aria da capo

[ ahr-ee-uh duh kah-poh ]

noun

, plural arias da capo.

1. an operatic aria in three sections with the first and third sections alike and the middle section contrasting.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aria da capo¹

< Italian: literally, air from the head, i.e., beginning

Example Sentences

Aria da Capo, Edna St. Vincent Millay's dark comedy on man's frail frivolity in the face of his commanding vices.

From Time Magazine Archive

Scarlatti, Alessandro, Aria da capo, 14; operatic overture, 119.

From Project Gutenberg

So great is my vexation always, when reading a play, to find its progress constantly being halted and its structure loosened by elaborate explanatory parentheses, that I resolved when I should publish Aria da Capo to incorporate into its text only those explanations the omission of which might confuse the reader or lend a wrong interpretation to the lines.

From Project Gutenberg

Since, however, Aria da Capo was written not only to be read but also to be acted, and being conscious that the exclusion of the usual directions, while clarifying the play to the reader, may make it bare of suggestions and somewhat baffling to the producer, I am adding here some remarks which have been found of value in preparing it for presentation on the stage.

From Project Gutenberg

Since the production of Aria da Capo by the Provincetown Players, I have received a great many letters from the directors of little theatres, asking for copies of it with a view to producing it.

From Project Gutenberg