Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913
Cantata
Can·ta′ta (kȧn·tä′tȧ; 277), n. [It., fr. cantare to sing, fr. L. cantare intens of canere to sing.] (Mus.) A poem set to music; a musical composition comprising choruses, solos, interludes, etc., arranged in a somewhat dramatic manner; originally, a composition for a single noise, consisting of both recitative and melody.