bravura

Bravura is a term used to describe a display of boldness, brilliance, and virtuosity in performance. In music and performing arts it denotes passages, styles, or performances that require high technical command and interpretive audacity. In English usage, bravura can function as a noun (“a bravura”) or as an attributive adjective (“bravura singing,” “bravura execution”).

Etymology: The word comes from Italian bravura, meaning boldness or skill, derived from bravare to dare, reflecting the quality of daring performance. The sense in English criticism emphasizes the showy, spectacular aspect rather than mere technical correctness.

In music, bravura is applied to virtuosic passages for violin, piano, or voice, to cadenzas, and to performances intended to astonish audiences. It is associated with the virtuoso tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries, as exemplified by composers and performers who crafted technically demanding lines. The term is commonly used for “bravura arias” in opera, chamber showpieces, and concertos that foreground display.

In other arts, bravura can describe bold brushwork or dramatic stylistic display in painting or theater, where the emphasis is on confident, spectacular execution.

See also: virtuosity, showmanship, display.