| Term | Definition |
|---|
| A Capella | singing without instrumental accompaniment. |
| Al fine | sing/play to the finish. |
| Amplify | to make sound "larger". |
| Call and Response | One group (or leader) "calls" and the other group "responds", usually by echoing what the first did. |
| Coda | a short, added ending to a piece of music. |
| D.C. al fine | return to the beginning and play to the finish. |
| D.S. al fine | return to the "sign" and play to the finish. |
| Dissonance | A combination of two or more tones that create tension and must be "resolved" with standard chords (ones that are expected, or pleasant to the ear). |
| Arpeggio | "broken chords" or notes of a chord sounded out at a time. |
| Aria | a solo from an opera, intended to "show off" the singer's voice. |
| Recitative | an opera solo that is much like speaking. |
| Overature | "A musical introduction" that comes before a ballet, musical, or opera. |
| Bass Clef | (Also called the "F" clef); the sign on the staff that indicates pitches. Where the 4th line (up) represents the F below Middle C. |
| Treble Clef | (also called the "G" clef); the sign onthe staff for the higher pitches. Where the 2nd line (up) represents the G above the middle C. |
| Grand Staff | Treble and Bass clef read together (as in piano music). |
| Melody | music element that is a combination of pitches arranged in orders that are usually pleasing to hear. Pitches move up, down, or repeat to make a melody. |
| Rhythm | Combinations of, or patterns of long and short sounds, including a regular phrase. |
| Tempo | speed of the pulse (beat), with terms for fast or slow, such as LARGO (very slow) and ALLEGRO (cheerful). |
| Harmony | when two or more pitches are sounded at the same time. |
| Dynamics | the VOLUME of the music, which is designated by the terms PIANO (soft) and FORTE (loud) ---- NOT UP AND DOWN!!!! |
| Form | the term used for the way the Parts of a piece of music are assembled. (verse/refrain; ABA; Rondo; mass; symphony, etc). |
| Fine | the end (the finish). |
| Timbre (pronounced tamber, sort of) | the unique QUALITY of the sound of each instrument (also called in English, tone quality). |
| Style | unique qualities that characterize and identify the variety of types of music available (country, classical, jazz, rock, folk, gospel, bluegrass). |
| Texture | the "thickness" of harmony--how many interwoven parts? |
| Time Signature | (also referred to as METER signature); gives the music PULSE and designates how many beats are in every measure, (top number); and which note is to get ONE BEAT (bottom number). |
| Soprano | the highest sounding adult female singing voice; also the unchanged voice of most children. |
| Alto | the lower singing voice of adult females. |
| Tenor | the highest sounding adult male singing voice. |
| Baritone | the adult male singing voice that is lower than tenor, but higher than bass. |
| Bass | the lowest male singing voice; also the term used to identify the lowest sounds in musical pitches. |
| Partner Song | One that can be sung independently, but fits well when sung with another song, and creates pleasant harmony. |
| Canon | the strictest form of musical imitation, where one part begins, and the other part begins later the exact same line (much like a ROUND). |
| Ballad | a song that tells a story (can be in any style). |
| Sharp | the symbol that indicates moving one half step higher (#). |
| Flat | the symbol that means to lower the pitch one half step (b). |
| Natural | the symbol that means to return a pitch to it's "natural" status. |
| Octave | the pitch that is exactly 1/2 the number of vibrations or exactly twice the number of vibrations of a starting pitch: also a series of eight diatonic tones. |
| Ostinato | a pattern that is repeated along with another melody. |
| Phrase | a group of musical tones that belong together and make musical sense, just like in writing, where phrases combine to make sentences and sentences combine to make paragraphs, etc. |
| Syncopation | "Between beats" where the emphasis does not fall on the expected beat of 1, 2, 3, or 4, but between them. Characteristic of jazz and some rock music. |
| Solo | One performer, alone. |
| Duet | Two performers, performing TWO DIFFERENT PARTS. |
| Trio | Three performers, performing THREE DIFFERENT PARTS. |
| Quartet | Four performers, performing FOUR DIFFERENT PARTS. |
| Quintet | Five performers, performing FIVE DIFFEREFNT PARTS. |
| Tonic | the first tone of a chord or scale. |
| Tempo Markings | LARGO; very very slow--literally, large: ADAGIO; very slow: ANDANTE; slow, but moving--like walking purposefully: MODERATO; moderate--not too slow or fast: ALLEGRO; literally--cheerful, usually taken as relatively fast: PRESTO; very fast. |
| Opera | a large musical form in which all dialogue is sung. |
| Libretto | the "script" for an opera (usually not written by the composer of the music). |
| Da Capa (D.C.) | a repeat sign that means to go back to the beginning. |
| D.C. al coda | a repeat sign that means to go back to the beginning and play to the coda sign, then play the coda. |
| Dal Segno (D. S.) | a repeat sign. |
| D.S. al coda | repeat to the sign and play to the coda. |
| Vibrate | to cause to quiver--to move back and forth or up and down. |
| Resonate | to "re-sound". Capable of returning sound. |
| Acoustic | literally, the science of sound, but for classroom purposes: "natural" -- not electronic. |
| Overtones | a series of tones that exist within the tone you hear, that can be produced by vibrating fractional parts of the instrument/voice. |
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