Colla parte

What it means

Colla parte means “with the part” and instructs the accompaniment to follow the main part in tempo. The lead thus lies with the soloist or singer; the accompaniment follows, even if the latter shapes the tempo freely.

Equivalent are colla voce (“with the singing voice”) and col canto. They all regulate the same thing: who sets the tempo.

A second meaning concerns the scoring: colla parte also designates the playing of an instrument along with a vocal part, that is, the doubling of the singing voice. In scores of early music this is a common practice in which instruments support the choral parts without having parts of their own.

Which meaning is intended follows from the place of the marking: above the accompaniment, a tempo instruction; in the scoring indication, a hint at doubling.

In the notation

The phrase is written in italics above the staff of the accompanying part and applies until a marking such as a tempo or tempo giusto. It often stands at places where the main part has a free passage. In scores it can also appear in the instrument indication.

Musical use

The instruction belongs to opera, oratorio, and song, wherever a solo voice shapes freely and the ensemble adapts. It is especially usual in recitative-like and cadenza-like sections. It indicates that at this point not the metre but the declamation determines the course.

The instruction is typical of accompaniments of arias and recitatives, where the singer shapes the tempo freely. The accompanist listens attentively to breath and text.

Performance practice

Listen ahead instead of after: whoever plays after the main part always comes too late. Watch the soloist's breath and body movement, not just the sound. Keep your own part flexible and give up an inner tempo. And settle the critical places in rehearsal — entries after rests in particular need an agreement.