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| ONLINE GLOSSARY |
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Total Number of Terms : 1004
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| A Ballata -- In the style of a ballad. A simple song of natural construction |
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| A Battuta -- As beaten; strictly in tempo |
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| A Cappella -- One or more vocalists performing without an accompaniment |
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| A tempo -- Return to the previous tempo |
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| Accelerando -- A symbol used in musical notation indicating to gradually quicken tempo |
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| Accent -- Emphasis placed on a particular note that gives it more stress than the others |
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| Accesible -- Music that is easy to listen to and understand |
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| Accompagnato -- Accompanied |
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| Acid Rock -- Genre of American rock that emerged in the late 1960's, often associated with psychedelic drugs. Its style featured heavy amplification, instrumental improvisation, new sound technologies, and light shows |
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| Acoustical Instrument -- Any musical instrument not relying on external power for operation. Virtually all standard orchestral instruments are acoustic instruments while most instruments used by Rock musicians are electric |
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| Acoustics -- How a room sounds based on reverberation and other acoustical qualities |
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| Action -- Term applied to the mechanical workings of an instrument, typically of keyboard instruments |
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| Acutus -- The earliest form of musical notation from the two signs of Greek prosody (written text to be performed) indicating stress, pitch, length of syllables in the text. The acutus indicates a rising inflection of the voice |
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| Ad Lib -- A term used in jazz music as a slang for an improvised solo, or a solo performed without written notation, but where the performer improvises a melody based around the melodic and harmonic structure of the original melody |
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| Ad libitum -- Indication to omit a section or improvise |
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| Adagietto -- A slow tempo marking between Largo and Andante, but slightly faster than Adagio |
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| Adagissimo -- An extremely slow tempo marking slower than Largo |
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| additive meter -- Groupings of beats that adds up to an overall |
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| Aeolian -- A mode used in Gregorian chant based upon the sixth tone of the major scale. In the key of C, the Aeolian mode would be based on A, and would include A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A |
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| Aerophone -- An instrument such as the flute, whistle, and horn that produces sound by using air as the primary vibrating means |
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| Affabilita -- A directive to perform the indicated passage with ease and elegance; with affability; in a pleasing and agreeable manner |
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| Affannoso -- A directive to perform the indicated passage with anxious expression |
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| Affrettando -- A directive to perform the indicated passage in a hurried manner |
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| Agilita -- A directive to perform the indicated passage with lightness or agility |
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| Agitato -- Agitated or restless |
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| Agrements -- The French term for ornament or embellishment. Originally, Embellishments introduced in French music of the 17th century typically in keyboard music |
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| Air -- A tune, song or melody. Sometimes found in suites |
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| Al Fine -- An indication to the performer to repeat a composition either from the beginning (da capo), or from the dal segno symbol, to the place marked fine (the end of the composition) |
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| Alba -- In the repertory of the troubadours and Trouvères, a song dealing with a lover's morning departure from his beloved after an illicit tryst |
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| Alberti Bass -- A stereotyped accompaniment played on a keyboard instrument with the left hand. The chords of the Alberti Bass are played as arpeggios, or broken chords. Named for Domenico Alberti ca. (1710 - 1740) who used them extensively, they are quite common to the works of Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and early Ludwig van Beethoven |
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| Aleatory Music -- Music in which the composer introduces the elements of chance or unpredictability with regard to either the composition or its performance. This is not a 20th century invention as it was known in the 18th century in the form of dice music in which dice were used to determine which measures of the music would be performed |
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| Alegria -- Joyful flamenco dance from the province of Cadiz
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| All Ottava -- This is a directive to perform an indicated note or passage of a composition one octave higher than notated. Typically, this is indicated by an 8va or 8 over the note or passage followed by a dotted line over the top of all notes to be transposed. The end of the dotted line has a downstroke indicating that the following notes should be performed as written. The directive loco ("at place") is often found at the end of an all' ottava passage that also directs the performer to perform the notes in their correct place or as written |
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| Alla Breve -- A tempo marking indicating a quick duple meter with the half note rather than the quarter note getting the beat (2/2 rather than 4/4). Both the name and the sign are a vestige of mensural notation and of the proportions (Tempus imperfectum diminutum) |
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| Alla Caccia -- A directive to perform the indicated passage in the style of hunting music |
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| Alla Siciliano -- A directive to the musician to perform a composition in the style of a siciliana |
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| Allant -- A directive to a musician to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a bustling or lively manner |
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| Allargando -- Growing broader, getting slower and louder
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| Allegretto -- Just a "little allegro", slower than allegro |
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| Allegro -- Fast, cheerful |
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| Allemande -- German dance in 3/4 time, 16th/17th, rather slow. Like a landler. Often the first dance in the classic suite
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| Allemande -- A dance in moderate duple meter first appearing in the early 16th century and was frequently followed by a more lively dance in triple meter or, in the 17th century, by the courante. In the 17th century it became a stylized dance type that was regularly used as the first movement of a dance suite. These allemandes are in a very moderate 4/4 time |
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| Alliteration -- A characteristic of ancient Northern European poetry such as Beowulf consisting of the use of words with the same initial letter. This principle was adopted by Richard Wagner in Der Ring des Nibelungen, for example, "Nach Welten-Wonne mein Wunsch verlangte aus wild webendem Bangen |
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| Alternate Singing -- Two choirs singing in alternation in a religious service. The response made by one part of the choir to another, or the congregation responding to the priest in a Roman Catholic service |
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| Alto -- Lowest of the female voices |
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| Alto Crumhorn -- A Medieval and Renaissance wind instrument of the recorder family that plays in the alto range |
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| Alto Flute -- Woodwind instrument of the flute family that plays in the alto register |
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| Am Steg -- A directive to string players to play a particular passage very near, or directly on top the bridge |
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| Ambrosian Chant -- A purely diatonic series of sacred melodies or chants collected and introduced into the Church by Saint Ambrose |
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| Amorevole -- A directive to a musician to perform a selected passage of a composition in a loving manner |
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| Anacrusis -- An Upbeat or a pickup note(s); a term used for unstressed notes at the beginning of a phrase of music |
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| Analysis -- The study of music that focuses on the form or structure of the music itself. There are several methods of analysis, including analysis by harmonic structure, theme, by form, and by phrase |
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| Anapest -- A musical foot consisting of two short notes or syllables, followed by one long |
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| Andante -- Moderately slow or walking pace |
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| Andante -- Word used to suggest the speed of a piece of music |
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| Animé -- A directive to a musician to perform the indicated passage of a composition in a lively and animated manner |
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| Anonymous -- Term attached to a musical composition when the composer is unknown |
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| Answer -- Second entry of the subject in a fugue, usually pitched a fourth below or a fifth above the original subject. If the theme is altered slightly in the answer, then it is said to be a 'tonal' answer, if it is entirely unaltered, it is said to be a 'real' answer |
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| Antara -- Andean panpipes typically made of cane or clay |
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| Anthem -- Short vocal composition |
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| Antibacchius -- A musical foot of three syllables, the first two long or accented, the third short, or unaccented |
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| Anticipation -- A musical foot of three syllables, the first two long or accented, the third short, or unaccented |
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| Antiphonal -- A performance style in which an ensemble is divided into two or more groups, performing alternately as separate groups and in unison |
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| Antique Cymbals -- A set of two small disks of brass each held in one hand of the performer that are played by being struck together gently and allowed to vibrate. The antique cymbals are pitched percussion instruments and can be mounted as a chromatic set |
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| Appassionato -- A directive to a performer to play a certain passage passionately, or with intense emotion or feeling |
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| Appoggiatura -- Leaning note; grace note; note of embellishment usually one step above (sometimes, though seldom, it is one step below) the main note. Before an even or unaltered note, the appoggiatura generally receives its face value, that is one-half the value of the note that follows; before a dotted note it receives more than its face value, that is to say that it should be given two-thirds of the value of the following note. If the note is of the same pitch as the principal note of the appoggiatura, the grace note receives the entire value of its principal note, but is carried to the next note with strong portamento |
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| Arabesque -- Decorative musical material |
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| Architectural Acoustics -- The term used to describe how the structure of a room or building affects the flow of sound. Also, the study and design behind creating acoustically balanced concert halls and theaters |
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| Arco -- Indication to string-players that they should use the bow |
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| Aria -- Lyric song expressing intense emotion |
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| Aria -- It indicates formally constructed songs in opera |
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| Arpeggio -- When the notes of a chord are played individually (or one note at a time) as opposed to simultaneously
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| Arrangement -- The selection and adaptation of a composition or parts of a composition to instruments for which it was not originally designed or for some other use for which it was not at first written |
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| Ars Antiqua -- Term used by 14th century writers to distinguish the French sacred polyphonic musical style of the 13th century (c. 1260 - 1320) from that of the Ars nova (new art). The term 'antiqua' is now generally extended to include the earlier music of the Notre Dame period (that of Léonin and Pérotin), thus covering the musical styles from c. 1160 - 1320 |
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| Ars Nova -- French musical style of the 14th century. The term is generally used to distinguish the music from the time period of c.1316 to the death of composer Guillaume de Machaut (1377) from the earlier musical style of the Ars antiqua. During the ars nova period, musical themes were transformed increasingly from religious to secular |
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| Arsis and Thesis -- Terms used respectively for unstressed and stressed beats, or upbeats and downbeats |
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| Art Rock -- Genre of rock music that uses larger forms and more complex harmonies than other popular styles; occasionally quotes examples from classical music |
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| Art Song -- A song of serious artistic purpose designed for the concert hall as opposed to traditional songs or folk songs. An art song is usually sung by a solo voice with accompaniment. In German it is called lieder, in French, chanson. An art song is a complete composition in itself and is not part of a larger work such as an opera or and oratorio |
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| Articulation -- Sign that affects how the music is played and connected together, consisting of accents, slurs, or phrase marks
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| Asperges me -- The opening of the Mass in the Catholic service; it is not a number of the musical Mass itself, but sung during the purification of the alter at the beginning of the service |
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| Assai -- Indications to performers of the speed of a piece of music |
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| Assembly -- A military bugle call, in the category of formation calls, played to signal troops to assemble at a designated location |
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| Atonal -- Music that has no specific tonality |
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| Attaca -- Proceed without a pause between movements |
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| Attention -- A military bugle call, in the category of warning calls, played to warn the troops that they are about to be called to attention |
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| Aubade -- A morning music, the opposite of a serenade
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| Autoharp -- A zither-type folk instrument of German origin, popular in the USA since the late 19th century. The player strums the strings with fingers or plectrum with one hand, while the other hand controls a system of dampers. Each damper dampens all the strings except those of the chord required. It is usually rectangular having 15 to 20 strings and a range of two to four octaves |
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| Auxiliary Tone -- In part writing, an ornamentation such as a grace note, which is an unaccented, non-harmonic note immediately above or below a principal or harmonic note |
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| Avec -- With, as in avec verve "with spirit" |
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| Axe -- Slang for instrument |
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