scena

[ shey-nuh ]

noun

1. an extended operatic vocal solo, usually including an aria and a recitative.

scena

/ ˈʃeɪnə /

noun

1. a scene in an opera, usually longer than a single aria
2. a dramatic vocal piece written in operatic style

Word History and Origins

Origin of scena¹

1810–20; < Italian: literally, scene

Example Sentences

Norman came up with the idea for the next project, which brought together three queenly characters: Haydn’s “Scena di Berenice,” Berlioz’s “La Mort de Cléopâtre” and Britten’s “Phaedra,” all recorded with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in February 1994.

From New York Times

DiDonato’s mezzo-soprano is not the typical one for the role of Dido — full, rich, expansive — but she defied expectations, sharpening her light, glittery timbre into a blade for the scena that culminates in “Adieu, fière cité.”

From New York Times

DiDonato’s mezzo-soprano is not the typical one for the role of Dido — full, rich, expansive — but she defied expectations, sharpening her light, glittery timbre into a blade for the scena that culminates in “Adieu, fière cité.”

From New York Times

She twice played the tenacious Winnie, the half-buried heroine of Samuel Beckett’s existential play “Happy Days,” in stagings by the Washington Stage Guild and the Scena Theatre.

From Washington Post

Ferdinando’s two-point perspective allowed onstage scenery to be viewed as if at an angle, so the device came to be known as “scene vedute per angolo,” or simply “scena per angolo.”

From New York Times