obbligato Definition
ob·bli·gato (äb′li gät′ō)
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
Etymology: It, lit., obliged < L obligatus, pp. of obligare: see oblige
noun pl. -·tos or -·ti-ē
- an obbligato accompaniment
- an added melody, usually played by a solo instrument as accompaniment to a vocal performance
obbligato Usage Examples
Modifies a noun
- instrument: The obbligato instruments are immaculately played in both versions.
- passage: In the latter Salinger includes French horn obbligato passages worthy of Richard Strauss to transport us well and truly 'over the top' .
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