Bel canto is singing characterized by full, rich, broad, and flexible tone. The term applies especially to an Italian singing style, developed in the 1600's and 1700's, which was much used by opera performers during the 1700's and early 1800's. The term bel canto is Italian for beautiful song. The main goals of the art were to develop a voice that produced a pleasing, even level of sound throughout the whole of its range and was capable of singing highly florid passages full of rapid scales and decorations with lightness and grace and without noticeable effort. A bel canto singer also needed a good sense of musical and dramatic style. According to some experts, bel canto also emphasized fine legato phrasing, in which each note of the tune was carried over to the next to produce a long, uninterrupted strand of melody.