| Alberti bass | a stereotyped accompaniment taking its name from Domenico Alberti. | ||
| appoggiatura | a note dissonant with the chord (made consonant by moving up or down one step) | ||
| aria | a solo vocal air in opera, oratorio, or cantata. | ||
| arpeggio | a group of chord notes sounded in succession rather than simultaneously. | ||
| augmented chord | one containing a chromatic alteration (enlarging one of the chord's intervals-by a semitone). | ||
| bar | a musical rhythmic measure (shown by a vertical line). | ||
| bel canto | the nineteenth-century Italian operatic style of singing. | ||
| blue note | a flattened 3rd, 7th, or even 5th note of the major scale (common in Afro-American music) | ||
| broken chord | see arpeggio. | ||
| call and response | musical phrases given by a soloist answered by a scrap of tune (usually unchanging) given by an ensemble (vocal or instrumental) | ||
| cantata | a short (often religious) piece for soloist(s) and (usually) chorus, with instrumental accompaniment. | ||
| canzonet | a 'little song' (from the Italian, canzonetta) | ||
| cell | a short, distinctive melodic and/or rhythmic grouping (like a motive) | ||
| chromaticism | the use of notes additional to those in the major or minor key in which the piece is set. | ||
| coda | a concluding section. | ||
| contrapuntal | two or more melodic lines woven together | ||
| crescendo | growing louder | ||
| diminished 7th | a chromatic chord not belonging to a specific key (often used fo dramatic disorientating effect) | ||
| discord | a combination of notes which seem to clash and require resolution. | ||
| dissonance | the effect created by notes which seem to clash together | ||
| dominant | the fifth note of a major or minor scale, the most important note in the tonal hierarchy after the tonic. | ||
| dominant extension | a chord formed on the fifth note of the major or minor scale which is given increased tension by adding dissonant notes (7th, 9th, etc.) [238/239] | ||
| drone bass | an unchanging bass note or notes. | ||
| duple time/metre | two main beats per bar | ||
| dynamic | the level of softness or loudness. | ||
| expression | 'expressive' playing (Italian = espressivd) usually means adopting a certain amount of flexibility in relation to dynamics and rhythm; the tension created by the resulting unpredictability is felt to convey the player's personal emotion. | ||
| figure/figuration | a pattern of notes used repeatedly (generally as an accompaniment). | ||
| grace notes | musical ornaments which lend emphasis to the note they decorate. | ||
| gran scena | operatic set piece, usually for anguished prima donna. | ||
| grandioso | to be performed in a grand and dignified fashion. | ||
| hammered-on note | a note sounded on the guitar by hammering-on a finger of the left hand after the string has been picked by the right hand. | ||
| harmonic rhythm | the rate of change of harmonies (chords). | ||
| key (major/minor) | a concept reliant upon a hierarchy of notes (as in a major or minor scale). The first note of a major or minor scale gives its name to the key. | ||
| leading-note | the seventh note of a major or minor scale which leads back to the tonic. | ||
| major and minor | see key. The two important tonal scales. | ||
| mediant | the third note of a major or minor scale, or the key based on that note. | ||
| metre | the musical equivalent of the 'foot' in poetry. | ||
| modes | the old system of scales ousted by the 'invention' of keys in the seventeenth century. | ||
| modulation | a change from one key to another. | ||
| monotone | an unchanging pitch. | ||
| motive | a short, distinctive rhythmic and/or melodic pattern, offering possibilities for development. | ||
| musical phrase | a melodic unit which a singer would take in one breath. | ||
| octave | the interval stretching from first to eighth note of a major or minor scale (the notes being the same except for pitch). | ||
| opera seria | 'serious opera' carrying high artistic status, established in the seventeenth century, and mostly filled with recitatives and arias sung by gods, goddesses, mythological heroes, etc. | ||
| oratorio | a large-scale work (usually religious) for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. | ||
| pasticcio | a freshly written stage work making use of pre-existing music by different composers. | ||
| pedal | a note (usually in the bass) sustained throughout changing harmonies. | ||
| pentatonic | music based on a scale of five notes (such as found in many traditional musical cultures). | ||
| phrase | see musical phrase. | ||
| pitch | the height or depth of a note. | ||
| recitative | a declamatory style of word-setting. | ||
| refrain | a recurring combination of words and tune. [239/240] | ||
| scale | a stepwise succession of notes. | ||
| semitone | the smallest interval between notes in western 'art music'. | ||
| Scotch snap | an accented short note followed by a longer note. | ||
| sonata form | a musical form based on a conflict of keys; since the nineteenth century its sections have been labelled 'exposition', 'development', and 'recapitulation'. | ||
| stops | devices to alter the sound of an organ or harmonium. | ||
| strophic setting | each verse set to the same tune. | ||
| style galant | a highly embellished 'courtly' style of eighteenth-century music. | ||
| syncopation | transference of musical accent from strong to weak beats. | ||
| tempo | overall speed | ||
| ternary form | a three-part form in which the third part repeats the first. | ||
| texture | the thinness or thickness of the sound. | ||
| through-composed | in the case of a song, different music for each verse; in the case of an opera, no spoken dialogue. | ||
| timbre | the 'colour' of the sound (e.g. a guitar playing the same note as a piano sounds different). | ||
| tonality | another word for key. | ||
| tonic | the first note of a major or minor scale, the key note. | ||
| transpose | change the overall pitch up or down. | ||
| tremolando | rapid repetitions of the same note (often used for dramatic effect). | ||
| triple time/metre | three beats per bar. | ||
| turn | a particular kind of musical ornament. |
Last modified 20 June 2012