| Term | Definition |
|---|
| a cappella | "in the manner of the chapel," it refers to a purely vocal performance |
| accidental | sign used to raise or lower the pitch of a note a half step or to cancel such a change |
| adagio | a slow tempo that is faster than largo but slower than andante |
| aerophone | an instrument that creates sound by the vibration of a column of air in the instrument |
| allegro | a fast tempo that is faster than andate but slower than presto |
| andante | a moderate tempo that is faster than adagio but slower than allegro |
| aria | an elaborate vocal solo song that generally has instrumental accompaniment |
| arpeggio | a chord whose notes are performed in succession instead of together |
| ballad | a short instrumental piece that is usually associated with poetry |
| ballet | a musical form written for a danced story |
| Baroque | period in music history approxmiately from 1600-1750. (Bach is considered the quintessential composer of the Baroque Era). |
| beat | a pulse produced by an increase or decrease in the amplitude of a tone |
| cadence | a series of usually falling chords that end a section or phrase |
| call and response | a musical structure typical of African music in which a solo singer and a small group alternate singing the refrain of chorus |
| chamber music | music for an instrumental group in which each part is played by a single instrument |
| chord | a combination of three or more tones played at once |
| chordophone | an instrument whose vibrations are produced by a stretched string that is plucked, struck, or bowed |
| chromatic scale | a scale made of up twelve half tones in an octave |
| chromaticism | the use of pitches outside the modal scale |
| circle of fifths | a chain of notes with the interval of a perfect fifth between each note |
| classicism | a movement in the arts lasting from approximately 1750-1820 |
| clavichord | a keyboard instrument that produced sound by striking the strings with a small metal piece |
| coda | the passage at the end of a movement of composition that brings it to a close |
| col legno | a direction to bounce the wood of the violin bow against the strings instead of using the hair of the bow to produce sound |
| compound meter | a type of mete in which the beats are divided into groups of three |
| concerto | a composition for a solo instrument and an orchestra in which the soloist and orchestra are of approximately equal importance |
| conjunct motion | a series of notes that are played in the same relative range, with very few leaps |
| consonance | combinations of sound that are smooth and harmonious |
| counterpoint | the art of combining two melodies into one polyphonic work |
| crescendo | a gradual increase in dynamics |
| cross rhythm | the use of two different rhythms at the same time (aka polyrhythm) |
| cultivated music | a genre of music based on the European tradition of art music (aka classical music) |
| decrescendo | a gradual decrease in dynamics |
| diatonic harmony | harmony that consists chiefly of chords that contain diatonic notes or notes that belong to the key of the section |
| diatonic scale | a scale made of seven tones for every octave |
| disjunct motion | a series of notes that are arranged in a manner in which there are multiple leaps in pitch. |
| dissonance | combinations of sound that are rough and inharmonious |
| dominant | the fifth note of a diatonic scale |
| dynamics | the graduations of loudness and softness in music |
| enharmonic | tones that are identical in pitch but are written differently according to the key in which they occur |
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