Definition of "obbligato" []

• Not to be left out; indispensable. Used of an accompaniment that is an integral part of a piece. (adjective)
• An obbligato accompaniment. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Recitative comes in two main forms, semplice or secco, which comprises most of the dialogue, and accompagnato or obbligato, which is reserved for passages requiring particular dramatic emphasis, though fully spoken parts (parlante), were not uncommon, particularly in Mozart."
• " The wind itself answered in a kind of obbligato descant: The Witch is dead!"
• "Con gli attori ho avuto un ottimo rapporto ... ad eccezione del "giovane" scelto, obbligato e protetto dal figlio di Lombardo (un disastro)!"