Ritornata

Ritornata is the feminine past participle of ritornare in Italian. In grammar it marks a feminine subject as having returned or come back, for example una persona ritornata. As a standalone noun, ritornata is relatively uncommon in everyday Italian; the more common noun for the act of returning is ritorno. In literary contexts, ritornata can function as a poetic or archaic noun or adjective to signify a return or reappearance, and may appear in phrases such as la ritornata stagione or la ritornata memoria, though these uses are stylistic rather than standard.

In music history, ritornata is not a standard technical term. When discussing recurring material, scholars and composers typically use ritornello to denote a recurring musical section, or ritornante to describe a returning figure. Nonetheless, some analyses may employ ritornata to convey the general sense of something returning or recurring within a composition, particularly in more literary or historical discussions.

Etymology: ritornata is derived from ritornare (to return) with the prefix ri- and the feminine ending -ata, aligning with a feminine noun or subject. The underlying root conveys the notion of return or reappearance.

See also: ritornare; ritornato; ritornello; ritornante. The terms ritornare and its derivatives are part of Italian linguistic and musical vocabulary, with ritornella and other related forms appearing in various historical and literary contexts. Overall, ritornata remains a relatively niche, often poetic usage in contemporary Italian.