Arietta
A small, song-like aria.
What it means
An arietta is a small, song-like form of the aria: shorter in scope, simpler in construction, and usually without the virtuosic demands of a grand opera aria. The name is the Italian diminutive of aria and points directly to this difference in scale.
Melodically, an arietta often draws on folk-like or song-like patterns with a simple, easily singable line and a modest strophic or song form, rather than the extended da capo layout of grand arias.
Musical use
The arietta was especially common in French and German Singspiel and in eighteenth-century comic opera, where it characterized simpler, often comic or folk-like figures, while the grand aria remained reserved for the leading roles.
An arietta should be distinguished from a grand aria chiefly by scope and demands, not by a fundamentally different function: both halt the action to dwell on a feeling, but the arietta does so more briefly and plainly. It differs from an ordinary song in that it stays embedded in a dramatic context.
Performance practice
Sing or accompany an arietta with natural, song-like phrasing rather than operatic pathos, since its effect relies on directness and simplicity. Keep tempo and dynamics steadier than in a grand aria, so its folk-like character is preserved.