opera buffa
Unless you’re already an opera buff, you probably think all opera is quite somber. But in reality, there are two types of opera: seria, which is serious, and buffa, which […]
Word Archive
opera seria
Unless you’re already an opera buff, you probably think all opera is quite somber. But in reality, there are two types of opera: seria, which is serious, and buffa, which […]
bel canto
bell´-KAHN´-toh (Italian, ‘beautiful singing’) Bel canto is a lyrical, melodic style of singing that contrasts with a more dramatic, speechlike style. The bel canto technique began in the mid-17th century […]
aerie
AIR´-ee An aerie is an elevated dwelling that is often secluded. The term is frequently used to describe penthouses atop skyscrapers in New York and other cities, as well as […]
pied-à-terre
pyay´-duh-TEHR´ (literally a ‘foot to the ground’ in French) A pied-à-terre is a temporary or secondary house, apartment, or other lodging. Pieds-à-terre (the plural, pronounced the same as the singular) […]
loft
A loft is an apartment that consists of one large open space with high ceilings and exposed construction elements such as pipes, brick, and support beams. Floors are wood or […]
casa colonica
KAH´-zah koh-LOH´-nee-kah Don’t confuse a Tuscan villa with a Tuscan farmhouse, or casa colonica, an Italian residence that began life as a dwelling for peasants, no matter how gentrified it […]
Tuscan villa
TUS´-kuhn VILL´-uh The region of Tuscany, birthplace of the Italian Renaissance and home to some of the most attractive rural landscapes in Italy, has attracted foreigners for millennia. But the […]
mas
mah A mas, in contrast to a bastide, is the Provençal version of a Tuscan farmhouse, or casa colonica. Built by farmers, often in piecemeal fashion, mas (the plural is […]
bastide
bah-STEED´ Bastide is the name for a manor house in Provence, the historic region of southeast France known for lavender, sunflowers, and a unique light prized by the Impressionists. A […]