incidentali

Incidentali is a term that can refer to several related ideas in Italian language and scholarly usage, depending on the context. In Italian, incidentale is an adjective meaning incidental or not essential, and incidentali is its masculine plural form. It is used to describe secondary details, factors, or elements that accompany a main subject but are not central to its core meaning or function.

In Italian-language arts and humanities, incidentali commonly appears in reference to incidental music or other supplementary elements that accompany a dramatic work, film, or performance. The expression musica incidentale denotes music written to accompany a scene or play rather than the principal score. When describing multiple such elements, incidentali may appear as part of a noun phrase in notes or critical commentary.

Beyond the arts, incidentali can surface in scholarly Italian discussions of philosophy, literary criticism, or cultural analysis to denote non-essential or contingent aspects of a subject. In translated or bilingual contexts, incidentali may be used to render the sense of incidental or non-essential properties, though Latin-based or English terms like accidental or incidental are also common in specialized discourse.

Because incidentali is fundamentally an adjective form, its precise meaning hinges on the noun it modifies and the field of discussion. The term is primarily encountered in Italian-language texts, with occasional use in bilingual scholarship or translations where the intent is to preserve the original Italian terminology.

See also: incidental, incidental music, accidentals, incidental findings.