a short musical work, often on a religious subject, sung by solo singers, often with a choir and orchestra康塔塔(常为宗教题材的短小音乐作品,由独唱演员演唱,常有合唱和管弦乐队伴奏)comparemotet,oratorio
Word Originearly 18th cent.: from Italian cantata (aria) ‘sung (air)’, from cantare ‘sing’.