Glossary of Musical Terms
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Page 1 Glossary of Music al Terms AB form a musical form with a main theme and a alto lowest female voice; same as contralto; contrasting theme (binary). second highest part in choral or part music. ABA form three part form: a musical form with analogous concept a concept used in the same a main theme, a contrasting theme and a return to way across the arats, such as repetition or the main theme (A-B-A). contrast. AABA form a musical form with repeated main andante literally, “at a walking pace;” theme, a contrasting theme, and a final return to a moderately slow tempo, between allegretto and main theme. adagio. AABB form form where two different melodies anthem a short choral setting of a religious text, are each repeated. either with or without solo parts; also a short, solemn, secular voiced piece, as in national anthem. a cappella choral music without instrumental accompaniment; it is Italian for “in chapel style” (in antiphonal singing that alternates between the style of a small place of worship). g r o u p s , o r in d iv id u a l s a n d g r o u p s . accelerando a gradual quickening of the tempo; arco playing a stringed instrument with a bow, as accel. opposed to pizzicato (plucking the strings). accidental a sharp (#), flat (b) or natural ( ) aria an accompanied song sung by a solo voice. that appears in the musical score but is not part of the key signature; arpeggio literally, “harp-like;” the notes of a chord sounded in succession rather than accent greater emphasis on note or chord; often simultaneously. indicated by ^ or > placed above the note or chord. arrangement the adaptation of a composition for accompaniment a subordinate musical part that a medium different from that for which it was supports the main theme or melody. originally written. ad lib, ad libitum indicates that the performer articulation the way in which musical tones are may vary the tempo of a composition in a musical attacked. It is related to the clarity in vocal or way. instrumental performance. Legato and staccato are types of articulation. adagio a slow moderately tempo, between andante and largo. art song a song written for beauty, to express great musical emotion. aesthetic a philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art and taste and with the creation and a tempo return to the previous tempo after appreciation of beauty. slowing down or speeding up. agogo an African percussion instrument consisting atonal music music not in any key, or without of conical metal bells, each having a different tonality. pitch. atonality the lack of a tonal center. allegretto moderately fast tempo, between allegro and andante. augmentation presentation of a melody in longer notes. allegro fast, lively temp aural relating to the sense of hearing. Excerpt from MusicaLive! 2005, NAD Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Page 2 autoharp a stringed instrument on which simple brace a bracket connecting two or more staffs in chords are produced by strumming the strings; bars, a musical score. upon being depressed, damp all strings except those selected for the chord. brass instruments a group of wind instruments made of brass and other metals and played by balalaika a triangular-shaped Russian stringed blowing through a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped instrument. mouthpiece; the chief brass instruments of the orchestra are the trumpet, trombone, French horn, ballad a song that tells a story in which all and tuba. verses are sung to the same melody; also a narrative poem breath control method used in breathing to help produce good vocal and instrumental tone. band an ensemble consisting mainly of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. bridge part of a stringed instrument that supports the strings and transmits vibrations to the banjo a stringed instrument with a body shaped body of the instrument. like a shallow drum;, a long neck with frets, and five or six strings, played by plucking or strumming. broken 7th chord a chord where the tones are played individually with an interval of a seventh bar line a vertical line drawn on the staff to occurring between the first and last note. divide music into measures. cadence a succession of chords, usually two, at Baroque music European music from the period the end of a section or a composition, giving a between 166 and 1750. feeling of rest or finality. bass the lowest male voice. canon a strict form of imitation in which a melody, stated in one part, is imitated for its entire length in one or more other parts. beat the basic unit of time and the underlying pulse in music; the basic unit within a measure. cantata a musical composition consisting of vocal solos, recitatives, duets, and choruses with behavioral objective statement that contains instrumental accompaniment. specific skills or behaviors that learners are expected to acquire. carol a traditional seasonal song of a joyful character; particularly for Christmas. bi-tonal the simultaneous use of two different keys in different parts of the musical fabric. cello short for violoncello; an instrument of the violin family which plays tones mainly in the bass binary form music composed of two contrasting range; lowest member of the string quartet. sections, A and B. chamber music instrumental ensemble music blend a harmonizing of voices having similar intended for performance in a private room or small qualities. auditorium and usually having one performer for each part. blues music which gives a sad feeling. changing meter frequent changes of meter in a body percussion sounds made by clapping hands musical composition. slapping thigh and chest, and stamping the ground. chant a single, unaccompanied melody. bongo drums a pair of small connected drums with different pitches; held between the knees and choir a group of singers, especially in a church. struck with the hands. choirmaster the person who directs the choir. bowing the technique of using the bow on stringed instruments. choral music music written for a chorus or choir. Excerpt from MusicaLive! 2005, NAD Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Page 3 chorale early Protestant hymn tune. composer a person who writes music. chord three or more tones sounded con moto with movement; with animation. simultaneously. concert performance of music open to the public. chord root the fundamental tone on which a chord is built. concerto a composition, usually in three movements, for solo instrument and orchestra. chorus a large group of singers; a choral segment of an oratorio, the refrain of a song. concerto grosso musical form, similar to the concerto, but using a small group of instruments chromatic scale a scale entirely composed of against the full orchestra. half steps. conductor the director of a band, choral group, chromaticism notes that move to the closest or orchestra who, by means of hand and body note above or below, often requiring sharp, flat, or motions, coordinates the ensembles’s performance. natural signs. conjunct a term used to describe melodies that church sonata chamber music written for move by stepwise intervals. performance in church conservatory a school specializing in one of the classical a European musical period characterized fine arts. by emotional restraint and in which formal structure and design play a predominant part; the consonant harmoniously sounding pitches. term usually refers to the period of Haydn and Mozart (1750-1825) contour the shape of a melody. classical symphony an elaborate form of the contralto the lowest female voice; same as alto sonata for orchestra. cooperative learning working together in a clarinet a woodwind instrument consisting of an group to achieve learning. end-blown cylindrical pipe made of wood, ebonite, or metal, a mouthpiece with a single reed, finger countermelody a melody that is added above or holes, and keys. below the main melody. clavichord an early keyboard instrument having counterpart music in which two or more melodic strings that were struck rather than plucked. lines are sounded simultaneously; the technique of writing such music. clavier a generic word for all keyboard instruments. crescendo gradually getting louder, abbreviated cresc.; clef a sign placed at the beginning of a staff designating the pitches of the lines and spaces. cumulative song a song with many verses and each successive verse containing a new word or coda a composed ending of a musical composition. phrase. cognitive the process of mental learning. cut time the half note gets one beat; dividing the meter by 2. 4/4 = 2/2 codetta a little coda, or ending. cymbals a percussion instrument consisting of a col legno tap strings with wood of the bow. pair of large round metal discs which are either clashed together or struck with a drum stick. common time 4/4 meter. (the symbol may be C) composition a written piece of music Excerpt from MusicaLive! 2005, NAD Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Page 4 da capo abbreviated D.C.; indicating that the downbeat the first beat of the measure. music is to be repeated from the beginning. Da capo al fine indicates that the music is to be dulcimer a name given to several types of repeated from the beginning to the word fine. American traditional stringed instruments, including the plucked dulcimer and the hammered dulcimer. dal segno abbreviated D.S.; indication for repetition not from the beginning, but from a place duet a composition for two performers; a marked by the sign.?? combination of two performers. decorum propriety and good taste in conduct and duple meter meter based on two beats or appearance. multiples of two. decrescendo gradually getting softer; duration length of time a vibration or sound abbreviated decresc.; also indicated by the symbol.