Music Terminology Reference

Glossary

A Cappella - The term is pronounced "ah kah-PEH-lah." The literal translation is "as in church." What it means (and has meant for centuries) is to sing without instrumental accompaniment. It was customary to have unaccompanied singing in many European churches.

Accidental - A musical notation sign that precedes a note. The most common accidentals are: flat (b), sharp (#), double flat, double sharp and a natural. A flat lowers a note by one-half step; a double flat lowers it by a full step. A sharp raises a note by one-half step; a double sharp raises it by a full step. A natural negates whatever previous accidental appeared in front of the note.

Allemande - A dance for couples dating back to the 16th century, usually in moderate duple time (2/4 or 4/4). The Allemande (the word means "German") was usually part of a set of dances.

Aria - A song for solo voice, usually found in an opera, oratorio or other large work.

Arpeggio - The notes of a chord played one after another, usually from the bottom upwards. An arpeggio of a C major chord would consist of: C-E-G-C (an octave up from the starting "C"). More advanced arpeggios, especially in jazz and blues formats, are apt to consist of notes not usually found in traditional chords, e.g., sixths, sevenths.

Atonality - The opposite of tonality. Atonal music (championed by composers such as Shoenberg, Webern, Berg, etc.) does not conform to any key or mode. In atonal music, there is no such thing as resolution of dissonance since there is no prescribed key.

Bagatelle - Usually a short instrumental piece (probably piano or organ). The most famous bagatelle in music is Beethoven's "Fur Elise."

Bitonality - The simultaneous juxtaposition of two keys (e.g., C Major and F minor). Some 20th century composers who utilized bitonality as a common device were Charles Ives and Darius Milhaud.

Canon - Similar to a "round" (like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"): a melody is taken up, note for note, by alternating voices. The best-known classical work of this kind is the Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel.

Cantata - A work consisting of several arias, either secular or sacred in nature, which features one or more solo voices with instrumental accompaniment. An acknowledged master of the cantata form was Bach.

Chamber Music - The term originally referred to music that could be performed by a very small number of players - no more than could fit in a standard room (chamber). The contemporary definition means more than one performer and fewer than a dozen. Use of the following terms indicates a piece of chamber music: duo (duet), trio, quartet, quintet, sextet, septet, octet, nonet.

Impressionism - The use of musical textures, colors and imagery to evoke a phenomenon of nature (such as a sunrise, sunset or rain). Although the dates for this period run from 1875 to 1925, there is evidence that certain composers of the Classical era were fore-runners to the movement; Beethoven, for instance, produced the musical version of a babbling brook and several birds in the 2nd movement of his Sixth Symphony. Chief among the composers most identified as Impressionist is Claude Debussy - yet, he disdained the label.

Impromptu - An instrumental work, originally meant to convey an improvised or spontaneous work.

Interval - In music, it's the pitch distance between two notes.

Libretto - The lyrics in an opera.

Mighty Five (or Mighty Handful) - A group of composers influential in the propagation of nationalistic Russian music. The Five consisted of: Mily Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, Cesar Cui, Modeste Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

Minuet - An elegant dance in triple (3/4) time, the minuet was very popular during the Classical period. Some symphonies from that time have an entire movement written in the minuet style.

Nocturne - An instrumental composition, originating from the Romantic period, usually meant to be performed in the evening. Nocturnes, generally, have more relaxed tempi and softer dynamics than other performance pieces. The best-known examples of these are by Chopin.

Pizzicato - This terms means "to pluck" and is always used in conjunction with a stringed instrument.

Prelude - Originally, a prelude was a short work (usually instrumental) intended to serve as an "opening act" for something larger. In the hands of certain composers (e.g., Bach and Chopin), preludes were miniatures that stood alone quite nicely, thank you!

Rhapsody - A single movement work, usually instrumental, which can be based on folk melodies, popular tunes and or a national anthem. Two renowned examples are "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Sergei Rachmaninov and "Rhapsody in Blue" by George Gershwin.

Scherzo - This is an Italian word which literally means "joke." However, the musical definition is no laughing matter: a quick piece in triple (3/4) time that utilizes cross-rhythms. Beethoven expanded the function of the scherzo by including it in his symphonic composition. As a result, scherzi can be found both in solo and orchestral works.

Tempo - The word is Italian for "time." In music, it means the speed at which music is performed. Some tempo markings are general (e.g., "largo," "andante") but some are quite specific (e.g., 96 beats per minute).

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