Rococo and Classical Music Terminology

European Studies

Sonate

Is an instrumental work consisting of a series of three or four movements.

Concentro

Is a musical composition arranged for a solo instrument with orchestral accompaniment.

Symphony

Is a large work for orchestra having string, reed, percussion, and horn instruments in three or four movements.

Fugue

Is a musical composition for voices and or instruments based on chief and subsidiary themes.

Suite

Is a series of connected instrument movements; dance tunes or a series of dances.

Cantata

Is a musical composition based on a story or play set to music to be sung but not acted.

Oratorio

Is a musical composition usually based on a religious theme.

Opera

Is a play that is mostly sung, with costumes, scenery, and dancing to music.

Serenade 1

Is a musical composition and/or performance delivered in honor of someone or something.

Instrumental

Composition in several movements, written for a small ensemble, and midway between the suite and the symphony in style.

Minuet

Is a slow graceful dance in ³/₄ time characterized by forward balancing, bowing, and toe pointing.  A slow, stately pattern dance in 3/4 time for groups of couples, originating in 17th-century France.