Musical Terms with Definitions for National Scholastic Acclaimed Musician
A Poco - A little, gradually
Accompaniment - The musical part which provides the rhythmic and harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece
Acoustic - Relating to music produced by instruments, as opposed to electric or electronic means
Agitato - Agitated, rapid
Ad Libitum - At pleasure (often regard to tempo or style)
Adagietto - A rather slow tempo, slightly faster than the adagio (BPM/72-76)
Allargando - Broadening, becoming progressively slower
Andantino - Generally a little quicker than andante
Anthem - A musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Most often the celebratory text is of a religious context and is set for four-part choirs. This type of choral work is also referred to as an “anthem.”
Aria - A self-contained piece for one voice. Most often found in Opera.
Art Song - A musical setting of artistic poetry for solo voice accompanied by piano or orchestra
Articulation - The way a single note is sounded
Ballad - A song with a slower tempo that is emotionally driven and tells a story
Band - A group of musicians performing music of a specialized type. Traditionally a band consists of brass, woodwinds, and percussion.
Beam - Horizontal or diagonal line used to connect multiple consecutive notes
Beats Per Minute - (BMP) The number of beats that occur in a piece of music every minute
Bridge - 1) Transitional passage connecting two sections of a composition (song), or between two A sections. Another way of defining “Bridge” is a contrasting section that prepares for the return of the original material section. 2) Part of a stringed instrument that holds the strings in place and transmits their vibrations to the resonant body of the instrument.
Broken Chord - A chord in which the notes are not all played at once, but in some more or less consistent sequence. They may follow singly one after the other, or two notes may be immediately followed by another two.
Cadence - A melodic or harmonic punctuation mark at the end of a phrase, major section, or the end of the entire work (a resting place in the melody)
Cadenza - An unaccompanied section of virtuosic display performed by a soloist in a concerto
Chamber Music - A musical genre where the music is performed by a small group of performers (one performer per part). It can also be a reference for a solo with accompaniment.
Choir - A group of singers performing music of a specialized type
Chorale - A sacred four-part musical style where the melody is in the soprano line and each note has its own harmonic progression. A chorale is often referred to as a hymn.
Chord Progression - In a musical composition it is a succession of chords
Coda - The final added measures of a musical composition
Codetta - A small coda, but usually applied to a passage appended to a section of a movement, not to the whole movement
Common Time - A musical meter marked by four beats per measure with the quarter note receiving a single beat
Concerto - Composition for instrumental soloist in multi-movements
Cut Time - Same as the meter 2/2 two half-note (minimum) beats per measure. Notated and executed like common time except with the beat lengths doubled.
Da Capo - From the beginning
Diminuendo - Gradually softer
Dot - The sign added to a note or rest that increases its duration by one-half
Double Bar Line - The thin line followed by a thick line written after the final measure of a piece of music. It denotes the end of the composition.
Downbeat- The first beat of a measure (usually accented more strongly than other beats)
Duet - Composition performed by two performers
Encore - Again (i.e. a request to perform once more a passage or piece); a performer returning to the stage to perform an unlisted piece
Ensemble - A group of performers
Etude - A study
Expressivo, espress. or espr. - Expressive or with expression
First Ending - The first measure or group of measures that the performer plays or sings when repeating a section of music that has multiple endings
Folk Music - Music (or songs) transmitted orally from one generation to the next, usually with an unknown composer/songwriter, or formed by custom over a long period of time. Folk Music is identified by people groups, national culture, religious heritage, and celebrated events.
Grandioso - Grand, solemn
Jazz - A type of music of black American origin, emerging at the beginning of the 20th century, characterized by improvisation, syncopation, and usually a regular or forceful rhythm. Brass and woodwind instruments and piano are particularly associated with jazz, although guitar and occasionally violin are also used; styles include Dixieland, swing, bebop, and free jazz.
Largo - Large and slow-moving pace
Lead Sheet - A form of musical notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics, and harmony. The melody is written in modern Western music notation, the lyric is written as text below the staff and the harmony is denoted with chord symbols above the staff.
Madrigal - A secular vocal music composition of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six.
Maestoso - Majestically, in a grand style
Marcato - Marked with emphasis
Metronome Marking - Another term for tempo marking, which indicates the number of beats per minute
Mezzo - Half
Mezzo Forte - (mf) Dynamic mark denoting moderately loud
Mezzo Piano - (mp) Dynamic mark denoting moderately soft
Modulation - Moving from one key center to another key center
Molto- Very
Octave - The interval distance of 8 notes. This eight note interval has a sound-wave frequency of vibration twice that of its lower note.
Opera - A form of theater in which music has a leading role and the parts are taken by singers but is distinct from musical theater. This story based musical production is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librettist and incorporates a number of the performing arts, such as acting, scenery, costume, and sometimes dance. An opera is accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.
Orchestra - A group of musicians performing music of a specialized type. Traditionally, the orchestra consists of strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion.
Overture - An orchestral composition forming the prelude or introduction of an opera, oratorio, Broadway musical, etc.
Phrase - A musical unit with a terminal point or cadence. Lengths of phrases can vary.
Pizzicato - (pizz.) Plucked with the finger rather than the bow
Poco - Little
Poco a Poco - Little by little
Prelude - A musical introduction to subsequent movements during the Baroque era
Presto - A very fast tempo (BPM/168-200)
Quartet - A musical composition for four singers or instrumental performers; or a group of four performers
Rallentando - (rall.) Gradually slower
Range - The distance between the lowest and highest pitches, usually referred to in the context of vocal ranges or melody
Rap - A style of popular music developed by Afro-Americans in the 1970's, in which the lyrics are spoken over rhythm tracks
Religioso - Religious
Reprise - Repetition of a phrase or verse; return to the original theme
Rubato - In free time, no steady beat
Sacred Music - Music composed for a religious purpose, often for the church liturgy
Semitone - The smallest interval in classical Western music, equal to a twelfth of an octave or half a tone
Sempre - Always
Sight Reading - Playing or singing for the first time a musical piece never seen before
Simile - In a similar way
Simple Meters - Beats subdivided into two parts (Time Signatures 2/4, 3/4, 4/4)
Sonata - An extended composition for instruments (not vocal) and can have several movements
Song - A musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. The structure of a song is lyrics set to a melody usually with accompaniment.
Sostenuto - Sustained (Sostenuto notes or musical passages require the performer to play each note beyond its normal value)
Stanza - A verse of a song
Stem - Vertical line that is directly connected to the note head
Subito - Suddenly, quickly
Syncopation - A rhythm that accents a weak beat instead of a strong beat
Tacet - Silent; Do not play
Tempo Marking - An instruction in the music that indicates to the performer the specific tempo of the piece of music
Tenuto - Sustained, hold the note for the full value
Timbre - The unique quality of the sound (tone color)
Tonality - Music centered around a “home” key (based on a major or minor scale)
Tonic - First scale degree or the first note of a scale
Tonic Key - The “home” key of a tonal composition
Trill - Play back and forth between one note and the note above as fast as the performer can
Trio - A musical composition for three instruments or voices, or a group of three performers
Triplet - Three notes played in the rhythmic space of two notes of identical value
Tutti - Performed by the entire ensemble or an indication for all performers to play together
Unisono - In unison
Vibrato - A rapid repeated slight change in the pitch of a note
Virtuoso - Performing with exceptional ability, technique, or artistry
Vivace - A fast and lively tempo (BPM/140-176)
Wind Ensemble - A musical performance group made up of instruments from the woodwind, brass, and percussion families. Typically, the size of the group numbers about 45 musicians.