ritornello [It., little return]

(1) In the 14th-century *madrigal and *caccia, the final couplet of the 8- or 11-line poem. The ritornello is set to different music and is often in a meter different from that of the preceding strophes of three lines. Despite the name ritornello, this final couplet is not a refrain, because it is stated only once. (2) In the 17th century, an instrumental section of an opera, cantata, strophic aria, or other vocal work. Ritornellos may be either recurrent, functioning as refrains, or nonrecurrent; in the latter case, the term probably refers to the “return” of the instrumental ensemble, not the thematic material. Ritornellos generally differ from sinfonias in being more dependent structurally on the vocal sections they punctuate, though considerable overlap in terminology occurs. (3) In the late 17th and 18th centuries, the recurring tutti section of a concerto movement or an aria.