Music Terms Final

crescendo

crescendo

gradually get louder

Decrescendo

gradually getting softer

Diminuendo

gradually softer

dynamics

Degrees of loudness or softness in music

Forte

loud

Fortissimo

very loud

Pianissimo

very quiet

Piano (p)

quiet

mezzo piano

moderately quiet

mezzo forte

medium loud

morendo

fading away

subito (sub.)

suddenly change volume

accent

Emphasize the note

Arco

play with the bow

Articulation

How a note is played

cantabile

in a singing style

con sordini

play with a mute

dolce

play in a tender, adoring manner

Genre

a conventional categories that fit different types of music

hooked bowing

two or more notes under a slur, with each note's beginning resulting from a stopped bow stroke

Legato

smooth and connected

marcato

marked; with emphasis

martele

hammered; heavily accented staccato

pesante

heavy and ponderous

pizzicato (pizz.)

pluck the string

Percision

being on point with the all elements including in the ensemble

senza sordino

play without a mute

slur

Smoothly connects two or more notes of different pitches by a curved line over or under the notes

sostenuto

in a sustained manner

Spicatto

bouncing bow

sul ponticello

play near the bridge

sul tasto

play over the fingerboard

Style

Element relating to specific musical periods or composers

Tenuto

Hold the note for its full value

tie

hold for the combined value of the notes OF THE SAME PITCH

Tremolo

rapid ("trembling") repetition of a tone or chord, without apparent breaks, to express emotion

Trill

A rapid alternation between a pitch and a half step below or above it

up bow symbol

V

Vibrato

A slight fluctuation in pitch used to enhance or intensify a sound.

coda

A special ending added to the end of a composition

Da Capo (D.C.)

return to the beginning (head)

Dal Segno (D.S.)

return to the sign

D.C. al Coda

repeat from the beginning and play to coda, then skip to the coda

D.C. al Fine

Repeat from the beginning and play to the end (fine)

form

the structure of a piece of music

repeat :II

go back and play the music again

1st and 2nd endings

Play the 1st ending first time through, then on the repeat, skip to the 2nd ending

Allegro

fast

Adante

walking tempo

a tempo

return to the original tempo

con moto

with energetic movement

grave

slowest tempo in music, play in a solemn manner

largo

broad, very slow

meno

less of whatever tempo you were in

mosso

motion, movement

piu

more

poco

Little

Presto

Fast

Rallentando

gradually slower

Ritardando

gradually getting slower

sempre

Always

stringendo

Accelerate; crescendo

Tempo

speed of music

common time

4/4

cut time

2/2

top number of time signature

how many beats per measure

Bottom number of time signature

What note gets the beat

Dot after a note

Increases the note's duration by half the original value

simple meter

groupings of 2, 3, or 4 beats per measure

compound meter

a meter in which the beat is divisible by 3

augmented

lengthening the note (ties and slurs)

Diminished Triad

m3, d5

dissonance

Unpleasant or unharmonious sound (normally a half step apart)

Enharmonic

two different names for the same pitch

leading tone

7th scale degree

Picardy third

suddenly ending a minor composition in a major triad

Timbre

quality of sound

Tonality

Principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale.

balance

being able to hear all parts of an orchestral piece especially the melody

blend

merging the sounds of different instruments together

Cadenza

a virtuoso solo passage inserted into a movement in a concerto or other work, typically near the end.

composition

piece of music

concerto grosso

Baroque concerto type based on the opposition between a small group of solo instruments (the concertino) and orchestra (the ripieno).

cooperation

working well with others

divisi

Divided parts

etiquette

manners

Harmony

1. The quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole.

Instrumentation

the particular instruments used in a piece of music; the manner in which a piece is arranged for instruments

intonation

the rising and falling pitch

Leadership

The action of leading a group of people or an organization

listening

paying close attention to, and making sense of, what we hear

Melody

tune

Phrasing

A musical sentence

performance

performance

preparation

something done to get ready

Puncuality

being on time

repetoire

collection, group

responsibility

Being responsible for one's actions

scordatura

Tuning contrary to the normal, addressed to the strings

solo

playing alone