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villanella

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vil⋅la⋅nel⋅la

[vil-uh-nel-uh; It. veel-lah-nel-lah]
–noun, plural -nel⋅le [-nel-ee; It. -nel-le] .
a rustic Italian part song without accompaniment.

Origin:
1590–1600; < It, fem. of villanello rural, rustic, equiv. to villan(o) peasant, boor (see villain ) + -ello -ish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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villanella

16th-century16th-century Italian rustic part-song, usually for three unaccompanied voices, having no set form other than the presence of a refrain. The villanella was most often written in chordal style with clear, simple rhythm. Traditional rules of composition were sometimes broken; for instance, the normally forbidden movement of voices in parallel fifths was common in the villanella. The villanella was not a folk form but a reaction against the more refined madrigal, often parodying well-known madrigal texts and music.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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