A music terms

Aubade

A morning-song. Example: Siegfried Idyll by Wagner, written for his wife Cosima on her birthday.

Atonal

Music with no specific key, tonality, or “home” note; often used to describe 20th-century compositions.

Assai

Italian for 'very'; used in tempo markings like allegro assai (very fast) or assai moderato (very moderately fast).

Aria

A formally structured song in opera. Da capo aria repeats the first section with embellishments.

Arco

Italian for 'bow'; instructs string players to use the bow instead of plucking (pizzicato).

Arabesque

A composition featuring ornate, decorative melodic lines, often flowing and intricate. Inspired by Arabic art.

Anthem

A short vocal composition, often non-liturgical in the Church of England. Full anthem = full choir.

Andante

Italian for 'walking'; indicates a moderate tempo. Andantino means slightly faster or slower.

Alto

A voice type (lower female or male falsetto); Alto clef marks middle C on the third line.

Allemande

A 4/4 time German dance, usually moderate in speed; often first in a Baroque suite.

Allegro

Italian for 'cheerful' or 'lively'; indicates a fast tempo, slower than vivace or presto.

Alla

Italian for 'in the style of'; e.g., Rondo alla turca means 'Rondo in the Turkish Style'.

Air

A tune or melody (also spelled ayre); similar to aria, used for voice or instruments.

Adagio

Italian for 'slow'; indicates a slow tempo. Adagietto = a bit faster than adagio.

Accompaniment

A secondary musical part supporting the main part (e.g., piano accompanying a singer).

A

A note on the musical scale, commonly used for tuning (called la in solfège).

Arpeggio

The tones of a chord played one after another in rapid succession.