Self-pity

Sentimentality ( larme of French, " tear" ) is an educational and linguistic (Today) disparaging loan word for maudlin and sentimental hypersensitivity to self-pity, whining and pronounced self-pity.

Music, theater

In the stage of life, the marking " sentimentality " concentrated on his sentimental component.

A corresponding vocal style was a long time in the opera, especially in Italian operas of the verismo (for example by Puccini, Mascagni and Cilea ), as usual. A typical example would be incurred after 1930 shots of the world- famous tenor Beniamino Gigli. An example of this is his version of the aria Vesti la giubba ( will hide your face ), the lament of the Pagliacci of Leoncavallo 's opera, which is still frequently enriched by tenors with seemingly striking sobs. The tragedy of the deceived husband should be brought to the will of the composer rather by purely vocal means (such as darkening of the voice ) for expression.

In French, the term is named for literary categories such as Comédie larmoyante ( touching comedy) and genre larmoyant ( melodrama ).