Musica reservata
MUSICAL TERM FROM 16TH CENTRURY WITH SEVERAL MEANINGS: STYLE OF A CAPPELLA WITH CHROMATIC PROGRESSIONS, OR WITH ORNAMENTATION; MUSIC USING WORD-PAINTING; MUSIC DESIGNED TO BE PERFORMED BY SMALL GROUPS OF CONNOISSEURS
Musica Reservata; Musica privata; Musica secreta; Musica segreta; Reserved music
In music history, musica reservata (also musica secreta) is either a style or a performance practice in a cappella vocal music of the latter half of the 16th century, mainly in Italy and southern Germany, involving refinement, exclusivity, and intense emotional expression of sung text.