Cantabile
Cantabile is a musical term meaning literally "singable" or "songlike" (Italian). It has several meanings in different contexts. In instrumental music, it indicates a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th century composers, the term is often used synonymously with "cantando" ("singing"), and indicates a measured tempo and flexible, legato playing. For later composers, particularly in piano music, cantabile indicates the drawing out of one particular musical line against the accompaniment (compare counterpoint).
In opera, cantabile is used as a noun to mean the first half of a double aria, followed by a cabaletta. The cantabile movement would be slower and more free-form to contrast with the structured and generally faster cabaletta.
[1] Cantabile, The London Quartet was formed in Cambridge in 1977, to feature as a barbershopquartet in a musical comedy at the ADC Theatre written by Robert Bryan and Richard Turner.
The present lineup is Richard Bryan,Steven Brooks, Mark Fleming and Michael Steffan.
www.cantabile.com. Outstanding in both Comedy and the Classics,they have been delighting audiences since turning professional in 1982 with their amazing range of programmes from a cappella favourites to the sacred music of the last millennium - supported by thirteen solo albums, over 2,000 live performances and more than 200 TV appearances worldwide. Musicals in London's West End, Galas aboard The Queen Elisabeth 2,Concerts in New York's Carnegie Hall, Opera in the Covent Garden Festival, Jazz with the BBC Big Band, Classical Parodies in front of 40,000 people at the BBC Proms in the Park or customised Cabarets for corporate clients - the Cantabile experience draws gasps of admiration wherever it goes.
[2]Cantabile Choral Guild, founded in 1979, promotes the mission of “Music for Life” through choral music performance, education, and music appreciation opportunities for youth, adults, and seniors. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California www.cantabile.org
Youth activities include the four-level Cantabile Youth Singers, under the artistic direction of Elena Sharkova, and summer educational programs which serve youth ages 7-18 from the mid-Peninsula to San José. These training programs offer comprehensive music education and are distinguished by exemplary curriculum that integrates vocal training, music theory, and high-level performance opportunities. A staff of professional artists with extensive performance and education experience leads all instruction.
The Cantabile Chorale, under the artistic direction of Sanford Dole, an adult volunteer choir of singers from the South Bay, Peninsula, East Bay, and San Francisco. The Chorale's professional-quality concerts of challenging repertoire include world premiers, traditional and unusual works to broaden participants' and audiences' knowledge of musical periods and the cultures which produce them.