From the Italian word cavatinetta, meaning a short melodic air. The term has two meanings a short aria in repeats, these arias are mostly found in Rossini operas, he stipulated that the first statement should be sung as written and the second could be embellished at the singer's discretion. The second part is a two-part 19th century Italian aria typically found in Bellini, Donizetti and early Verdi, these are fast tempo and are designed to show off the singer's virtuosity. The slow/fast structure of a full aria was occasionally reversed, Donizetti was a master of the slow cabaletta.
Usually in bel canto operas, this is a fast aria that generally follows a more solemn, thoughtful one. It stresses the singer's vocal abilities and often ends with a high note that the singer sustains.
The final part of a Bel Canto aria. It is usually rather fast.
a fast aria in bel canto operas, generally following a more solemn, thoughtful one. stresses the singer's vocal abilities and often has a high note just before the end that the singer sustains.
(cah-bah-LET-tah) A brisk aria in Italian opera, generally following a more solemn, thoughtful one; the cabaletta frequently refers to a contradictory or complimentary state of mind, and may even lead towards impassioned action from the character on stage. The term itself comes from the Italian “cavallo†which means horse: the accompaniment of the cabaletta frequently resembles the animal’s galloping gait.
cah-bah-LEH-tah]: whenever you hear a cavatina, you know there's a cabaletta coming up very shortly. They almost always occur in pairs. By contrast to the cavatina, the cabaletta is fast and energetic, designed to show off a singer's virtuosity and decorative singing (e.g.: fioratura, trills, vocal leaps and other such tonsorial derring-do). In Lucia di Lammermoor, Lucia's Act I aria "Regnava nel silencio" is the cavatina, and "Quando rapito in estasi" is the cabaletta. Similarly, Norma's "Casta diva" and "Ah, bello a me ritorno" is a famous cavatina/cabaletta combination.
A Cabaletta is form of aria within 19th century Italian opera. It usually refers specifically to the second half of a double aria: a faster or more rhythmic movement following a cantabile section.
