GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS (Selected)
a cappella: choral music with no instrumental accompaniment
aria: a beautiful manner of solo singing, accompanied by orchestra, with a steady metrical beat
art-music: a general term used to describe the "formal concert music" traditions of the West, as
opposed to "popular" and "commercial music" styles.
art song: (genre) a musical setting of artistic poetry for solo voice accompanied by piano (or orchestra)
atonality: modern harmony that intentionally avoids a tonal center (has no apparent home key)
ballet: (genre) a programmatic theatrical work for dancers and orchestra
basso continuo: the back-up ensemble of the Baroque Era usually comprised of a keyboard
instrument (harpsichord or organ) and a melodic stringed bass instrument ( viol' da gamba or cello)
Blues: a melancholy style of Afro-American secular music, based on a simple musical/poetic form.
cadenza: an unaccompanied section of virtuosic display played by a soloist in a concerto
call and response: a traditional African process in which a leader's phrase ("call") is repeatedly
answered by a chorus. This process became an important aspect of many Afro-American styles.
canon: a type of strict imitation created by strict echoing between a melodic "leader" and subsequent
"follower(s)"
cantata: (genre) a composition in several movements, written for chorus, soloist(s) and orchestra;
traditionally, these are religious works.
chamber music: (genre) music performed by a small group of players (one player per part)
chance music: (genre) a modern manner of composition in which some or all of the work is left to
chance
chant: (genre) a monophonic melody sung in a free rhythm (such as "Gregorian" chant of the Roman
Catholic Church)
chorale: 1) a Lutheran liturgical melody; 2) a 4-part hymn-like chorale harmonization
coda: (means "tail" in Italian) a concluding section appended to the end of a work
concerto: (genre) the general term for a multi-movement work for soloist(s) and orchestra (see "solo
concerto" and "concerto grosso")
concerto grosso: (genre) a 3-movement work for a small group of soloists and orchestra
counterpoint: a complex polyphonic texture combining two or more independent melodies
da capo: (Italian "to the head") a written indication telling a performer to go back to the start of a
piece
downbeat: the first beat of a musical measure (usually accented more strongly than other beats)
dynamics: the musical element of relative musical loudness or quietness
ensemble: a group of musical performers
equal temperament: the standard modern tuning system in which the octave is divided into twelve
equal "half-steps"
étude: (French) a "study" piece, designed to help a performer master a particular technique
expressionism: an ultra-shocking, highly-dissonant modern style of music
falsetto: a vocal technique that allows a male to sing in a much higher, lighter register (by vibrating only
half of the vocal cord)
form: the elemental category describing the shape/design of a musical work or movement
fugue: a complex contrapuntal manipulation of a musical subject
genre: a category of musical composition (the specific classification of a musical work)
Gregorian chant: (genre) monophonic, non-metered melodies set to Latin sacred texts
harmony: the elemental category describing vertical combinations of pitches
harpsichord: an ancient keyboard instrument whose sound is produced by a system of levered picks
that pluck its metal strings (common in the Renaissance and Baroque eras)
home key: see tonic key
homophonic texture: 1) a main melody supported by chord; 2) a texture in which voices on different
pitches sing the same words simultaneously
imitation: a polyphonic texture in which material is presented then echoed from voice to voice
Impressionism: a modern French musical style based on blurred effects, beautiful tone colors and
fluid rhythms (promoted by Debussy around the turn of the 1900s)
improvisation: "on-the-spot" creation of music (while it is being performed)
instrumentation: the combination of instruments that a composition is written for
interval: the measured distance between two musical pitches
inversion: a variation technique in which the intervals of a melody are turned upside down
jazz: (genre) a style of American modern popular music combining African and Western musical traits
jazz band: an instrumental ensemble comprised of woodwinds (saxophones and clarinets), brasses
(trumpets and trombones) and rhythm section (piano/guitar, bass and drum set)
key: the central note, chord or scale of a musical composition or movement
key signature: a series of sharps or flats written on a musical staff to indicate the key of a composition
keyboard instrument: any instrument whose sound is initiated by pressing a series of keys with the
fingers; piano, harpsichord, organ, synthesizer are the most common types
legato: a smooth, connected manner of performing a melody
Lied: (genre) a German-texted art song (usually for one voice with piano accompaniment); plural =
Lieder
madrigal: (genre) a composition on a short secular poem, sung by a small group of unaccompanied
singers (one on a part). The madrigal flourished in Italy from 1520 to 1610, and was adopted in England
during the Elizabethan Age (c. 1600)
Mass: (genre) in music, a composition based on the five daily prayers of the Roman Catholic Mass
Ordinary: Kyrie, Gloris, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei.
minuet: an aristocratic dance in 3/4 meter
modulation: the process of changing from one musical key to another
monophonic texture: a single-line texture with no harmony
motet: a polyphonic vocal piece set to a sacred Latin text that is NOT from the Roman Catholic Mass
motive: a small musical fragment ("Lego" block) used to build a larger musical idea; can be reworked in
the course of a composition (as in the 4-note motive in Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor)
movement: a complete, independent division of a larger work
notation: a system for writing music down so that critical aspects of its performance can be recreated
accurately
opera: (genre) a large-scale, fully-staged dramatic theatrical work involving solo singers, chorus and
orchestra
oratorio: (genre) a large-scale sacred work for solo singers, chorus and orchestra that is NOT staged
orchestra: a large instrumental ensemble comprised of strings, woodwinds, brasses and percussion
organum: (genre) a type of early French Medieval polyphony dating from c. 1000-1200, featuring a
slow non-metered chant in the lowest voice with one or more faster metrical voices sung above (in
melismatic style—many notes sung on each syllable of text)
ostinato: a short rhythmic/melodic idea that is repeated exactly over and over throughout a musical
section or work
overture: (genre) a one-movement orchestral introduction to an opera (Wagner, Bizet and other
composers after 1850 use the term prelude instead to show dramatic unity between the overture and
the theatrical drama that follows it)
pentatonic scale: a folk or non-Western scale having five different notes within the space of an
octave
phrase: a small musical unit (sub-section of a melody) equivalent to a grammatical phrase in a sentence
pitch: the relative highness or lowness of a musical sound (based on frequency of vibration)
range: the distance between the lowest and highest possible notes of an instrument or melody
Requiem Mass: (genre) a Roman Catholic Mass for the dead
rubato: a flexible approach to metered rhythm in which the tempo can be momentarily sped up or
slowed down at will for greater personal expression
sonata: (genre) a Classic multi-movement work for a piano (or for one instrument with piano
accompaniment)
song cycle: (genre) a set of poetically-unified songs (for one singer accompanied by either piano or
orchestra
staccato: short, detached notes
symphony: (genre) a multi-movement work for orchestra
syncopation: an "off-the-beat" accent
tempo: the speed of the musical beat
theme: the main self-contained melody of a musical composition
theme and variations form: a theme is stated then undergoes a series of sectional alterations
tonality: music centered around a "home" key (based on a major or minor scale)
tonic: the first note of a scale or key
tonic key: the "home" key of a tonal composition
transposition: shifting a piece to a different pitch level
triad: a three-note chord built on alternating scales steps (1-3-5, etc.)
trill: rapid alternation of two close pitches to create a "shaking" ornament on a melodic note
tutti: (Italian for "all" or "everyone") an indication for all performers to play together
unison: the rendering of a single melodic line by several performers simultaneously
upbeat: the weak beat that comes before the strong downbeat of a musical measure
vibrato: small fluctuations in pitch used to make a sound more expressive
virtuoso: a performer of extraordinary ability
waltz: an aristocratic ballroom dance in triple meter that flourished in the Romantic period
word-painting: in vocal music, musical gestures that reflect the specific meaning of words; a common
aspect of the Renaissance madrigal
