Recitativers

Recitativers, typically referred to in English as recitatives, are a style of vocal delivery used in opera, oratorio, cantatas, and other staged or concert works to relay dialogue and advance the plot. They sit between speech and formal song, employing speech-like rhythm, natural prosody, and minimal melodic ornament. The term is sometimes encountered in English as recitativer, though more common plurals are recitatives or recitatifs in other languages; the form is best understood through its function rather than its plural name.

Recitativers are characterized by flexible tempo and a focus on the text. They usually feature limited melodic development and a continuo accompaniment that provides harmonic support rather than a fully realized aria accompaniment. This contrasts with arias, which are more expansive and highly melodic, and choruses, which provide ensemble texture. Two principal varieties are recognized: recitativo secco (dry recitative), with a continuo group of a bass line and chords, and recitativo accompagnato (accompanied recitative), which employs a fuller orchestra to heighten dramatic moments.

Historically, recitatives emerged in early Baroque opera as a practical means of delivering dialogue and advancing the story between arias and ensembles. Composers such as Monteverdi, followed by Bach, Handel, and later Mozart, integrated recitatives into their dramatic structures, using them to control pacing and narrative clarity. In the Baroque era, the form was central to theatrical storytelling; in later periods, it evolved but retained its narrative function, especially in oratorios and chamber works that imitate theatrical forms.

Recitativers remain a defining feature of early to Classical vocal drama, valued for their immediacy and narrative efficiency, and they continue to be studied as a key element of historical performance practice.