tarantella
(redirected from Tarentella)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.
tarantella
1. a peasant dance from S Italy
2. a piece of music composed for or in the rhythm of this dance, in fast six-eight time
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Tarantella
an Italian folk dance. Written in 6/8 or 3/8 time, the tarantella is characterized by extended triplets and a very fast tempo. The dance is accompanied by guitar, tambourine, castanets (in Sicily), and occasionally singing. Vocal and instrumental music has been written in the form of the tarantella by G. Rossini, F. Liszt, F. Chopin, M. I. Glinka, A. S. Dargomyzhskii, Tchaikovsky, and S. S. Prokofiev. Many of these pieces are intended for virtuoso performances.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.