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obbligato (adj.)

musical instruction, used of accompaniments (especially by a single instrument, to a vocal piece), "so important that it cannot be omitted," 1724, from Italian obbligato, literally "obligated," from Latin obligatus, past participle of obligare "to bind" (see oblige). As a noun, "an accompaniment of independent importance," by 1817.

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Definitions of obbligato from WordNet

obbligato (n.)
a persistent but subordinate motif;
Synonyms: obligato
obbligato (n.)
a part of the score that must be performed without change or omission;
Synonyms: obligato
From wordnet.princeton.edu