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2/11/10 8:50 AMMasterworks, A Musical Discovery Chapter 1 -- Glossary

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Aa (Ital.)

for. The indications a2 or a3 mean the line is to beplayed by both or all three members of the section.

a cappella (Ital., "in chapel fashion")

Without instrumental accompaniment; applied tochoral music, particularly of the Renaissance.

a tempo (Ital.)

Return to the original tempo.

absolute music Instrumental music without illustrative orprogrammatic intent.

accelerando (Ital.)

Growing faster; accelerating.

accent Emphasis of a musical event, typically by increasedvolume or sharper attack.

accidental Notational symbol used to raise or lower a pitch.accompagnato(Ital.)

Accompanied; as in recitativo accompagnato(recitative with orchestral accompaniment).

acoustics Science of sound and its perception.ad libitum (Lat.)

At will, or at the pleasure of the performer; typicallyan optional part that may be left out.

adagio (Ital.)

Slow. Also used generically to describe a slowmovement.

Agnus Dei (Lat., "Lamb of God")

Last movement of a choral mass.

Alberti Bass Accompanimental figure for the left hand in keyboardmusic, named after the composer Domenico Alberti (c.1710-40), where the triads are broken into patterns ofshort note values.

alla breve (Ital.)

Time signature indicating progress by half note.

allargando (Ital.)

A broadening (and often slowing and swelling),usually at the end of a movement.

allegretto (Ital.)

Somewhat slower than allegro, and by extensionsomewhat lighter.

allegro Fast. Allegro assai = Quite fast. Allegro con brio =

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allegro (Ital.) Fast and bright. Allegro ma non troppo = Not too fast.

Allegro moderato = Moderately fast. Allegro molto =Quite fast. Allegro vivace = Fast and spirited.

alto (Ital.)

(1) The second highest of the four customary voiceparts, below the soprano and above the tenor. (2)Singer with that vocal range. (3) [in scores] Viola. Theterm alto is also used to describe models of the fluteand clarinet lower than the usual one.

andante (Ital., "walking")

At moderate speed.

andantino (Ital.)

Term that has come to mean a little faster thanandante, but which once meant a little slower thanandante.

animato (Ital.)

Animated; typically suggesting getting faster.

answer Response in a new voice to the subject of a fugue,usually a fifth above it.

antecedent:That which precedes the consequent

thus the first half of a two-part phrase, where thesecond seems to be an appropriate outcome of the first.

anthem English sacred choral composition for the Anglicanservice, often accompanied by organ. Also, any solemnhymn.

antiphony(adj. antiphonal)

Referring to music by multiple performing groupsseparated by space.

arabesque Florid turn of melody.arco (Ital., "bow")

Cancels the instruction "pizzicato" ("pizz.").

aria(Ital.)

Composition for solo voice, usually a movement of alarger work.

arioso(Ital.)

Lyrical manner midway in style between recitative andaria, esp. in operatic solo scenes.

arpeggio(Ital., "harplike")

Chord where the pitches are played in successionrather than simultaneously.

assai(Ital.)

Very; as in Allegro assai (very fast).

atonality Having no allegiance to tonality; not having a key.attacca(Ital.)

Attack, i.e., go on to the next movement withoutpause.

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augmentation Stating familiar melodic materials in longer-than-ordinary note values.

augmented interval Intervals a half step wider than the correspondingmajor or perfect interval.

avant-garde(Fr., "forward guard")

Term that describes the most progressive or radicalelement of an artistic movement.

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baguette(Fr.)

Drumstick; usually part of a direction to the timpanistor bass drum player to use an alternative kind of stick.Baguettes d'éponge = sponge-headed drumsticks.Baguettes de bois = wooden drumsticks.

ballad Self-contained narrative (i.e., storytelling) song. Also,any singable or popular tune.

ballade(Fr., pronounced "bah-lahd")

Title given by Chopin to four major one-movementworks for piano solo. Later composers, notablyBrahms, also used the title.

bar Same as measure; the basic unit of meter.bar line Vertical line separating measures (or bars) of music in

a score.baritone (1) Voice part midway between tenor and bass. (2)

Brass instrument having the appearance of a smalltuba. (3) Member of an instrument family betweentenor and bass; as in baritone saxophone.

bass (1) Lowest-sounding voice part. (2) Double bass viol,lowest of the orchestral string instruments. (3) Lowest-sounding line of a score, or the lowest pitch in a chord.(4) Lowest-sounding member of a family ofinstruments, as in bass clarinet.

basso continuo(Ital.)

In Baroque music, a continuously sounding bass partover which the rest of the composition is built.

beat Prevailing metrical pulse.bebop Jazz style that emerged in the 1940s, an alternative

developed by black musicians to the white big bands.bel canto(Ital., "beautiful singing")

Prevailing vocal ideal in solo vocal music from theBaroque forward.

binary form Musical forms in two sections (graphed as A and B),very often repeated (AABB).

bitonality

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bitonality Use of two keys at once.blue note Flattened inflection of scale degrees 3 and/or 7 in a

major key.blues Musical style at the heart of the music of black

Americans and permeating jazz and popular forms.boogie-woogie Fast jazz style that developed in the 1930s, featuring a

driving ostinato bass.bop See bebop.bourrée(Fr.)

Lively Baroque dance movement in duple meter,usually with prominent upbeat.

bridge (1) In sonata form, passage in the exposition that takesthe harmony away from tonic and to dominant,arriving at the second group. Used interchangeablywith, but more often than, the term transition. (2)Component of string instruments that raises the stringsoff the belly.

BWV Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis, or index of Bach's works,organized by genre.

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cadence (1) Arrival at harmonic rest. (2) In parade music, thedrumbeat.

cadenza Passage of improvisatory display for the soloist,especially in a concerto.

canon Musical procedure where a second voice is generatedby following a rule (or "canon").

cantabile(Ital.)

Singingly; in lyric fashion.

cantata(Ital., "sung work")

Genre of vocal composition originating in the Baroque,sacred or secular, for soloist or chorus.

cantus firmus(Lat.)

Melody from some other work borrowed to serve asthe basis for a new polyphonic composition.

cantus firmus mass See cantus firmus. A Renaissance mass in which allthe movements are based on the same cantus firmus istermed a cyclic mass (see cyclicism).

capriccio(Ital.)

A caprice, usually a light, fanciful, and imaginativesolo work, darting about from segment to segment.

celesta Keyboard instrument of the orchestral percussion




celestasection where metal plates are struck by hammers.Invented in the late nineteenth century.

chaconne(Fr.)

Work built on an ostinato bass (or ground bass). Seealso passacaglia.

chamber music Originally, music not intended for the church, theater,or concert hall. Now the term implies a performinggroup of small size.

chanson(Fr.)

Song.

chant Monophonic liturgical repertoire of the Catholicchurch. See also plainchant, plainsong, Gregorianchant.

character piece Descriptive miniature composition of the Romanticperiod, usually for piano.

chorale Congregational hymn of the Lutheran church.chorale prelude Work for organ based on a Protestant chorale and

serving to introduce its singing.chord Group of pitches sounding simultaneously; often a

triad (three notes) or seventh chord (four notes).chromatic scale Scale that includes all 12 pitches.chromaticism Style of composition that makes pointed use of

chromatic melodies and harmonies. (See alsosemitone.)

circle of fifths Diagram in which the 12 pitches and associated keysare set around a circle where each member is a fifthhigher.

clavier Keyboard. Often used as generic term to describe anykeyboard instrument.

clef Sign that associates a line on a staff with a particularpitch and thus serves as a "key" to the system.

closing theme Theme that concludes the exposition in a sonata form.coda(Ital., "tail")

Closing section of a movement.

col legno(Ital., "with the wood" of the bow)

Hitting the strings with the wood, instead of the hair,of the bow.

collegium musicum(Lat.)

Society of musicians performing for their ownpleasure.

coloratura Florid embellishment of a vocal line, esp. for soprano




coloratura(Ital.) in the high register; a soprano who specializes in such

parts.compound meter Meter containing triple (instead of duple) subdivisions

of the beat (e.g., , , and ).con brio(Ital.)

With spirit, lively; as in Allegro con brio.

con fuoco(Ital.)

With fury, furiously; as in Allegro con fuoco.

con moto(Ital.)

With motion; as in Allegro con moto.

con sordino(Ital.)

With mute, muted. Cancelled by the indication "senza"(without).

concert overture Overture intended to stand alone in a concert, not togo before a theater piece.

concertante(Fr.)

Concerto-like composition for more than one soloinstrument and orchestra, popular in France in theeighteenth century.

concertino Soloists in a concerto grosso (often two violins). Seealso ripieno.

concertmaster Principal first violinist in an orchestra.concerto Work for soloist(s) and orchestra.concerto grosso Instrumental ritornello form from the Baroque, where a

small group of solo players (the concertino) alternateswith the large orchestra (ripieno).

consequent Musical material that follows the antecedent and givesit balance and closure.

consonance Musical stability as perceived in certain intervals andchords. The opposite is dissonance.

continuo Bass line of a Baroque work with instruments, and theinstruments that play it. Same as thoroughbass.Provides the underpinning for Baroque composition.See also figured bass.

contralto Lowest female voice.contrapuntal Adjectival form of counterpoint.

counterpoint Manner in which two or more melodic lines arecombined and juxtaposed to produce pleasing andtechnically correct intermingling.




countersubject In fugue, the melodic material that accompaniesstatements of the subject.

crescendo(Ital.)

Growing louder. See decrescendo.

cyclicism Use of a theme in more than one movement.

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da camera(Ital., "of the chamber")

Type of Baroque sonata or concerto more secular thanits counterpart, the sonata or concerto da chiesa.

da capo(Ital., "from the top [head]")

On reaching this instruction (or its abbreviation, D.C.)in the score, the performers go back to the beginningof the movement and play until the word fine ("end").

da chiesa(Ital., "of the church")

Type of Baroque sonata or concerto somewhat morerigorous than its counterpart, the sonata or concerto dacamera, in that it emphasizes fugal counterpoint.

decrescendo(Ital.)

Growing softer.

development Section in sonata form, between the exposition and therecapitulation, which investigates the possibilitiesinherent in the material stated thus far.

diatonic (1) Succession of whole tones and half steps that makeup a major or minor scale. (2) Interval drawn from thatsuccession.

Dies irae Gregorian plainchant for the dead; the sequence fromthe Requiem Mass.

diminished interval Interval a half step narrower than the correspondingminor or perfect interval .

diminuendo(Ital.)

Growing softer; same as decrescendo. Abbr. dim.

diminution Technnique generally accomplished by stating familiarmelodic materials in shorter-than-ordinary note values.See also augmentation.

dissonance Unpleasantness or instability perceived in certainintervals and chords. The opposite is consonance. Inclassical Western music dissonant intervals requireresolution to consonance before closure.

divertimento(Ital.)

A light work for chamber ensemble, popular asentertainment music in the Viennese Classical period.

divisi Indication in an instrumental part that the section is to




divisi(Ital.) divide the lines between or among them. Abbr. div.Dixieland New Orleans-style jazz for small combo; favored by

white musicians.dolce(Ital.)

Sweet.

dominant Fifth scale degree and/or the triad or seventh chordbuilt on it.

double fugue (1) Fugue where the subject and countersubject are ofequal importance, thus suggesting simultaneoussubjects. (2) Fugue where two subjects are treatedindependently, then together.

double stop Playing two strings at once on a stringed instrument.downbeat The initial, and strongest, beat in a measure. See also

upbeat.drone Line of constant pitch, or the instrument that plays it.dynamics Degrees of loudness.

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embouchure Shape and position of the mouth at the mouthpiece ofwind instruments.

entr'acte(Fr.; Ital.: intermezzo)

Piece to be performed between the acts of an opera orplay.

episode Subsidiary passage other than the main thematicmaterial.

equal temperament Technique of adjusting tunings that divides the octaveinto 12 equal half steps.

espressivo(Ital.)

Expressive; expressively.

ethnomusicology Branch of study that treats musics of the world,particularly emphasizing music and culture, and musicand oral transmission.

étude(Fr., "study")

Composition meant to investigate a particular problemof technique.

euphonium Tenor brass instrument, lying in a range between thetrumpet and the tuba.

exposition (1) In sonata form, the first section, where the mainthematic material is presented, always with amodulation to a second key area. (2) In fugue, the




stating of the subject (or answer) in each of the voices,especially the opening statement.

Expressionism Term (borrowed from literary and art history) usedrather loosely to describe the music of Schoenberg andhis school. The artist portrays not simply an object buthis or her internal reactions. What results is (in art)exaggerated, distorted, internalized.

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falsetto Abnormally high register of the male voice, in therange of the female voice.

fantasia Free-form composition, a flight of fancy.fermata(Ital.)

Held out. At the fermata sign, the perfomer holds thepitch or chord at will (or at the will of the conductor).

figured bass Baroque notational practice where numbers below thebass line indicate chords to be played by the continuokeyboard artist.

finale(Ital.)

Typically the last scene in an act of an opera.

fine(Ital., "end")

Marking in a score that shows where to stop afterhaving made a da capo or dal segno repeat.

Five, the The Russian Five, or Mighty Handful (moguchayakuchka).

forte(Ital.)

Loud.

fortissimo(Ital.)

Very loud.

fragmentation Common way of treating thematic material, esp. in thedevelopment.

French overture Baroque form favored by the French composers andtheir imitators; the kind of movement that begins stageworks and instrumental suites of the period.

fret On certain kinds of string intruments (guitar, lute,viols), a raised position on the fingerboard that showswhere to stop the string in order to produce theappropriate pitch.

frog The hair-tightening mechanism on a bow, and theportion of the bow the player holds in the hand.




fugato Imitative, fugue-like passage in a non-fugal movement.fugue One-movement work in imitative counterpoint, where

the theme is stated in each voice as a series of subjectsand answers.

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G. P.(Ger.)

Everybody pauses. Abbreviaiton in orchestral scoresfor general pause.

gavotte(Fr.)

Baroque dance in moderate duple meter withprominent upbeat.

genre(Fr., "gender")

Kind, type. Genre in music terminology is typicallyrelated to performing force.

Gesamtkunstwerk(Ger., "total artwork")

Wagner's theory of opera wherein all branches of art-poetry, narrative, design, architecture, etc.-areharnessed in a global art form opera.

Gewandhaus Building in Leipzig, the cloth merchant's guild hall. Acelebrated series of concerts began there in 1781, andeventually the Leipzig orchestra took the name of thehall.

glissando(Ital.)

Slide across the specified range of the instrument.

Gloria Second movement of a choral mass.grace note Ornamental pitch, usually the upper neighbor, played

rapidly and without fixed rhythmic value.grave(Ital.)

Slow, solemn.

grazioso(Ital.)

Graceful, gracious.

Gregorian chant Name commonly given to the plainsong of theCatholic church, setting the Latin liturgy. Itsconnection with Pope Gregory the Great (r. 590-604)is uncertain.

ground bass Repeating bass pattern over which there is continuousvariation in the upper parts; same as Ital. bassoostinato.

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harmonic (1) High, fluty sound produced on a string instrumentby touching the string gently rather than fully stopping





it, forcing it to vibrate at a higher position in theharmonic series. (2) Position in the harmonic series.

harmony Technique of organizing pitch simultaneities (chords),and its study. Generally speaking, harmony concernsvertical sonority, and melody concerns the horizontal.

hemiola Rhythmic/metric device where two bars in triple meterare made to sound like three bars in duple, usually justbefore the cadence in Baroque dance music.

homophony Musical texture in which all the parts movesimultaneously, with simple chord progressions.

hymn Strophic religious composition, generally for thecongregation to sing.

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idée fixe Berlioz used this term to describe the motto theme ofhis Symphonie fantastique (1830), and said in theprinted program that it had to do with the artist'svision of his beloved.

imitation Compositional practice where motives and melodiesare taken up, once stated, by the other voicessuccessively, while originating voices go on incounterpoint.

imitative counterpoint(imitative polyphony)

Polyphonic practice based on imitation.

Impressionism Term used primarily to describe the work of thepainters Monet, Renoir, etc., where loosely articulatedimages are fashioned from blotches of color the goalwas a particularly powerful brilliance. The term is usedby extension to describe the work of the Frenchmasters Debussy and Ravel.

improvisation Free, live invention of music, usually without notatedparts.

incidental music Music for use with a play, consisting of an overtureand any necessary entr'acte; music for any pageantry (awedding march, for example); and perhaps music forany songs sung onstage.

intermezzo(Ital.)

Orginally, music or light music theater to go betweenthe acts of a serious theater piece. In the nineteenthcentury the term was used, notably by Brahms, as the




title of free piano compositions.interval Distance between two pitches.inversion Vertical reversing of a musical relationship, either by

switching a pair of voices or by turning a theme in theopposite direction.

isorhythm Use of a single, unvarying rhythmic modulethroughout a voice part, usually the tenor. Principle ofconstruction in the 14th- and early 15th-century motet.

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K. numbers Numbers attached to Mozart's works refer to athematic catalog for Mozart written by Ludwig vonKšchel (1862; rev. through 1964).

Kapellmeister(Ger.; Ital.: maestro di cappella)

Chapelmaster, a court composer-conductor who wouldcompose music for and lead the palace opera company,orchestra, and church services.

key Tonal center in a piece of music, toward which themusic seems to gravitate. It is defined by a particulartonic pitch and its quality of major or minor. There are12 major and 12 minor keys.

keyboard White-and-black key mechanism that activates a piano,organ, or similar instrument.

Kyrie First movement of a choral mass.

L Back to Top

La Scala The opera house in Milan, built 1778, which took itsname from the church, Santa Maria della Scala,originally on the site.

langsam(Ger.)

Slow.

larghetto(Ital.)

Somewhat faster than largo.

largo(Ital.)

Quite slow. The slowest commonly specified tempo.

ledger lines Short lines that extend the staff.legato(Ital.)

Smoothly, without space between the pitches.

Leitmotiv German for "leading motive," a compositional device





Leitmotivdeveloped by Wagner.

lento(Ital.)

Slow, although not quite as slow as largo.

libretto Text of an opera.Lied(Ger., pl. Lieder)

Term for a solo song, especially to a Romantic text ofthe late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Liederkreis(Ger., "song cycle")

First applied to Beethoven's An die ferne Geliebte,then, in particular, to Schumann (Dichterliebe).

l'istesso tempo(Ital.)

The same tempo; keep the beat the same.

liturgy Formalized order of church services. The Catholicliturgy, divided into Mass (Eucharist celebration of theLast Supper) and Divine Office (Matins, Vespers, etc.),specifies certain texts common to each service type(the Ordinary), as well as texts specific to the feast day(the Proper).

M Back to Top

ma(Ital.)

But; as in Allegro ma non troppo.

madrigal Most commonly, a Renaissance setting of a secularpoem to unaccompanied vocal polyphony.

maestoso(Ital.)

Majestic.

maestro di capella(Ital.)

Chapel master.

major In tonality, the brighter and more open of the twomodes of scales, characterized by half steps betweenscale degrees 3 and 4 and 7 and 8.

Mannheim School Name given to a school of composers who wrote forthe virtuoso orchestra of Duke Carl Theodor in themid-1740s, and thought to be one of the mostsignificant forerunners of Viennese Classicism.

marcato(Ital.)

Marked; emphatically.

mass(Ital./Lat., missa; Fr., messe; Ger., Messe)

Central public service of the Catholic liturgy, acelebration of the Last Supper. Same as Eucharist.Mass is celebrated by a cantor and the choir. Formusical purposes, the most important parts are the




choral components of the Ordinary Kyrie eleison,Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei.

mazurka Polish country dance in triple meter, often withaccentuation of the second beat.

measure Basic unit of meter, i.e., one complete metric unit,delineated by the bar line. Measure and bar areinterchangeable.

melisma Group of several pitches sung to a single syllable.melody Coherent, pleasing horizontal succession of pitches a

tune.meno(Ital.)

Less; as in meno mosso.

meter Organization of rhythmic pulses or beats intohierarchies of weak and strong.

mezzo(Ital.)

Half. Used to modify the basic dynamic levels (mezzoforte, mezzo piano) and for the voice part mezzosoprano.

Mighty Handful, the(Rus., moguchaya kuchka)

Term first used by a Russian critic to describe anaffinity group of five nationalist Russian composersBalakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

miniatures Little pieces; commonly in the Romantic piano andsong literature.

minor In tonality, the darker and more enigmatic of the twomodes of scales, characterized particularly by the halfstep between scale degrees 2 and 3.

minuet Dance form in common to the Baroque and Classicalperiods.

M.M. Abbreviation for Metronome de Maelzel.mode(adj. modal)

(1) One of the two subdivisions of tonal scales majoror minor. (2) One of the white-note scales, or churchmodes of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. (3) One ofthe medieval rhythmic modes.

moderato(Ital.)

Moderately.

modulation Process of moving from one key area to another.moguchaya kuchka Russian for Mighty Handful, the Russian Five.moll



moll(Ger.)

Minor.

molto(Ital.)

Very; as in Molto allegro.

monody Term describing Italian accompanied solo song of theearly seventeenth century.

monophonic Having a single voice.monothematic Having a single theme.mosso(Ital.)

Moving, lively; as in pi mosso.

motet In its most general sense, texted vocal polyphony; theterm describes highly significant genres from theMiddle Ages through the high Baroque.

motive Melodic or sometimes rhythmic cell that retains itscharacter and identity throughout a movement ormultimovement composition.

movement Self-contained component of a larger work.music drama Term applied to Wagnerian opera and related works

that tries to suggest a different and by implicationmore serious treatment of character and plot thanfound in traditional opera.

musicology Scholarly study of music, particularly the history ofmusic.

musique concrète(Fr.)

Term applied to an early technique of electronic musicwhere segments of magnetic tape were manipulated(pitch modification by speed change), cut (loops, etc.)and respliced, and then stored to be used forcompositional effect.

mute Device to reduce the volume of an instrument, almostinvariably damping its tone quality as well. Seesordino.

N Back to Top

neumatic Groups of several notes per syllable of chanted text.nocturne(Ital.: notturno)

Night music, especially a short Romantic piano piece.

non troppo(Ital.)

Not too much; as in Allegro non troppo.

O




O Back to Top

obbligato(Ital.)

A part that must not be left out.

octave Interval between a pitch and another of twice thefrequency middle C to the C above it, for example.

opera Work of music theater (music, drama, spectacle) wheremuch or all of the text is sung and music plays themost significant part.

opus(Lat., "work," abbrev. op.)

Used with a number, typically assigned by thepublisher, to identify a work in a composer's output.

oratorio Multi-movement setting of a sacred text, usually withemphasis on choral movements.

orchestration The way music is scored for the orchestra.Ordinary Portion of the liturgy (Mass and Office) that remains

the same from day to day.ossia(Ital.)

Alternative version of a reading; usually simpler.

ostinato(Ital., "obstinate")

Repetition of a pattern many times to constitute thestructural underpinning of a piece.

P Back to Top

passacaglia(Ital.)

Work built on an ostinato bass (or ground bass), oftena descending chromatic bass.

Passion Extended vocal and instrumental setting of theCrucifixion story from one of the Gospels.

pastorale Movement that expresses a rural atmosphere ordescribes country characters and scenes.

pedal point Sustained pitch usually in the bass (often the dominant,sometimes the tonic) over which the music continuesto move. It is usually a component of final closure.

pentatonic Scale or mode of five pitches, common in folk musics.pesante(Ital.)

Heavily.

phrase Basic unit of musical structure, typically eightmeasures, that represents a more-or-less completemusical idea.

pianissimo(Ital.)

Very soft.

piano





piano(Ital.)

Soft.

piece Musical work, implying a complete musical work(with all its movements).

pitch Discrete, identifiable musical sound of a fixed numberof vibrations per second.

pi(Ital.)

More; as in pi forte or pi allegro.

pizzicato Effect produced by plucking, rather than bowing, thestring.

plainchant Term used for the monophonic liturgical repertoire ofthe Catholic church. Used interchangeably with chant,plainsong, and Gregorian chant.

plainsong See plainchant.

poco(Ital.)

Little, a little; as in poco a poco.

point of imitation See imitative counterpoint, imitative polyphony.

polka A couple dance to skipping steps in lively duple meter.polonaise Aristocratic Polish dance in triple time.polyphonic Having more than one voice.polyrhythm Superposition of different rhythms and/or meters.polytonality Use of several keys at once.ponticello(Ital.)

Bridge of a stringed instrument. Sul ponticello = at thebridge, a thin, nasal, or whiny sound.

portamento(Ital.)

Gentle sliding up into a pitch.

prelude Instrumental opening movement, often improvisationalin character, that precedes a fugue or, sometimes, agroup of movements.

presto(Ital.)

Quite fast.

program Literary context of a descriptive ("programmatic")piece, especially in the nineteenth century.

progressive jazz Jazz from the 1940s and 1950s, where the goal was torenew and expand the orchestral jazz tradition.

Proper Portion of the liturgy (Mass and Office) that containstexts specific to the feast day or occasion.

Q



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quarter tone Pitch halfway between consecutive semitones.

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ragtime American musical style of great popularity at the turnof the twentieth century, characterized by stronglysyncopated (ragged) rhythms; the usual form is likethat of the American march, involving two strains anda trio.

rallentando(Ital.)

Growing slower. Abbr. rall.

range Compass of a musical instrument or voice part, fromits lowest note to its highest. See also register.

recapitulation In sonata form, the third main section (after expositionand development), where the main thematic material ispresented as it was in the exposition, although with thesecond group remaining in the tonic key. Moregenerally, any large-scale structural return to the majorthematic material.

recitative(Ital.: recitativo; Fr.: récit)

In opera and related genres, a vocal passage imitatingthe rhythms and inflections of speech. Often arecitative is followed by an aria. When crisplydelivered and accompanied by simple chords in thecontinuo, the recitative is considered secco (dry); withorchestra, it is accompagnato.

register Division of the range (e.g., high, middle, low) of avoice or musical instrument. Roughly synonymouswith tessitura.

Requiem The Mass for the dead of the Roman Catholic church.retrograde In reverse order. Common procedure in certain kinds

of counterpoint and in twentieth-century serial music.réunion des thèmes,grande

Berlioz's term for the simultaneous combining ofthemes first heard consecutively.

rhapsody Free-form instrumental work, generally carefree andepisodic.

rhythm Subdivision of time, principally by establishing lengthof notes.





ripieno(Ital.)

Orchestral ensemble in a concerto grosso, in texturalopposition to the concertino.

ritard(Ital.)

Lessening in speed; gradual slowing down. Abbr. rit.

ritenuto(Ital.)

Held back, implicitly more abruptly than ritard, or forshorter duration. Abbr. riten.

ritornello Recurring passage.rococo Term used to describe the style in art during the reign

of Louis XV of France (1715-74) and by extension togracefully ornamented music.

Romanticism Emphasis on the spiritual or passionate (as opposed tothe intellectual) in literature, art, and music. Usedparticularly to describe music written from c. 1830 tothe end of the century.

romanza Songful or ballad-like movement, often the second in asolo concerto.

rondo Musical form in which the main section recursbetween subsidiary episodes, often in an overall sonatapattern (the sonata-rondo).

round Strict canon (at the unison), usually for three voices,that can continue perpetually.

row Pitches, usually all 12, ordered in a succession thatserves as the basis of a composition. See series.

rubato(Ital.)

Literally, robbed time (tempo rubato) theimprovisatory adjustment of strict meter.

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scale Ascending or descending series of notes that define amode or tonality, usually by the terminal pitch.

scena(Ital.)

Operatic scene for one character, generally embracinga recitative, aria, and finale close.

scherzando(Ital.)

Playful. Abbr. scherz.

scherzetto(Ital.)

Short movement or passage in the manner of ascherzo.

scherzo(Ital., "joke")

Movement type directly descended from the minuetand trio and, like the minuet, usually appearing as thethird movement of a four-movement instrumentalwork.




score Notation for an ensemble where a staff is given to eachpart or section.

secco(Ital.)

Dry. Recitativo secco is recitative delivered rapidly inspeech rhythms and accompanied by the continuoforce or a keyboard instrument.

secular Worldly; not having to do with the church.segue(Ital.)

Go on, usually to the next movement.

semitone Distance between two adjacent notes on a keyboard;same as half step.

semplice(Ital.)

Simply.

sempre(Ital.)

Always, ever; as in sempre pi allegro.

senza(Ital.)

Without. Typically cancels con sordino (with mute)indications, thus meaning "remove the mute."

sequence (1) Series of motives restated at ascending ordescending pitch levels. (2) The medieval sequence isan important category of Gregorian chant where aseries of text couplets, eventually rhymed poetry, wasset syllabically.

serial Compositional technique in which elements have beenprearranged in a fixed series.

series Ordering of elements of pitch, rhythm, dynamics, etc.,that serve as the basis of a composition. Music soconstructed is called serial.

seventh Interval between a pitch and another six diatonic stepsapart. A semitone less than an octave is a majorseventh; a semitone less than that is a minor seventh.Both are strongly dissonant intervals, the majorseventh pulling to resolve upward, the minor seventhto resolve down. See also seventh chord.

seventh chord Common enhancement to triadic harmony wherein afourth pitch is added to the triad, up another third, thusroot + 3rd + 5th + 7th.

sforzando, sforzato(Ital.)

Suddenly forceful or emphasized. Abbr. sfz., sf.

sonata Instrumental composition, usually for soloist or soloist



sonataand keyboard. Originally the term sonata (playedmusic) was used as opposed to cantata (sung music)and toccata (keyboard music).

song cycle(Ger.: Liederkreis)

Group of songs, generally with texts by the same poet,unified by a story line or literary theme.

soprano(Ital.)

Highest voice part.

sordino(Ital.)

Mute. Abbr. sord. Con sordino = with mute. Senzasordino = without mute.

sostenuto(Ital.)

Sustained; as in Andante sostenuto. Often a slower-than-usual tempo is implied. The right pedal on apiano is the sostenuto pedal, allowing the strings tovibrate until the pedal is released and lowers thedampers.

sotto voce(Ital.)

In an undertone; barely heard.

spiritoso(Ital.)

Spirited.

Sprechstimme(Ger.)

Speaking voice. Abbr. Sprechst. and notated with X'sthrough the note stems.

staccato(Ital.)

Separated; short and sharp.

stretto(Ital.)

Concluding episode at increased speed. In fugue,overlapping statements of the subject near the end ofthe work.

stringendo(Ital.)

Quickening; sometimes a lurch forward.

strophic Having the same music for all the units (or strophes) ofthe text, as in a hymn.

Sturm und Drang(Ger., "Storm and Stress")

Literary movement in eighteenth-century Germany andAustria, applied to stormy, emotional, minor-keyedsymphonies of the Classical period.

subito(Ital.)

Suddenly; as in subito forte. Abbr. sub.

subject Melodic idea or theme on which a composition isbased. The theme of a fugue is called its subject.

suite (1) Group of dances in various national styles, usuallypreceded by an extended prelude or overture, commonto the Baroque period. (2) Series of movements



extracted from a larger work (often a ballet) to makean effective concert work.

suspension Pitch held over from a previous chord, becomingdissonant in the new chord, and resolving downward.

symphonic poem One-movement work for orchestra with narrative ordescriptive intent. See tone poem.

symphony Extended work for orchestra, usually in fourmovements (fast, slow, dance form, fast), the principalform of orchestral composition.

syncopation Placing the accent on the ordinarily weak beats of ameasure.

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tempo(Ital., "time")

Speed, rate of speed. Tempo is indicated by a (ratherapproximate) direction in Italian (e.g., Allegro nontroppo), a metronome marking (M.M.), or both. Tempoprimo, Tempo I = at the original tempo.

tenor The higher of the male voices.tenuto(Ital.)

Held, sustained. Abbr. ten.

tessitura Prevailing range, or ambitus, of a part-high, middle,low-in relation to the overall compass of that part.

texture Term used to describe the vertical character of amusical passage, esp. how the voices interact. Onespeaks, for example, of monophonic, homophonic, andpolyphonic textures.

thematic transformation The recomposition of a theme as it is reused so thatgradually its character becomes radically different.

theme A principal melody, a basic point of melodic referencein a movement.

theme and variations Movement type where the given theme is modified ina series of variations.

through composed Music composed from beginning to end withoutinternal repetitions. In general, the opposite ofstrophic.

tie Notational device used to continue a rhythm across abar line.

timbre(Fr.)

Tone color that distinguishes the character of aninstrumental or vocal sound.




toccata Improvisatory showpiece for organ, often anintroductory movement preceding a fugue. Originallythe term toccata (keyboard music, "touched" with thefingers) was used as opposed to cantata (sung music)and sonata (instrumental music).

tonality(adj. tonal)

System of music composition that establishesrelationships through use of a tonal center (the tonic)and a major or minor key built from it.

tone poem One-movement work for orchestra with narrative ordescriptive intent. Same as symphonic poem.

tonic Initial scale degree or the triad built on it; thus themost important member.

tranquillo(Ital.)

Calmly, tranquilly.

transposition Moving of a passage of music from one pitch level toanother. Composers also notate parts for transposinginstruments (Bb clarinet, horn in F) such that when theplayer plays the notated pitches the appropriate-sounding pitches come out. Such a part is called atransposed part.

tremolando(Ital.)

With tremolo.

tremolo(Ital.)

Effect with string instruments where very quickup/down bowings produce an unsettled effect. Also asimilar alternation between two pitches, possible(unlike string tremolo) on other instruments includingkeyboards.

triad Chord built of three pitches in intervals of the third.trill Fast alternating between a main pitch and the diatonic

pitch above it.trio (1) Music for three performers; in music that descends

from Baroque practice, this implies two trebleinstruments and basso continuo. (2) The center sectionof form in the minuet and trio family, generally insomewhat reduced orchestration or more passivesetting.

"Tristan" chord First chord in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, poignantand inconclusive when first heard; then later becoming



identified with unfulfilled desire and, at length, itsfateful resolution.

troppo(Ital.)

Too much; as in Allegro non troppo (not too fast).

tutti(Ital.)

All; everybody.

twelve tone Name given by Schoenberg to his system ofcomposition using a row or series as the basis of acomposition.

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unison Interval (that is, non-interval) that exists between twonotes of identical pitch. A chorus of equal voicesmight well, for example, sing a hymn in unison;choral chant is sung in unison. Abbr. unis.

upbeat Beat that precedes the downbeat.

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vibrato Effect used by woodwind and string players and bysingers to enhance the tone quality. The musiciancycles just above and below the desired pitch, usingpulsations of the diaphragm (for winds and voices) ora back-and-forth motion of the left hand on thefingerboard (for the strings).

vivace(Ital.)

Vivacious, bright.

vivo(Ital.)

Alive, vigorous.

voce(Ital.)

Voice.

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waltz Dance in time that developed in the late eighteenthcentury and became the ballroom rage of thenineteenth.

whole-tone scale Scale that progresses only in whole steps instead of thepatterns of half steps and whole steps that define majorand minor scales.






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