing a valveless instrument, as were the obbligato horn section, conjuring misty overtones and harmonics, mellow in mood as well as raw.

    LPO/Jurowski; Betrothal in a Monastery; Psappha ensemble; SCO/Ticciati – review 2012

  • If you want to sample his singing, try "Ich habe genug" on his Bach cantatas CD, with its quietly anguished oboe obbligato.

    CBSO, Stephen Hough/Nelsons; Bamberg Symphony Orchestra/Nott – review 2012

  • Con gli attori ho avuto un ottimo rapporto ... ad eccezione del "giovane" scelto, obbligato e protetto dal figlio di Lombardo (un disastro)!

    Archive 2009-11-01 admin 2009

  • The national anthem at last week's home opener at Fenway Park — performed by a Boston Pops contingent — included the now de rigueur obbligato of a military jet flyover.

    Flams and drags Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • The national anthem at last week's home opener at Fenway Park — performed by a Boston Pops contingent — included the now de rigueur obbligato of a military jet flyover.

    Archive 2008-04-01 Matthew Guerrieri 2008

  • 'A gentle obbligato to the life and death struggle in Lewis's study?

    Twin Moons 2010

  • And since it's rare that a celebrity performer takes on any of these challenges, I'd like to applaud violinist Hilary Hahn for her latest recording in which she joins forces with two of the world's most artistic singers in a dozen Bach arias with violin obbligato.

    Hilary Hahn: Violin And Voices Entwined In Bach 2010

  • And since it's rare that a celebrity performer takes on any of these challenges, I'd like to applaud violinist Hilary Hahn for her latest recording in which she joins forces with two of the world's most artistic singers in a dozen Bach arias with violin obbligato.

    Hilary Hahn: Violin And Voices Entwined In Bach 2010

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