Aria

In music, an aria (, Italian:; pl.: arie, Italian:; arias in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, Italian:; pl.: ariette; in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestralaccompaniment, normally part of a larger work.

The typical context for arias is opera, but vocal arias also feature in oratorios and cantatas, or they can be stand-alone concert arias. The term was originally used to refer to any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer.