obbligato: Meaning and Definition of

ob•bli•ga•to

Pronunciation: (ob"li-gä'tōIt.ôb"blē-gä'tô), [key]
— adj., n., pl. -tos, -ti
—adj.
  1. (used as a musical direction) obligatory or indispensable; so important that it cannot be omitted.
—n.
  1. an obbligato part or accompaniment.
  2. a continuing or persistent subordinate or background motif.
  3. a subordinate part of a solo.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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