Meaning & use
secco music
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Meanings
noununcountabletechnicalmusic
A style of Baroque accompaniment in which the keyboard player supports the singer with plain chords and no written melodic line.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun, so it takes a singular verb: secco music is common in early operas.
Patterns
- secco music for something
- a passage of secco music
- accompanied by secco music
In this recording the recitative is carried by secco music for harpsichord and cello.
The composer reserved secco music for the long stretches of dialogue between arias.
Scholars argue about how freely a continuo player should decorate secco music.
noununcountabletechnicalmusic
The short, speech-like sung passages of an opera or cantata that are set in this style.
Grammar: Refers to a stretch of the music rather than one countable piece; say 'a passage of secco music', not 'a secco music'.
Patterns
- sing something as secco music
- move into secco music
After the aria the scene drops into secco music while the characters argue.
The singers must keep the text clear when they perform secco music.
Common combinations
- secco recitative
- Most of the plot unfolds in secco recitative, with only a harpsichord for support.
- continuo accompaniment
- The continuo accompaniment here is deliberately bare.
- baroque opera
- Secco music is a hallmark of baroque opera in its later years.
- harpsichord and cello
- A harpsichord and cello provide the secco music in this production.
- accompanied recitative
- Unlike accompanied recitative, secco music leaves the strings silent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- recitative
- The general term for speech-like singing; secco music names one plain, continuo-only kind of it.
- continuo
- Names the accompanying bass part and chords themselves, not the musical style as a whole.
Opposites
Word family
- secco adjective
- Dry; used in music for a plain, unadorned style.
- recitative noun
- Speech-like sung dialogue in opera and cantata.
- continuo noun
- The bass line and chords that support a Baroque ensemble.
- aria noun
- A self-contained solo song in an opera, often following recitative.
Commonly confused: secco music or dry recitative? secco music or accompanied recitative?
secco music vs dry recitative
An English translation of the same idea; it appears in some writing but secco music and secco recitative are the usual terms in scholarly use.
secco music vs accompanied recitative
Similar in being speech-like singing, but the orchestra plays an active part instead of just a continuo.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'secco music' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Secco music' is an uncountable term for a style of continuo accompaniment, so it appears with no article and no plural: 'carried by secco music for harpsichord and cello.' Option A wrongly adds 'a', option C wrongly makes it plural, and option D misuses it as a description of vocal tone.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “secco music”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.