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Aria (Greek: Ἀρ(ε)ία Ar(e)ia, Latin Aria, representing Old Persian. Haraiva, Avestan Haraeuua), inhabitants: Arians (Latin: Arii, Greek: Ἄρ(ε)ιοι/Ar(e)ioi), name of a region in the eastern part of the Persian empire, several times confused with Arianē in the classical sources.

Geography[link]

Aria was an Old Persian satrapy, which enclosed chiefly the valley of the Hari River (Greek Ἄρ(ε)ιος, this being eponymous to the whole land according to Arrian^[1]) and which in antiquity was considered as particularly fertile and, above all, rich in wine. The region of Aria was separated by mountain ranges from the Paropamisadae in the east, Parthia in the west and Margiana and Hyrcania in the north, while a desert separated it from Carmania and Drangiana in the south. It is described in a very detailed manner by Ptolemy and Strabo ^[2] and corresponds, according to that, almost to the Herat Province of today's Afghanistan. In this sense the term is used correctly by some writers, e.g. Herodotus (3.93.3, where the Areioi are mentioned together with the Parthians, Chorasmians, and Sogdians); Diodorus (17.105.7; 18.39.6); Strabo (2.1.14; 11.10.1, cf. also 11.8.1 and 8; 15.2.8 and 9); Arrian (Anabasis 3.25.1); Pomponius Mela (1.12, where we read that “nearest to India is Ariane, then Aria”).

Reconstruction of Ptolemy's map (2nd century AD) of Aria and neighbouring states by the 15th century German cartographer Nicolaus Germanus

Its original capital was Artacoana (Ἀρτακόανα)^[3] or Articaudna (Ἀρτικαύδνα) according to Ptolemy. In its vicinity, a new capital was built, either by Alexander the Great himself or by his successors, Alexandria Ariana (Ἀλεξάνδρεια ἡ ἐν Ἀρίοις), modern Herat in northwest Afghanistan. Ptolemy lists several other cities, an indication of the province's wealth and fertility. The most important, according to Ptolemy and Arrian were^[4][5]:

History[link]

The Persian Achaemenid district of Aria is mentioned in the provincial lists that are included in various royal inscriptions, for instance, in the Behistun inscription of Darius I (ca. 520 BC). Representatives from the district are depicted in reliefs, e.g., at the royal Achaemenid tombs of Naqsh-e Rustam and Persepolis. They are wearing Scythian-style dress (with a tunic and trousers tucked into high boots) and a twisted turban around the head.

At the time of Alexander the Great, Aria was obviously an important district. It was administered by a satrap, called Satibarzanes, who was one of the three main Persian officials in the East of the Empire, together with the satrap Bessus of Bactria and Barsaentes of Arachosia. In late 330 BC Alexander the Great, captured the Arian capital Artacoana. The province was part of the Seleucid Empire but was captured by others on various occasions and became part of the Parthian Empire in 167 BC. Aria later on became a province of the Sassanid Empire.

See also[link]

• Arii
• Arianus
• Alexandria in Ariana
• Arian (disambiguation)
• Ariana (disambiguation)
• Artacoana
• Herat

References[link]

v t e Provinces of the Achaemenid Empire (Behistun, Persepolis, Naqsh-e Rustam, Susa, Susa foundation charter, and Daiva inscriptions) Across the sea Akaufaka Arabia Arachosia Aria Armenia Assyria Babylonia Bactria Cappadocia Caria Chorasmia Dahae Drangiana 1t Egyptian Satrapy / 2nd Egyptian Satrapy Eber-Nari Elam Gandhara Gedrosia Hyrcania Ionia Indus Libya Maka Media Parthia Persia Quadia Saka Sardis Sattagydia Skudra Sogdia Yehud See also Districts of the Achaemenid Empire according to Herodotus

v t e Provinces of the Sassanid Empire Abarshahr Adiabene Albania Arabistan Aria Armenia Asuristan Atropatene Balasagan Carmania Elam Egypt Hyrcania Iberia India Kushanshahr Machelonia Maishan Margiana Mazun Media Mokran Paratan Parthia Patishkhwagar Persis Sakastan Susiana Turan

An aria (Italian for air; plural: arie or arias in common usage) in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment. Perhaps the most common context for arias is opera, although there are many arias that form movements of oratorios and cantatas. Composers also wrote concert arias, which are not part of any larger work, such as "Ah perfido" by Beethoven, and a number of concert arias by Mozart, such as "Conservati fedele".

The aria first appeared in the 14th century when it signified a manner or style of singing or playing. Aria could also mean a melodic scheme (motif) or pattern for singing a poetic pattern, such as a sonnet. It was also attached to instrumental music, though this is no longer the case. Over time, arias evolved from simple melodies into a structured form. In the 17th century, the aria was written in ternary form (A–B–A); these arias were known as da capo arias. The aria later "invaded" the opera repertoire with its many sub-species (Aria cantabile, Aria agitata, Aria di bravura, and so on). By the mid-19th century, many operas became a sequence of arias, reducing the space left for recitative, while other operas (for instance those by Wagner) were entirely through-composed, with no section being readily identifiable as a self-contained aria.

An arietta is a short aria.

Notable arias[link]

Voice type	Aria	Opera	Composer
soprano	O mio babbino caro	Gianni Schicchi	Giacomo Puccini	"O mio babbino caro" Frances Alda (1919) "Vissi d'arte" Emmy Destinn (1914) "Der Hölle Rache" Live recording, Bangkok Opera (2006) "Ah, fors'è lui" … "Sempre libera" Lucrezia Bori (1910) Problems listening to these files? See media help.
	Sì, mi chiamano Mimì	La bohème	Giacomo Puccini
	Vissi d'arte	Tosca	Giacomo Puccini
	Der Hölle Rache	The Magic Flute	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Song to the Moon	Rusalka	Antonín Dvořák
	Summertime	Porgy and Bess	George Gershwin
	Glitter and Be Gay	Candide	Leonard Bernstein
	Sempre libera	La traviata	Giuseppe Verdi
mezzo-soprano	Habanera	Carmen	Georges Bizet
	Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix	Samson and Delilah	Camille Saint-Saëns
	Voi, che sapete	The Marriage of Figaro	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Ombra mai fu	Serse	George Frideric Handel
contralto	Ah, Tanya, Tanya	Eugene Onegin	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
	Weiche, Wotan, weiche	Das Rheingold	Richard Wagner
	Lullaby	The Consul	Gian Carlo Menotti
tenor	Celeste Aida	Aida	Giuseppe Verdi	"La donna è mobile" Enrico Caruso (1908) "Una furtiva lagrima" Enrico Caruso (1911) "Vesti la giubba" Enrico Caruso (1907) Problems listening to these files? See media help.
	Che gelida manina	La bohème	Giacomo Puccini
	Ch'ella mì creda libero	La fanciulla del West	Giacomo Puccini
	E lucevan le stelle	Tosca	Giacomo Puccini
	La donna è mobile	Rigoletto	Giuseppe Verdi
	Nessun dorma	Turandot	Giacomo Puccini
	Una furtiva lagrima	L'elisir d'amore	Gaetano Donizetti
	Vesti la giubba	Pagliacci	Ruggero Leoncavallo
baritone	Largo al factotum	The Barber of Seville	Gioachino Rossini	"Toreador Song" Pasquale Amato (1911) Problems listening to this file? See media help.
	Votre toast (Toreador song)	Carmen	Georges Bizet
	Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja	The Magic Flute	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Die Frist ist um	The Flying Dutchman	Richard Wagner
	Tutto e deserto... Il balen del suo sorriso	Il trovatore	Giuseppe Verdi
bass	Non più andrai	The Marriage of Figaro	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	O Isis und Osiris	The Magic Flute	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Madamina, il catalogo è questo	Don Giovanni	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Hier sitz ich zur Wacht	Götterdämmerung	Richard Wagner

See also[link]

• Air (music)
• Recitative

External links[link]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Aria.

• The Aria Database