n. pl. ri·tor·nel·li (-lē) or ri·tor·nel·los 1. An instrumental interlude recurring after each stanza in a vocal work. 2. A passage or section for full orchestra in a concerto or aria. 3. An instrumental interlude in early 17th-century opera. 4. The refrain of a rondo. [Italian, diminutive of ritorno, return, from ritornare, to return, from Vulgar Latin *retornāre; see RETURN.] |
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