adjective
not to be left out; indispensable: said earlier, generally prior to the 19th cent., of an accompaniment essential to the proper performance of a piece, but now usually of one that can be omitted if necessary: often used as a musical direction
Origin:
It, lit., obliged < L obligatus, pp. of obligare: see oblige
noun pl. obbligatos or obbligati
- an obbligato accompaniment
- an added melody, usually played by a solo instrument as accompaniment to a vocal performance