ritornello

[rit-er-nel-oh; It. ree-tawr-nel-law]

ri·tor·nel·lo

[rit-er-nel-oh; It. ree-tawr-nel-law]
noun, plural ri·tor·nel·los, ri·tor·nel·li [-lee] . Music.
1.
an orchestral interlude between arias, scenes, or acts in 17th-century opera.
2.
a tutti section in a concerto grosso, aria, etc.

Origin:
1665–75; < Italian, diminutive of ritorno return
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Ritornello is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ritornello (ˌrɪtəˈnɛləʊ)
 
n , pl -los, -li
1.  an orchestral passage between verses of an aria or song
2.  a ripieno passage in a concerto grosso
 
[C17: from Italian, literally: a little return, from ritorno a return]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

ritornello

a recurrent musical section that alternates with different episodes of contrasting material. The repetition can be exact or varied to a greater or lesser extent. In the concerto grosso the full orchestra (tutti) has the ritornello; the solo group (concertino) has the contrasting episodes.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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