| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Rhythm | motion in music determined by duration of sounds |
| Beat | pulse of music; unit of measurement for a musical tone |
| Tempo | speed of the pulse |
| Meter | recurring pattern of beats in the space/time of one measure |
| Accent | emphasis in music |
| Syncopation | unexpected emphasis in music |
| Polymeter | simultaneous combination of 2 or more meters |
| Polyrhythm | simultaneous combination of 2 or more rhythms |
| Dynamics | the degree of volume |
| Nuance | combination of subtle changes in volume, speed, and articulation.phrasing |
| Rubato | (robbed time) a slight deviation from the exact execution of the rhythm |
| Articulation/Phrase | how a single note or a group of notes is attacked and shaped |
| Timbre | tone quality or tone color of a musical sound |
| Pitch | highness or lowness of a sound |
| Interval | distance between two pitches |
| Scale | ladderlike succession of ascending and descending halt step and whole step pitches in the context of an octave |
| Solfege | system of naming the notes of a scale by syllables instead of letters |
| Mode | synonomous to scale named with Greek terms |
| Theme | term used to designate the central idea of a piece |
| Counterpoint | simultaneous combination of two or more melodies or one melody imitated |
| Imitation | repeat of a melody in another part |
| Inversion | change of melodic direction to create a mirror image |
| Retrograde | reversal of a melody |
| Retrograde Inversion | a melody reversed and turned upside down |
| Augmentation | melody repeated in longer note values |
| Diminution | melody repeated in shorter note values |
| Texture | relationship among the various notes in a musical composition both together and one after another: monophonic, heterophonic, polyphonic, homophonic |
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