In music, cantabile, an Italian word, means literally singable or songlike. In instrumental music, it is a particular style of playing designed to imitate the human voice. For 18th-century composers, cantabile is often synonymous with cantando, and indicates a measured tempo and flexible, legato playing. For later composers, particularly in piano music, cantabile is the drawing out of one particular musical line against the accompaniment. One such example is an instrumental by Harry James & His...
