An ornate vocal technique or style of elaborate singing, particularly in baroque or classical music; excessive ornamentation in performance.
From Italian 'gorgia' (throat or a showy vocal technique), derived from Latin 'gurga' (throat or whirlpool), referring metaphorically to the flow of elaborately ornamental singing.
In baroque opera, 'gorgia' was technically brilliant but sometimes criticized as showing off—composers and singers debated whether all that throat-based vocal gymnastics (the term literally means 'throat') was musical expression or just empty display.
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