Ariose
What it means
Melodious and flowing with the character of a song.
Reach for it when describing an instrumental or vocal passage whose line feels naturally singable
The flutist gave the slow passage an ariose warmth.
Words to choose between 6
| playful | |
|---|---|
| everyday | |
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
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playful
Fits when an accessible memorable tune is the real attraction
Careful Tuneful sounds light and can understate a refined ariose passage.
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everyday
songlike
Fits when plain language should identify resemblance to song
Careful Songlike is accurate but loses the specialist musical nuance.
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warm
Fits when the line moves smoothly without abrupt breaks
Careful Flowing music can be rhythmic or harmonic rather than melodic.
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warm
Fits when expressive flowing beauty is the main quality
Careful Lyrical can describe prose or dance without a singable musical line.
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formal
cantabile
Fits when a performer needs the established musical direction to play in a singing style
Careful Cantabile is technical Italian and unsuitable for general readers.
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formal
Fits when pleasant melody deserves direct praise
Careful Melodious says nothing about ariose phrasing or vocal character.
Opposites 3
- discordant
- tuneless
- staccato
Common phrases 3
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ariose melody
The ariose melody passes gently from oboe to violin.
-
ariose passage
She shaped the ariose passage in one unbroken breath.
-
ariose style
The composer's ariose style keeps even the recitative singable.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated