a cappella
adverb or adjective
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A Cappella Has Italian Roots
A cappella arrived in English in the 18th century via the Italian phrase a cappella, meaning "in chapel or choir style." (Medieval Latin capella, meaning "chapel," is the source of English chapel.) The a cappella style reached preeminence in the late 16th century in the music that composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina wrote for the Sistine Chapel of the Vatican. Because no independent instrumental parts were written down, scholars once thought that the choir sang unaccompanied, but current evidence makes clear that an organ or other instruments doubled some or several of the vocal parts. Regardless, today a cappella describes a purely vocal performance.
Examples of a cappella in a Sentence
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024
After singing a cappella at a school workshop, VIBE reported in 2015, Stella decided to pursue a career in music.
—Makena Gera, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2024
But Garcia, Weir, and Welnick electrified the crowd — Deadheads and squares alike — with their a cappella performance.
—Alex Scordelis, Rolling Stone, 14 Sep. 2024
Although the Music Center doesn’t thus far seem to be giving this anniversary much attention, the Master Chorale had a special program Sunday of 22 short, mostly a cappella pieces that ranged from the 16th century to the present.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“A cappella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20cappella. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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a cappella
adverb or adjectivefrom Italian a cappella "in chapel style"
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