tarantella
/ˌtar(ə)nˈtɛlə
/(also tarantelle /ˌtar(ə)nˈtɛl/)
noun
1A rapid whirling dance originating in southern Italy.Perhaps the most commonly recognized folk dance, the tarantella, for example, is Neapolitan, with little diffusion elsewhere in the peninsula....
- Finland has no distinctive folk dance - no highland fling, morris dance or tarantella.
- The American artist celebrated his eighty-first birthday at Villa Narcissus, his home on the island of Capri, by dancing the tarantella.
1.1A piece of music written in fast 6/8 time in the style of the tarantella.The finale is a headlong, moto perpetuo tarantella in additive rhythms, the marimba's breakneck acceleration echoed by the quartet: the unisono final phrase for the quintet was breathtaking....
- This collection of Italian waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and tarantellas for solo violin is an excellent teaching tool for double stops, scales, arpeggios and style.
- The book contains a variety of styles, including sonata, tarantella and waltz, allowing students and teachers to explore the wide range of technical, musical and ensemble challenges in this literature.
Origin
Late 18th century: Italian, from the name of the seaport Taranto. The dance was thought to be a cure for tarantism, the victim dancing the tarantella until exhausted. See also tarantula.