said earlier, generally prior to the 19th cent., of an accompaniment essential tothe proper performance of a piece, but now usually of one that can be omitted if necessary:often used as a musical direction
nounWord forms: pluralˌobbliˈgatos or ˌobbliˈgati (ˌɑblɪˈgɑti)
2.
an obbligato accompaniment
3.
an added melody, usually played by a solo instrument as accompaniment to a vocal performance
Word origin
It, lit., obliged < L obligatus, pp. of obligare: see oblige
Examples of 'obbligato' in a sentence
obbligato
Again the wind spoke loud around the hogan, raising an obbligato mixture of hoots and shrieks.