stile antico

noun

sti·​le an·​ti·​co ˈstē-lā-än-ˈtē-kō 

: the standard polyphonic style of 16th-century church music especially as employed in the 17th century

Most Spanish composers defended the purity and aptness of the stile antico for sacred texts.

—Julie Anne Sadie, Companion to Baroque Music, 1998

compare stile moderno

Word History

First Known Use

1897, in the meaning defined above

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