some music terminology
Submitted by bradb on Tue, 01/23/2007 - 19:30.
accent The emphasis on a beat resulting in that beat being louder or longer than another in a measure. The "rat" in Rat-a-tat-tat could be seen as being accented.
adagio Quite slow.
agitato Agitated or restless.
andante Moderately slow or walking pace.
arpeggio Broken chord in which the individual tones are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously.
beat Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.
bridge Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also the part of a string instrument that holds the strings in place.
cadence Resting place in a musical phrase; music punctuation.
chord Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony.
con amore With love, tenderly.
con fuoco With fire.
con passione With passion.
consonance Concordant or harmonious combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability in music.
crescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing louder, indicated in the musical score by the marking "<".
decrescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing softer, indicated in the musical score by the marking ">". Also referred to as diminuendo.
dissonance Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
dolce Sweetly.
dolente Sad, weeping.
drone Sustained sounding of one or several tones for harmonic support, a common feature of some folk musics.
duration Length of time something lasts; e.g., the vibration of a musical sound.
dynamics Element of musical expression relating to the degree of loudness or softness, or volume, of a sound.
forte The Italian term for "loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "f".
fortissimo The Italian term for "very loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "ff".
grave Solemn; very, very slow.
harmony The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords. Not all musics of the world rely on harmony for interest, but it is central to most Western music.
imitation Compositional technique in which a melodic idea is presented in one voice (or part), then restated in another while the first voice continues with new material.
lamentoso Like a lament.
legato Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato.
march A style incorporating characteristics of military music, including strongly accented duple-meter in simple, repetitive rhythmic patterns.
measure A rhythmic grouping or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats; in notated music, it appears as a vertical line through the staff.
melismatic Melodic style characterized by many notes sung to a single text syllable.
melody Succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity.
meno Less.
mesto Sad.
meter Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures. In simple meters, such as duple, triple, and quadruple, each beat subdivides into two; in compound meters, such as sextuple, each beat divides into three.
mezzo forte The Italian term for "moderately loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "mf".
mezzo piano The Italian term for "moderately soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "mp".
misterioso Mysteriously.
moderato Moderate.
nonmetric Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non-Western cultures.
non troppo Not too much.
offbeat A weak beat or any pulse between the beats in a measured rhythmic pattern.
ostinato A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout a work or a section of one.
overture An introductory movement, as in an opera or oratorio, often presenting melodies from arias to come. Also an orchestral work for concert performance.
pianissimo The Italian term for "very soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "pp".
piano The Italian term for "soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "p".
pitch Highness or lowness of a tone, depending on the frequency (rate of vibration).
poco A little.
presto Very fast.
Thanks to the Essentials of Music website's Glossary
accent The emphasis on a beat resulting in that beat being louder or longer than another in a measure. The "rat" in Rat-a-tat-tat could be seen as being accented.
adagio Quite slow.
agitato Agitated or restless.
andante Moderately slow or walking pace.
arpeggio Broken chord in which the individual tones are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously.
beat Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.
bridge Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition, also transition. Also the part of a string instrument that holds the strings in place.
cadence Resting place in a musical phrase; music punctuation.
chord Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony.
con amore With love, tenderly.
con fuoco With fire.
con passione With passion.
consonance Concordant or harmonious combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation and stability in music.
crescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing louder, indicated in the musical score by the marking "<".
decrescendo The dynamic effect of gradually growing softer, indicated in the musical score by the marking ">". Also referred to as diminuendo.
dissonance Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
dolce Sweetly.
dolente Sad, weeping.
drone Sustained sounding of one or several tones for harmonic support, a common feature of some folk musics.
duration Length of time something lasts; e.g., the vibration of a musical sound.
dynamics Element of musical expression relating to the degree of loudness or softness, or volume, of a sound.
forte The Italian term for "loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "f".
fortissimo The Italian term for "very loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "ff".
grave Solemn; very, very slow.
harmony The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords. Not all musics of the world rely on harmony for interest, but it is central to most Western music.
imitation Compositional technique in which a melodic idea is presented in one voice (or part), then restated in another while the first voice continues with new material.
lamentoso Like a lament.
legato Smooth and connected; opposite of staccato.
march A style incorporating characteristics of military music, including strongly accented duple-meter in simple, repetitive rhythmic patterns.
measure A rhythmic grouping or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats; in notated music, it appears as a vertical line through the staff.
melismatic Melodic style characterized by many notes sung to a single text syllable.
melody Succession of single tones or pitches perceived by the mind as a unity.
meno Less.
mesto Sad.
meter Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures. In simple meters, such as duple, triple, and quadruple, each beat subdivides into two; in compound meters, such as sextuple, each beat divides into three.
mezzo forte The Italian term for "moderately loud", indicated in the musical score by the marking "mf".
mezzo piano The Italian term for "moderately soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "mp".
misterioso Mysteriously.
moderato Moderate.
nonmetric Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non-Western cultures.
non troppo Not too much.
offbeat A weak beat or any pulse between the beats in a measured rhythmic pattern.
ostinato A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern that is repeated throughout a work or a section of one.
overture An introductory movement, as in an opera or oratorio, often presenting melodies from arias to come. Also an orchestral work for concert performance.
pianissimo The Italian term for "very soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "pp".
piano The Italian term for "soft", indicated in the musical score by the marking "p".
pitch Highness or lowness of a tone, depending on the frequency (rate of vibration).
poco A little.
presto Very fast.
Thanks to the Essentials of Music website's Glossary
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