Definition of obbligato
: not to be omitted : obligatory
—used as a direction in music
— compare ad libitum
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Origin and Etymology of obbligato
Italian, obligatory, from past participle of obbligare to oblige, from Latin obligare — more at oblige
Definition of obbligato
plural obbligatos
also obbligati
play
\ˌä-blə-ˈgä-tē\
1
: an elaborate especially melodic part accompanying a solo or principal melody and usually played by a single instrument
- a song with violin obbligato
2
: accompaniment 2b;
especially
: an attendant background sound
Examples of obbligato in a Sentence
with the babble of the brook as an obbligato, we enjoyed our picnic
Recent Examples of obbligato from the Web
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The aria is enhanced by trumpet and oboe obbligatos, which were handled deftly by trumpeter Steve Marquardt and oboist Debra Nagy.
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The orchestra's alert accompaniment was at one with the pianist's purposes, as was Stefan Ragnar Hoskuldsson's dulcet flute obbligato in the opening movement.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'obbligato.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of obbligato
1825
Learn More about obbligato
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See words that rhyme with obbligato Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about obbligato
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