Recitative is a speech-like style of singing or chanting used in opera, oratorio, and other musical works to move the story forward. It follows the natural rhythms of speech more closely than melody-driven songs, so the words are easy to hear and the action can advance quickly. In poetry discussions, the word may also be used for verse that is meant to sound like spoken declamation.
Example
I found the door ajar, the hall still warm;
he'd gone at dawn, before the weather broke.
The clock kept time like footsteps in the dark,
and I said his name aloud, then listened.
Related Definitions
[n] a vocal passage of narrative text that a singer delivers with natural rhythms of speech