Coloratura

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɒləɹəˈtjʊɹə/

Definitions

1. A vocal technique marked by intricate embellishments and quick passages showcases agility and is often prevalent in operatic performances
2. A singing style featuring rapid scales, trills, and ornaments demanding high vocal agility
3. A vocal approach emphasizing complex and swift melodic embellishments usually found in classical singing

Etymology: Coloratura comes from a Latin verb meaning "to colour," but the sense it carries in music is far from paint. Its Late Latin ancestor, "colorātūra," was built from "colorāre," and the Italian language later took it up as a term for the ornamental colouring of a melody. Singers used the word to describe the flourishes, runs and trills that decorate a line of music, so a passage of vocal embellishment was understood as a kind of tonal colouring laid over the tune. English borrowed the word directly from Italian, and it has kept that musical meaning ever since. The sense of a fast, ornamented style of singing, usually associated with soprano voices, grew out of that Italian usage rather than from any original idea of brightness or decoration in the Latin verb itself.