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 […]
Foreign Origins
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]
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 […]
tapis vert
TAW´-pee VEHR´ (‘green carpet’ in French) A tapis vert is a large, flat, unbroken expanse of lawn used as a landscape element. Tapis verts (the plural, pronounced the same as […]
treillage
Treillage is a generic term for latticework, often in the form of arbors, trellises, and pergolas. used to support vines and other climbing plants.
orangerie
An orangerie is a garden building, independent or attached to another structure, designed for wintering tropical and subtropical plants (such as palm, orange, and lemon trees) in harsh climates. Often […]