[bel kan-toh, -kahn-; It. bel kahn-taw] 
| a smooth, cantabile style of singing. |
| bel can·to (běl kän'tō) n. A style of operatic singing characterized by full, even tones and a brilliant display of vocal technique. [Italian : bel, bello, beautiful + canto, singing.] |
bel canto
style of operatic singing that originated in Italian singing of polyphonic (multipart) music and Italian courtly solo singing during the late 16th century and that was developed in Italian opera in the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries. Using a relatively small dynamic range, bel canto singing was based on an exact control of the intensity of vocal tone, a recognition of the distinction between the "diapason tone" (produced when the larynx is in a relatively low position) and the "flute tone" (when the larynx is in a higher position), and a demand for vocal agility and clear articulation of notes and enunciation of words
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