Bel canto

A style of Italian operatic singing developed from the mid-eighteenth to the early nineteenth century that places the beauty and agility of the voice above all else. Bel canto demands vocal flexibility, breath control and smooth transitions between registers, in coloratura passages supported by discreet accompaniment. Associated with Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti, its repertoire features in the lyric seasons proposed to palace guests as part of curated cultural programming.