Obbligato is a term used to describe a part of a piece of music that is essential to the composition and must be performed as a whole. Other pieces of classical music are sometimes labeled ad libidum, indicating that they are not essential to the larger work. Although the use of this musical term has become somewhat obsolete over time, music experts who read classical pieces of music in which this marking is used are still familiar with it.
Musicologists who are familiar with the term obbligato in its historical context will often explain it with a synonym such as “indispensable.” Music’s obligato parts were regarded as essential to their musical surroundings. They were also frequently regarded as separate from larger works. They added more specific meaning to the transition between two parts of music in some cases. In a piece of music with a changing dynamic, some obbligato parts were viewed as “bridges” or other transitional devices.
Obbligato parts of a musical composition may be viewed as pieces that are essential but subordinate to another part of the larger piece, depending on context. Multiple obbligato sections of sheet music may be linked to a larger theme, but they can also stand alone. Students of music can find examples of this phenomenon in music in cantatas, arias, and other eighteenth-century compositions. This marking was used in certain parts of musical compositions composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, who were among the greatest and most popular musicians of their time.
Obbligato is not commonly used in modern music. Those who are familiar with the term will typically explain that in modern music, there is no clear idea of which parts of a piece are more important than others or which parts of a composition must be included. In general, everything written in a modern piece is considered essential, which makes sense to both the composer and the listener; in earlier times, performers had more leeway for improvisation. Obbligato and other classical music concepts have lost their relevance in the modern era, but these markings can be of great interest to music historians interested in learning how these works were originally perceived and performed.