stile concitato

noun

sti·​le con·​ci·​ta·​to ˈstē-lā-ˌkȯn-chē-ˈtä-tō 

: the use of string tremolos and rapidly repeated vocal notes especially to signify anger or battle in Italian music of the 17th century

In pursuit of a stile concitato Monteverdi invented the string tremolo, in which the bow rapidly repeats the same note …

—Jan Swafford, The Vintage Guide to Classical Music, 1992

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

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