Elaborate vocal ornamentation featuring rapid runs, trills, and high notes that demonstrate exceptional technical skill and agility. It can refer both to the singing technique and to soprano voices specialized in performing such demanding passages.
From Italian 'colorare,' meaning 'to color,' referring to how ornamental passages 'color' or decorate the basic melodic line. The term developed during the Baroque period and became especially associated with opera seria, where singers were expected to improvise elaborate decorations to showcase their virtuosity.
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