Secco

The term secco, and Italian word that means "dry", is short for recitativo secco, a recitative, typically found in opera, oratorio, and cantata. In opera: a recitative is a style of singing that is much more like ordinary talking that is being sung. A spectrum exists from which recitativo secco is at one end, being "dry" of singing and comprised of mostly ordinary speech. In the middle is recitativo accompagnato and on the opposite end is the aria or ensemble.<br>