Orchestra Midterm Vocab

Allegro molto

Tempo marking; very fast and lively.

Common time

Time signature same as “4/4”. Indicated by “C”.

Opt. div.

Dividing the wrien notes is optional.

Symphony

A musical form usually composed in four movements

Ritardando

Gradually slow down.

Ostinato

A repeating phrase or rhythm.

Phrase

A short but complete musical idea; like a sentence.

Double-stop

Playing two notes at the same time.

Legato

Bow stroke; smooth and connected.

Enharmonic

Alternate spelling of a note. (Bb = A#, etc.)

Tremolo

Rapid rearticulation of a note.

Hooked bow

Two bow strokes in the same direction in a row.

. Sustain

Play the same volume without getting quieter.

Shifting

Moving your hand to a new position on the fingerboard.

Positions

Indicated by roman numerals under the staff. III- 3rd position V –

Finger placement

Indicated by numbers 1, 2, 3, 4 above the staff.

Dash

“– “ indicates to shift to the indicated finger. –1 means to shift to your 1st finger on the indicated note

Chromatic

Moving by a half-step interval.

Interval

The distance between two pitches.

Antiphonal

Played by two groups, alternating.

Theme

A melody that forms the main idea of a piece.

Dissonance

music that creates tension.

Programmatic music

Music that tells a story or depicts a specific narrative.

Fugue

A piece centered around two or more parts imitating each other.

Concerto

A composition that features a single soloist.