MUS100

Gregorian chant

A body of music to which the medieval Roman Catholic liturgy was sung, consisting of monophonic, single-line melodies sung without instrumental accompaniment.

jongleurs

Medieval street musicians who sang, played instruments, and sometimes acted in plays.

liturgy

The text of the Roman Catholic Mass (reenactment of the Last Supper) service, also used by some Protestant religions.

melisma

Several notes sung to a single syllable of text.

minnesingers

Medieval German poet-singers.

minstrels

Medieval wandering street musicians and entertainers.

Ordinary (of the Mass)

The sections of the Mass that stay the same throughout the church year. They are the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei.

organum

The earliest type of medieval polyphonic music.

Proper (of the Mass)

The sections of the Catholic Mass that change with the church year. The Proper is generally not set to music because each text is used so seldom.

refrain

Text and/or music that is returned to or repeated within a larger piece of music.

secular

Nonreligious.

strophic

Designating a song in which all verses of text are sung to the same music.

troubadours

Medieval poet-singers from southern France. They were often people of noble rank who would not perform in public but would sing to family members and friends.

trouvères

Medieval poet-singers from northern France. Like troubadours, they were often people of noble rank who would not perform in public but would sing to family members and friends.

vernacular

The everyday spoken language.

embellishment

The practice of decorating musical lines by adding notes or ornaments.

madrigal

A polyphonic vocal piece set to a short poem; it originated during the Renaissance.

aria

A composition for solo voice and instrumental accompaniment.

arioso

A vocal style midway between recitative and aria. Its meter is less flexible than that of recitative, but its form is much simpler and more flexible than that of an aria.

basso continuo

Continuous bass. A bass part performed by (1) a chordal instrument such as a keyboard instrument or a lute, and (2) a bass instrument such as a cello, viola da gamba, or bassoon that reinforces the bass line.

coloratura

A high female soprano voice capable of singing fast, florid ornaments.

libretto

The text of an opera or similar extended dramatic musical work.

oratorio

An extended choral work made up of recitatives, arias, and choruses, without costuming, stage action, or scenery.

recitative

A form of “singing speech” in which the rhythm is dictated by the natural inflection of the words.

cantata

A choral work, usually on a sacred subject and frequently built on a chorale tune, combining aria, recitative, chorus, and instrumental accompaniment.

oratorio

An extended choral work made up of recitatives, arias, and choruses, without costuming, stage action, or scenery.

overture

The orchestral introduction to a musical dramatic work.

Passion

A musical setting of the story of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ.

countersubject (of a fugue)

In a fugue, new melodic material stated in counterpoint with the subject.

episode

In a fugue, a transitional passage based on material derived from the subject or based on new material, leading to a new statement of the subject.

exposition

The first section in sonata form, containing the statement of the principal themes. Also, the first section in a fugue, in which the principal theme or subject is presented imitatively.

fugue

A composition that uses imitative polyphony and is organized around the returns of a theme or subject and a countermelody (countersubject) that often appears with it. Fugues can have more than one subject, but just one is more common.

sonata

An instrumental work consisting of three or four contrasting movements.

subject (of a fugue)

In a fugue, the principal theme, introduced first in a single voice and then imitated in other voices, returning frequently during the course of the composition.

suite

A series of instrumental movements, each based on a particular dance rhythm.

concerto

A work for one or more solo instruments and orchestra.

concerto grosso

A multimovement work for instruments in which a solo group called the concertino and a full ensemble called the ripieno are pitted against each other.

program music

Instrumental music associated with a nonmusical idea, this idea often being stated in the title or in an explanatory program note.

ritornello

“Return.” A characteristic form for the first and sometimes the last movement of the baroque concerto grosso. The thematic material given to the ripieno returns between the passages played by the soloists.

solo concerto

A multimovement baroque work that differs from concerto grosso in that the concertino consists of only one instrument.

virtuoso

A performer with complete technical control of the playing of his or her musical instrument.

absolute music

Music that is entirely free of extra-musical references or ideas.

coda

The concluding section of a musical work or individual movement, often leading to a final climax and coupled with an increase in tempo.

development

In a general sense, the elaboration of musical material through various procedures. Also, the second section of a movement in sonata form.

exposition

The first section in sonata form, containing the statement of the principal themes. Also, the first section in a fugue, in which the principal theme or subject is presented imitatively.

motive

A short melodic or rhythmic theme that reappears frequently throughout a work or section of a work as a unifying device.

recapitulation

The third section of sonata form, which restates the themes from the exposition.

scherzo

Literally, “joke.” A sprightly, humorous instrumental piece, swift in tempo; developed by Beethoven to replace the minuet.

sonata form

A musical form encompassing one movement of a composition and consisting of three sections—exposition, development, and recapitulation—the last often followed by a coda.

cadenza

A section of music, usually in a concerto, played in an improvisatory style by a solo performer without orchestral accompaniment.

clavier

A generic term for a keyboard instrument.

divertimento

A light musical “diversion,” or entertainment.

opus

“Work.” The term is usually followed by a number that identifies the particular work in the catalog of music by a composer.

rondo

An extended alternating form often employed in the fourth movement of classical symphonies; generally spirited and playful in character.

sonata rondo

The form of a movement that shares characteristics of both the sonata and the rondo forms. It usually has an A section that returns as it would in a rondo, but it also has a development section such as that found in a movement in sonata form.

opera buffa

Italian comic opera.

opera seria

Italian opera with a serious (i.e., noncomic) subject.

allegro con brio

Fast, with vigor and spirit.

andante con moto

A tempo that is a walking pace, with a sense of motion (con moto).

cyclic form

A unifying technique of long musical works in which the same thematic material recurs in succeeding movements.