All State Vocabulary

a tempo

return to original tempo

accelerando

gradually becoming faster

allargando

slowing of tempo, usually with increasing volume; most frequently occurs towards the end of a piece

allegro con spirto

fast tempo with spirt

anacrusis

upbeat or pickup

andante

rather slow, walking speed

arpeggio

the note in a chord played in succession to one another; broken chord

bel canto

“beautiful singing”

binary form

AB form; a form of a composition that has two distinct sections

cantabile

in a singing style

chromatic

motion by half steps

D.C. or da capo

repeat from the beginning

descant

a high obligato part above the melody

divisi

performers singing the same part are divided to sing different parts

dolce

sweetly, softly

espressivo

to play or sing with expression

falsetto

type of vocal phonation that enables the singer to sing notes beyond the normal vocal range

fermata

pause, hold

form

the organization and structure of a composition

grandioso

grand, majestic

improvisation

music that is created spontaneously

interval

the relationship between two pitches

largo

very slow, broad

ledger lines

short horizontal lines used to extend a staff

legato

to play or sing in a smooth, connected manner

l’istesso

the beat remains constant when the meter changes

meno mosso

less motion

meter

indicated by a time signature, can be simple or compound

mezzo forte

medium loud

modulation

to change key without composition

motif

a short musical idea, usually shorter than a musical phrase

niente

dying away to nothing

opera

a major vocal work that involves theatrical elements

oratorio

large scale musical composition a sacred subject

part song

an unaccompanied homophonic choral composition

poco piu mosso

a little more motion

presto

very fast

rallentando

gradually slowing down

rubato

making the established pulse flexible by accelerating and slowing down the tempo

senza

without

sforzando

strongly accented, forced

solfedge

a system used for teaching sight singing

sotto voce

softly, performed in an undertone

strophic

describes a song where the stanzas are all sung to the same music

subito

suddenly, quickly

tessitura

most widely used range of pitches in a piece of music

tranquillo

to perform in a relaxed tempo

triad

three chord note

vibrato

a rapid fluctuation of pitch slightly higher and lower than the main pitch

vivace

lively