Glossary of Musical Terms
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- a capella
- solo or group singing without accompaniment
- accelerando
- An increase in tempo
- accent
- Stress on a beat, to make it stand out from others in the measure or phrase
- accompaniment
- Music that is played along with the main theme or voice
- adagio
- Slowly
- allegro
- Lively
- alto
- Normally the lowest female voice, also sometimes sung by high tenors or young boys
- andante
- Moderately slow
- arpeggio
- The notes of a chord played in succession, rather than together
- atonal
- Having no specific key
B
- bar
- A section of music with one strong beat and one or more lesser beats
- baritone
- A low male singing voice, between tenor and bass
- bass
- The lowest male singing voice, or the lowest range of a type of instrument
- beat
- The pulse of music, marking its rhythmic pattern
- brass
- A type of wind instrument, consisting of a metal tube, with tone regulated by the position of the musician's mouth
C
- cadence
- A musical phrase or group of tones punctuating the end of a phrase or composition of music
- chord
- Three tones sounded together
- chromatic
- Having to do with sharps and flats
- clef
- The symbol at the beginning of a line of written music to signify the range of notes indicated
- contralto
- The terms contralto and alto refer to a similar musical pitch, but among singers, the term contralto is reserved for female singers; ;the equivalent male form is counter-tenor.
- crescendo
- A gradual increase in volume
D
- diminuendo
- A gradual decrease in volume
- dynamics
- The markings in written music that indicate the volume to be used
F
- flat
- A lowering of the tone by a half-step
- forte
- Loud
G
- glissando
- A musical effect involving a slide from one note to another
H
harmony: Two or more tones sounding together in a pleasant manner
I
improvisation: Music that does not follow a written score instrumentation: The writing of music for instruments, or a musical composition intonation: Exactness of pitch or lack of it
K
key: The home note of a composition; the first note of the predominant scale used key signature: The sharps or flats at the beginning of a line of music
L
largo: Slow and stately legato: Smooth lento: Slow
M
measure: A bar of music
N
notation: Written music note: A single sound or its representation
O
octave: a series of eight notes occupying the interval between (and including) two notes, one having twice or half the frequency of vibration of the other.
P
percussion: A class of instruments that are played by striking a surface with the hand, a stick, or a mallet phrase: A segment of music comprising a complete musical thought piano: Softly pitch: The frequency of vibration of a note; the ability to distinguish between one note and another presto: Fast
R
register: a particular part of the range of a voice or instrument. rest: A pause in written music rhythm: The arrangement of notes by duration and accent ritardando: A gradual slowing of the music
S
scale: A series of tones arranged in a specific graduated order score: Written music that shows all parts sforzando: Forceful, usually accented sharp: A raising of the tone by a half-step solo: For one player (musician), or to be played alone. soprano: A high female singing voice staccato: The playing of notes in a short, detached manner staff: A set of five lines used to indicate notes in a written form string: A class of instrument played by the vibration of a string or series of strings set to particular tensions
T
tempo: The speed of a composition of music tenor: Normally the highest male singing voice theme: A short yet complete musical passage tone: A musical sound, or the quality of the musical sound tonic: A pitch that is the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal center of a piece composed in a particular key treble: The highest voice or part of a composition trill: A musical effect involving the alternating sounds of a note and the note above it
U
upbeat: The preparatory sign given prior to the first beat in a bar unison: One or more voices or instruments sounding together as one
V
vibrato: A musical effect involving vibration, used by instrument or voice voice: A particular musical line; refers to instrumentation as well as vocal
W
woodwind: A class of instruments that requires blowing into or across a wooden tube, with tone changed by placement of the fingers over air holes
