Vibrato is a rapidly repeated slight change in the pitch of a musical note. Singers and musicians use vibrato to make the music sound more emotional.
I encourage oboe and clarinet players to use plenty of vibrato.
vibrato in British English
(vɪˈbrɑːtəʊ)
nounWord forms: plural-tos music
1.
a slight, rapid, and regular fluctuation in the pitch of a note produced on a stringed instrument by a shaking movement of the hand stopping the strings
2.
an oscillatory effect produced in singing by fluctuation in breath pressure or pitch
Compare tremolo
Word origin
C19: from Italian, from Latin vibrāre to vibrate
vibrato in American English
(vɪˈbrɑtoʊ; viˈbrɑtoʊ)
nounWord forms: pluralviˈbratos
Music
a pulsating effect, less extreme than a tremolo, produced by rapid alternation of a given tone with a barely perceptible variation in pitch, as by the slight oscillation of the finger on a violin string or by a slight wavering of the tone in singing
Word origin
It, pp. of vibrare < L: see vibrate
Examples of 'vibrato' in a sentence
vibrato
With her fierce guttural Rs and her velvety vibrato tone, she has you from the very first line.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Singers belted it out, indulging in showy flourishes and fast vibrato that sound odd now, he said.