7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms

GlossaryofMusicalTerms

Term Definition
Acappella Oneormorevocalistsperformingwithoutanaccompaniment.
Accelerando Asymbolusedinmusicalnotationindicatingtograduallyquickentempo.
Accessible Musicthatiseasytolistentoandunderstand.
Adagio Atempohavingslowmovementrestfulatease.
Allegro Adirectiontoplaylivelyandfast.
Atonal Musicthatiswrittenandperformedwithoutregardtoanyspecifickey.
Timeinmusichistoryrangingfromthemiddleofthe16thtothemiddleofthe17th
Baroque
centuries.Characterizedbyemotional,flowerymusicwritteninstrictform.
Beat Theunitofmusicalrhythm.
Asequenceofchordsthatbringsanendtoaphrase,eitherinthemiddleorthe
Cadence
endofacomposition.
Initiallyanimprovisedcadencebyasoloistlaterbecominganelaborateand
Cadenza writtenoutpassageinanariaorconcerto,featuringtheskillsofaninstrumentalist
orvocalist.
Originallyanimprovisedcadencebyasoloist.Lateritbecameawrittenout
Cadenza
passagetodisplayperformanceskillsofaninstrumentalistorperformer.
Amusicalformwherethemelodyortuneisimitatedbyindividualpartsatregular
Canon intervals.Theindividualpartsmayenteratdifferentmeasuresandpitches.The
tunemayalsobeplayedatdifferentspeeds,backwards,orinverted.
Astyleofsingingwhichischaracterizedbytheeasyandflowingtoneofthe
Cantabile
composition.
Cantata Musicwrittenforchorusandorchestra.Mostoftenreligiousinnature.
Capriccio Aquick,improvisational,spiritedpieceofmusic.
Carol AsongorhymncelebratingChristmas.
Castrato Malesingerswhowerecastratedtopreservetheiraltoandsopranovocalrange.
Cavatina Ashortandsimplemelodyperformedbyasoloistthatispartofalargerpiece.
Writtenfor2to10solopartsfeaturingoneinstrumenttoapart.Eachpartbears
Chambermusic
thesameimportance.
Chant Singinginunison,textsinafreerhythm.Similartotherhythmofspeech.
Choir Groupofsingersinachorus.
Chorale Ahymnsungbythechoirandcongregationofteninunison.
Chord 3or4notesplayedsimultaneouslyinharmony.
Chordprogression
Astringofchordsplayedinsuccession.

Chorus Agroupsinginginunison.
Chromaticscale Includesalltwelvenotesofanoctave.
Theperiodofmusichistorywhichdatesfromthemid1700stomid1800s.The
Classical musicwasspareandemotionallyreserved,especiallywhencomparedtoRomantic
andBoroquemusic.
Theperiodofmusichistorywhichdatesfromthemid1800sandlastedaboutsixty
Classicism
years.Therewasastrongregardfororderandbalance.
Clavier Thekeyboardofastringedinstrument.
Insheetmusic,asymbolatthebeginningofthestaffdefiningthepitchofthe
Clef
notesfoundinthatparticularstaff.
Coda Closingsectionofamovement.
Concertmaster Thefirstviolininanorchestra.
Acompositionwrittenforasoloinstrument.Thesoloistplaysthemelodywhilethe
Concerto
orchestraplaystheaccompaniment.
Onewhodirectsagroupofperformers.Theconductorindicatesthetempo,
Conductor
phrasing,dynamics,andstylebygesturesandfacialexpressions.
Consonance Groupsoftonesthatareharmoniouswhensoundedtogetherasinachord.
Contralto Lowestfemalesingingvoice.

http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 1/6
7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms
Counterpoint Twoorthreemelodiclinesplayedatthesametime.
Courante Apieceofmusicwrittenintripletime.AlsoanoldFrenchdance.
Insheetmusic,aninstructiontorepeatthebeginningofthepiecebeforestopping
DaCapo
onthefinalchord.
Deceptivecadence Achordprogressionthatseemstoleadtoresolvingitselfonthefinalchordbut
doesnot.
Development Wherethemusicalthemesandmelodiesaredeveloped,writteninsonataform.
Harsh,discordant,andlackofharmony.Alsoachordthatsoundsincompleteuntilit
Dissonance
resolvesitselfonaharmoniouschord.
Dull,monotonoustonesuchasahummingorbuzzingsound.Alsoabassnoteheld
Drone
underamelody.
Duet Apieceofmusicwrittenfortwovocalistsorinstrumentalists.
Pertainingtotheloudnessorsoftnessofamusicalcomposition.Alsothesymbolsin
Dynamics
sheetmusicindicatingvolume.
Elegy Aninstrumentallamentwithpraiseforthedead.
Apieceofmusicplayedattheendofarecitalrespondingtotheaudiences
Encore
enthusiasticreactiontotheperformance,shownbycontinuousapplause.
Energico Asymbolinsheetmusicadirectiontoplayenergetically.
Enharmonic Twonotesthatdifferinnameonly.Thenotesoccupythesameposition.For
Interval example:CsharpandDflat.
Ensemble Theperformanceofeitherallinstrumentsofanorchestraorvoicesinachorus.
Espressivo Adirectiontoplayexpressively.
Amusicalcompositionwrittensolelytoimprovetechnique.Oftenperformedfor
Etude
artisticinterest.
Thefirstsectionofamovementwritteninsonataform,introducingthemelodies
Exposition
andthemes.
Atonalandviolentstyleusedasameansofevokingheightenedemotionsand
Expressionism
statesofmind.
Astyleofmalesingingwherebypartialuseofthevocalchords,thevoiceisableto
Falsetto
reachthepitchofafemale.
Toholdatoneorrestheldbeyondthewrittenvalueatthediscretionofthe
Fermata
performer.
Theintervalbetweentwonotes.Threewholetonesandonesemitonemakeupthe
Fifth
distancebetweenthetwonotes.
Finale Movementorpassagethatconcludesthemusicalcomposition.
Flat Asymbolindicatingthatthenoteistobediminishedbyonesemitone.
Form Thestructureofapieceofmusic.
Forte Asymbolindicatingtoplayloud.
Theintervalbetweentwonotes.Twowholetonesandonesemitonemakeupthe
Fourth
distancebetweenthetwonotes.
Acompositionwrittenforthreetosixvoices.Beginningwiththeexposition,each
Fugue
voiceentersatdifferenttimes,creatingcounterpointwithoneanother.
Galliard MusicwrittenforalivelyFrenchdancefortwoperformerswrittenintripletime.
A17thcenturydancewritteninQuadrupletime,alwaysbeginningonthethirdbeat
Gavotte
ofthemeasure.
Vocalcompositionwrittenforthreeormoresoloparts,usuallywithoutinstrumental
Glee
accompaniment.
Glissando Slidingbetweentwonotes.
Grandioso Wordtoindicatethatthemovementorentirecompositionistobeplayedgrandly.
Wordtoindicatethemovementorentirecompositionistobeplayedveryslowand
Grave
serious.
Grazioso Wordtoindicatethemovementorentirecompositionistobeplayedgracefully.
Singingorchantinginunisonwithoutstrictrhythm.CollectedduringtheReignof
GregorianChant
PopeGregoryVIIIforpsalmsandotherotherpartsofthechurchservice.
Pleasingcombinationoftwoorthreetonesplayedtogetherinthebackgroundwhile
Harmony
amelodyisbeingplayed.Harmonyalsoreferstothestudyofchordprogressions.
Homophony Musicwrittentobesungorplayedinunison.
Hymn Asongofpraiseandglorification.MostoftentohonorGod.
Impromptu Ashortpianopiece,oftenimprovisationalandintimateincharacter.
Instrumentation Arrangementofmusicforacombinednumberofinstruments.
Interlude Pieceofinstrumentalmusicplayedbetweenscenesinaplayoropera.
Intermezzo Shortmovementorinterludeconnectingthemainpartsofthecomposition.
Interpretation Theexpressiontheperformerbringswhenplayinghisinstrument.
Interval Thedistanceinpitchbetweentwonotes.
Intonation Themannerinwhichtonesareproducedwithregardtopitch.

http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 2/6
7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms
Introduction Theopeningsectionofapieceofmusicormovement.
Key Systemofnotesortonesbasedonandnamedafterthekeynote.
Theflatsandsharpsatthebeginningofeachstafflineindicatingthekeyofmusic
Keysignature
thepieceistobeplayed.
Klangfarbenmelodie Thetechniqueofalteringthetonecolorofasinglenoteormusicallinebychanging
fromoneinstrumenttoanotherinthemiddleofanoteorline.
Leadingnote Theseventhnoteofthescalewherethereisastrongdesiretoresolveonthetonic.
Legato Wordtoindicatethatthemovementorentirecompositionistobeplayedsmoothly.
Leitmotif Amusicalthemegiventoaparticularideaormaincharacterofanopera.
Libretto Abookoftextcontainingthewordsofanopera.
Ligature Curvedlineconnectingnotestobesungorplayedasaphrase.
Acontrapuntalsongwrittenforatleastthreevoices,usuallywithout
Madrigal
accompaniment.
Maestro Referstoanygreatcomposer,conductor,orteacherofmusic.
Oneofthetwomodesofthetonalsystem.Musicwritteninmajorkeyshavea
Major
positiveaffirmingcharacter.
Aformofmusicwrittenformarchingintwosteptime.Originallythemarchwas
March
usedformilitaryprocessions.
Theunitofmeasurewherethebeatsonthelinesofthestaffaredividedupinto
Measure
two,three,fourbeatstoameasure.
Oftenusedinovertures,acompositionthatusespassagesfromothermovements
Medley
ofthecompositioninitsentirety.
Thevoicebetweensopranoandalto.Also,insheetmusic,adirectionforthetempo
Mezzo
tobeplayedatmediumspeed.
Oneofthetwomodesofthetonalsystem.Theminormodecanbeidentifiedbythe
Minor
dark,melancholicmood.
Minuet Slowandstatelydancemusicwrittenintripletime.
Eitherofthetwooctavearrangementsinmodernmusic.Themodesareeither
Modes
majororminor.
Modulation Toshifttoanotherkey.
Monotone Repetitionofasingletone.
Motif Primarythemeorsubjectthatisdeveloped.
Movement Aseparatesectionofalargercomposition.
Musette ABoroquedancewithadronebass.
Musicology Thestudyofforms,history,science,andmethodsofmusic.
Asymbolinsheetmusicthatreturnsanotetoitsoriginalpitchafterithasbeen
Natural
augmentedordiminished.
Neoclassical Movementinmusicwherethecharacteristicsarecrispanddirect.
Amusicalcompositionthathasaromanticordreamycharacterwithnocturnal
Nocturne
associations.
Nonet Acompositionwrittenfornineinstruments.
Notation Firstdevelopedinthe8thcentury,methodsofwritingmusic.
Obbligato Anextendedsolo,oftenaccompanyingthevocalpartofanaria.
Octave Eightfulltonesabovethekeynotewherethescalebeginsandends.
Octet Acompositionwrittenforeightinstruments.
Opera Adramawherethewordsaresunginsteadofspoken.
Operetta Ashortlightmusicaldrama.
Convenientmethodofnumberingacomposersworkswhereanumberfollowsthe
Opus
wordopus.Forexample,Opus28,No.4.
Oratorio Anextendedcantataonasacredsubject.
Orchestra Alargegroupofinstrumentalistsplayingtogether.
Orchestration Arrangingapieceofmusicforanorchestra.Also,thestudyofmusic.
Ornaments Tonesusedtoembellishtheprincipalmelodictone.
Ostinato Arepeatedphrase.
Overture Introductiontoanoperaorotherlargemusicalwork.
Acompositionbasedonpreviouswork.AcommontechniqueusedinMedievaland
Parody
Renaissancemusic.
Part Alineinacontrapuntalworkperformedbyanindividualvoiceorinstrument.
Partial Aharmonicgivenoffbyanotewhenitisplayed.
Partita SuiteofBaroquedances.
Pastoral Acompositionwhosestyleissimpleandidyllicsuggestiveofruralscenes.
Amusicalscalehavingfivenotes.Forexample:thefiveblackkeysofakeyboard
PentatonicScale
makeupapentatonicscale.
Phrase Asinglelineofmusicplayedorsung.Amusicalsentence.
http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 3/6
7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms
Piano Aninstructioninsheetmusictoplaysoftly.Abbreviatedbyap.
Pitch Thefrequencyofanotedetermininghowhighorlowitsounds.
Pizzicato Stringinstrumentsthatarepickedinsteadofbowed.
Combininganumberofindividualbutharmonizingmelodies.Alsoknownas
Polyphony
counterpoint.
Polytonality Combinationoftwoormorekeysbeingplayedatthesametime.
Portamento Amildglissandobetweentwonotesforanexpressiveeffect.
Ashortpieceoriginallyprecededbyamoresubstantialwork,alsoanorchestral
Prelude
introductiontoopera,howevernotlengthyenoughtobeconsideredanoverture.
Presto Adirectioninsheetmusicindicatingthetempoistobeveryfast.
Progression Themovementofchordsinsuccession.
Quadrille A19thcenturysquaredancewrittenfor4couples.
Quartet Asetoffourmusicianswhoperformacompositionwrittenforfourparts.
Quintet Asetoffivemusicianswhoperformacompositionwrittenforfiveparts.
Recapitulation Areprise.
Recital Asoloconcertwithorwithoutaccompaniment.
Aformofwritingforvocalsthatisclosetothemannerofspeechandis
Recitative
rhythmicallyfree.
Thepieceofcaneinwindinstruments.Theplayerscausevibrationsbyblowing
Reed
throughitinordertoproducesound.
Refrain Arepeatingphrasethatisplayedattheendofeachverseinthesong.
Register Aportionoftherangeoftheinstrumentorvoice.
Relativemajorand Themajorandminorkeysthatsharethesamenotesinthatkey.Forexample:A
minor minorsharesthesamenoteasCmajor.
Abilitytodeterminethepitchofanoteasitrelatestothenotesthatprecedeand
Relativepitch
followit.
Aperiodinhistorydatingfromthe14thto16thcenturies.Thisperiodsignifiedthe
Renaissance
rebirthofmusic,art,andliterature.
Torepeatapreviouspartofacompositiongenerallyafterothermusichasbeen
Reprise
played.
Requiem Adirge,hymn,ormusicalserviceforthereposeofthedead.
Whenseveralstringsaretunedtoharmonicallyrelatedpitches,allstringsvibrate
Resonance
whenonlyoneofthestringsisstruck.
Theelementofmusicpertainingtotime,playedasagroupingofnotesinto
Rhythm
accentedandunaccentedbeats.
Ricercar ElaboratepolyphoniccompositionoftheBoroqueandRenaissanceperiods.
Rigaudon Aquick20thcenturydancewrittenindoubletime.
Rococo Amusicalstylecharacterizedasexcessive,ornamental,andtrivial.
Aperiodinhistoryduringthe18thandearly19thcenturieswherethefocusshifted
Romantic
fromtheneoclassicalstyletoanemotional,expressive,andimaginativestyle.
Amusicalformwheretheprincipalthemeisrepeatedseveraltimes.Therondowas
Rondo
oftenusedforthefinalmovementsofclassicalsonataformworks.
Root Theprincipalnoteofatriad.
Acanonwherethemelodyissungintwoormorevoices.Afterthefirstvoice
Round begins,thenextvoicestartssingingafteracoupleofmeasuresareplayedinthe
precedingvoice.Allpartsrepeatcontinuously.
AnimportantcharacteristicoftheRomanticperiod.Itisastylewherethestrict
Rubato
tempoistemporarilyabandonedforamoreemotionaltone.
Scale Successivenotesofakeyormodeeitherascendingordescending.
Scherzo Pertainingtothesonataform,afastmovementintripletime.
Theretuningofastringedinstrumentinordertoplaynotesbelowtheordinary
Scordatura
rangeoftheinstrumentortoproduceanusualtonecolor.
Septet Asetofsevenmusicianswhoperformacompositionwrittenforsevenparts.
Sequence Asuccessivetranspositionandrepetitionofaphraseatdifferentpitches.
Alightheartedpiece,writteninseveralmovements,usuallyasbackgroundmusic
Serenade
forasocialfunction.
Sextet Asetofsixmusicianswhoperformacompositionwrittenforsixparts.
Sharp Asymbolindicatingthenoteistoberaisedbyonesemitone.
Slide Aglissandoorportamento.Alsoreferstothemovingpartofatrombone.
Slur Acurveovernotestoindicatethataphraseistobeplayedlegato.
Musicofaparticularformconsistingoffourmovements.Eachofthemovements
Sonata
differintempo,rhythm,andmelodybutareheldtogetherbysubjectandstyle.
Acomplexpieceofmusic.Usuallythefirstmovementofthepieceservingasthe
Sonataform
exposition,adevelopment,orrecapitulation.
Sonatina Ashortorbriefsonata.
http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 4/6
7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms
Asequenceofsongs,perhapsonasingletheme,orwithtextsbyonepoet,or
Songcycle
havingcontinuosnarrative.
Soprano Thehighestfemalevoice.
Staccato Shortdetachednotes,asopposedtolegato.
Madeupoffivehorizontalparallellinesandthespacesbetweenthemonwhich
Staff
musicalnotationiswritten.
Pertainingtothefugue,theoverlappingofthesamethemeormotifbytwoormore
Stretto
voicesafewbeatsapart.
StringQuartet Agroupof4instruments,twoviolins,aviola,andcello.
Suite Aloosecollectionofinstrumentalcompositions.
Symphony Threetofourmovementorchestralpiece,generallyinsonataform.
Acombinationoftwoormorestavesonwhichallthenotesareverticallyaligned
System
andperformedsimultaneouslyindifferingregistersandinstruments.
Asystemofnotationforstringedinstruments.Thenotesareindicatedbythefinger
Tablature
positions.
Temperament Referstothetuningofaninstrument.
Tempo Indicatingspeed.
Tessitura Therangeofaninstrumentaloravocalpart.
Theme Amelodicor,sometimesaharmonicideapresentedinamusicalform.
Tonecolor,qualityofsoundthatdistinguishesoneverseorinstrumenttoanother.
Timbre
Itisdeterminedbytheharmoniesofsound.
TimeSignature Anumericsymbolinsheetmusicdeterminingthenumberofbeatstoameasure.
Tonal Pertainstotoneortones.
Tonality Thetonalcharacteristicsdeterminedbytherelationshipofthenotestothetone.
Theintonation,pitch,andmodulationofacompositionexpressingthemeaning,
Tone
feeling,orattitudeofthemusic.
Toneless Unmusical,withouttone.
Tonic Thefirsttoneofascalealsoknownasakeynote.
Theplayingorsingingtheupperhalfofthevocalrange.Alsothehighestvoicein
Treble
choralsinging.
Tremolo Quickrepetitionofthesamenoteortherapidalternationbetweentwonotes.
Triad Threenotechordsconsistingofaroot,third,andfifth.
Trill Rapidalternationbetweennotesthatareahalftoneorwholetoneapart.
Acompositionwrittenforthreevoicesandinstrumentsperformedbythree
Trio
persons.
Tripletime Timesignaturewiththreebeatstothemeasure.
Triplet Threenotesplayedinthesameamountoftimeasoneortwobeats.
Achordcomprisedofthreewholetonesresultinginanaugmentedfourthor
Tritone
diminishedfifth.
Tune Arhythmicsuccessionofmusicaltones,amelodyforinstrumentsandvoices.
Theraisingandloweringapitchofaninstrumenttoproducethecorrecttoneofa
Tuning
note.
Tutti Passagefortheentireensembleororchestrawithoutasoloist.
Twelvetonemusic
Musiccomposedsuchthateachnoteisusedthesamenumberoftimes.

Unison Twoormorevoicesorinstrumentsplayingthesamenotesimultaneously.
AformofItalianoperabeginningattheendofthe19thcentury.Thesettingis
Verismo contemporarytothecomposersowntime,andthecharactersaremodeledafter
everydaylife.
Vibrato Creatingvariationpitchinanotebyquicklyalternatingbetweennotes.
Virtuoso Apersonwithnotabletechnicalskillintheperformanceofmusic.
Vivace Directiontoperformertoplayacompositioninabrisk,lively,andspiritedmanner.
Oneoftwoormorepartsinpolyphonicmusic.Voicereferstoinstrumentalpartsas
Voice
wellasthesingingvoice.
Adancewrittenintripletime,wheretheaccentfallsonthefirstbeatofeach
Waltz
measure.
Wholenote Awholenoteisequalto2halfnotes,4quarternotes,8eighthnotes,etc.
Wholetonescale Ascaleconsistingofonlywholetonenotes.Suchascaleconsistsofonly6notes.

HISTORYOFMUSIC GLOSSARYOFMUSICALTERMS PORTRAITGALLERY CLASSICALMIDIFILES LINKS EMAIL

Enterkeyword(s)tosearchthissite:

http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 5/6
7/3/2017 Glossary of Musical Terms

http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html 6/6