An Italian term, which means gradually becoming faster.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBaerophonesB
A family of instruments which use a vibrating column of air to produce sound. The column of air can be produced by blowing through the instrument, buzzing lips, etc.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBaltoB
In a four-part chorus, the second highest voice. This is usually the lowest sounding female voice, though the part can also be sung by boys or men.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBantiphonalB
Music for alternating groups. The groups can be vocal, instrumental or both. The early Baroque composer, Giovanni Gabrieli, wrote many antiphonal works.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBariaB
The episode of an opera in which the action stops and a character expresses his or her emotions in a phrased melodic style.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBaulosB
The primary wind instrument of the ancient Greeks. It is considered to be an early version of the modern oboe.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBBaroque periodB
The musical period which lasted (approximately) from 1600 to 1750. It is often characterized as a time period which emphasized strong contrasts in instrumentation, dynamics, etc. Important composers included Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Handel , Scarlatti, and J.S. Bach.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBbassB
The lowest sounding male voice, used as the lowest part in a four-part chorus.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBbasso continuoB
Term for harmonic structure during the Baroque period, consisting of a bass line and harmonic figuration improvised by a keyboard player.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBbel cantoB
An Italian term, which literally means "beautiful singing." It is used to refer to a vocal technique which emphasized beauty of sound and brilliance of performance during the Baroque period.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBbrassB
The orchestral group or family of instruments made of brass or metal that use cup-shaped mouthpieces, which a player buzzes into. Modern orchestras have trumpets, horns, trombones and tubas as a standard part of their brass sections.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcadenceB
A melodic and/or chordal idea which occurs at the end of a section or phrase of music, giving the impression of a temporary or permanent resting point or conclusion.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcall and responseB
One of the oldest musical forms: a melodic phrase is sung by a leader or soloist and is then repeated exactly, or with some variation, by a group of singers. It is found in many different cultures, including both African and Judaic.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcanonB
A kind of contrapuntal device in which a melody is sung or played by one part, and imitated completely and exactly in one or more other parts. This was an important kind of music during both the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcantus firmusB
A "given" or pre-composed melody which is used as the basis of a work for two or more voices. The cantus firmus would often serve as the basis for one voice, with the composer writing different melodies for the other parts. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, a cantus firmus Ec[000000]f[16]LFwould often be a plainchant, though sometimes it could be a melody taken from a secular love song.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcanzonaB
An Italian term for song, which was used for both vocal and instrumental works from the 1200s through the 1600s (Middle Ages through early Baroque period). These vocal works were settings for serious (though sometimes bawdy) texts about love. The instrumental works were often for brass, with contrasting sections.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchamber musicB
Music written for small instrumental ensembles, such as a string quartet with one player on each part, and intended for performance in more intimate settings than orchestral music. Chamber music began to be of importance during the Baroque period, and became very important during the Classical and Romantic periods.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchansonsB
The French word for song, used for a variety of works from the 1100s through the 1600s. The works set secular (non-religious) poems about love and heroic deeds for solo voices and instruments. The texts ranged from serious to bawdy. The best-known chansons were composed Ec[000000]f[16]LFby Burgundian and French composers during the Renaissance, using the new device of imitative counterpoint.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchoirB
A group of singers, often divided into four different voice parts, ranging from high registers to low registers: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The word choir often implies a religious group, while the term chorus implies a secular group. Choir is also used for the instrumental families Ec[000000]f[16]LFfound in an orchestra: brass choir, string choir, etc.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchorale preludeB
A Baroque work for organ which is based on a Lutheran hymn melody (known as a chorale), combined with other melodic ideas to create florid contrapuntal patterns. The composition would usually be played during a Lutheran service before the chorale was sung by the Ec[000000]f[16]LFcongregation. J.S. Bach composed some of the best-known chorale preludes.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBchoraleB
A hymn tune of the German Lutheran church. Martin Luther himself helped collect a repertory of texts and melodies which could be used for chorales. Many German Baroque compositions use chorale tunes as the basis for larger works.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBClassical periodB
The musical period which lasted (approximately) from 1750 to 1800 and is characterized by simplicity and directness, with an emphasis on clear, balanced forms (such as sonata form). Important composers include Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBclavichordB
A keyboard instrument which was used mostly in the Baroque and early Classical periods. When a performer strikes a key, sound is produced by a brass blade (known as a tangent) briefly striking the strings. The sound is intriguing, but very soft, so the instrument was usually performed only in intimate settings.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBconcertatoB
A style used during the Baroque period in which one or a small group of instruments would contrast with a larger group of instruments. Both concertos and concerti grossi are works which use this style.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBconcerto grossoB
A popular type of instrumental work during the Baroque period which contrasts a small group of instruments with a larger group. J. S. Bach's well-known IBrandenburg ConcertosI are an example of this type of work.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBconcertoB
An instrumental work which features a solo instrument contrasting with a larger group of instruments. It was developed in the Baroque period and continued to be popular during the Classical and Romantic periods. Concertos are often in three movements - two fast movements separated by a slow movement.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcordophonesB
A family of instruments which use vibrating strings to produce sound. The strings can be plucked, scraped with a bow, or struck by a hammer. Modern cordophones include the guitar, piano, violin, viola, and cello. The term is sometimes spelled as cIhIordophone.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcounterpointB
The compositional technique of creating and combining two or more independent melodic lines. The technique was important in all musical periods, but especially important in Renaissance and Baroque music.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBcrescendoB
An Italian term for becoming gradually louder. This dynamic device was developed during the early Classical period by orchestral groups such as the Mannheim orchestra. The piano achieved importance and popularity from the 1700s on, partially because of its ability to perform crescendos and diminuendos.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBdiminuendoB
An Italian term for becoming gradually softer; the opposite of crescendo.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBdivertimentoB
An instrumental work which became important during the Classical period. It was usually written for small ensembles and consisted of three to ten short movements, some of which were based on dances. Divertimentos were usually written for entertainment and were sometimes performed outdoors.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBdynamic rangeB
The spectrum from loud to soft sounds.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBdynamicsB
The loudness or softness of a sound, often indicated in a composition by the use of Italian terms such as IpianoI (soft), Iforte I(loud), etc.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBempfindsamer stilB
A German style which flourished in the early 1700s, emphasizing simple and direct expression of common emotions. The German term is translated as "Expressive style" or "Sentimental style". One of the most important composers of this style was Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach, a son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBEnlightenmentB
A philosophical movement during the eighteenth century, coinciding with the Classical period in music. The movement emphasized and valued human reason and common sense, focusing upon the rights and abilities of the average individual. Humanity and nature were believed to part Ec[000000]f[16]LFof a rational scheme, with God as the master clock maker.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBEsterhazyB
The Austro-Hungarian royal family served by Haydn for more than thirty years. The family was devoted to music, and their estate included an opera house and several concert halls.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBIFidelioBI
The only opera composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is in two acts and was first produced in Vienna in 1805. Its plot reflects the spirit of the times; a political prisoner is rescued from jail and starvation by his wife, who dresses as a man to do this.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBformB
The overall shape of a composition, including the way in which the various musical sections relate to each other. Any musical work has a form, but form in music was especially emphasized during the Classical period, which created the important form, sonata form.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBgamelanB
An ensemble of metal and wooden percussion instruments found on the islands of Java and Bali. The music focuses on repeated musical ideas and has influenced many composers of the twentieth century, including Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBharmonyB
Harmony consists of three or more simultaneous pitches which form chords. Harmonic structures represent the vertical aspect of music, as opposed to the horizontal aspect, which is represented by melody. Chords are used by composers to form patterns which are called harmonic Ec[000000]f[16]LFprogressions. Harmony played an important role in music from the late sixteenth century to the present, but was strongly emphasized during the late Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBharpsichordB
A keyboard instrument which was popular during the Baroque period, though also used during the Classical period. It was replaced in terms of popularity by the piano during the 1700s. When a performer presses a key, sound is produced by quills that pluck the strings. Dynamics are not Ec[000000]f[16]LFaffected by how hard the key is pressed; instead, different dynamic levels can be produced by a mechanism that increases the number of sounding strings.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBhomophonyB
A musical texture which emphasized one primary melody over and against a largely chordal, harmonic background. The texture was emphasized in the Classical period, as a change from the contrapuntal textures favored by the Baroque.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBhumanismB
A philosophical movement during the Renaissance which emphasized the quality of life on earth, in contrast to the medieval view that life on earth was primarily a preparation for death.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBidiophonesB
A family of instruments which are struck, scraped, rattled or rubbed, and produce sound by the vibration of their own material, not by vibrations of a string, skin or air column. Examples of this large family include the triangle, gong, cymbals, rattles, and chimes.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBimitative counterpointB
A specific type of counterpoint in which each voice or part enters successively by imitating the pattern of notes heard in the first or opening melodic line. This was emphasized during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBimprovised musicB
Music that is created at the time of the performance, not composed or notated in advance.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBintervalB
The specific distance between any two pitches.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBjongleursB
Traveling acrobat-musicians who danced, played, juggled, and sang in courts and on the streets in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. They were sometimes employed by the troubadours and eventually became known by the more respectable term, minstrel. They represent our earliest Ec[000000]f[16]LFinformation on secular music during the Middle Ages.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBkitharaB
The most important instrument of ancient Greece; a plucked string instrument similar to a lute, with first five and eventually, more than eleven strings. The instrument became the symbol of the Greek god Apollo.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBluteB
A plucked string instrument with a pear-shaped body and a flat neck, with (in the 1500s) eleven strings. Evidence of early forms of the lute have been found in Mesopotamia, dating from about 2000 B.C. The lute became a popular home instrument during the Renaissance, but by the end of the 1700s, was rarely used.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBmadrigalB
A kind of Italian vocal music which set secular poems about love, heroes and pastoral themes. The madrigal first became popular during the 1300s, when it focused on melodies and rhythms that were simpler than those used in the religious music of the time. A new, Ec[000000]f[16]LFimproved version of the madrigal appeared in the 1500s: four to six voice parts were used, and imitative and contrapuntal textures were emphasized.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBMassB
The most solemn service of the Roman Catholic Church. During the Middle Ages, much of the Mass was sung to the music of Gregorian Chant. Machaut is credited as the first composer to write music for the principal texts of the Mass (in the fourteenth century). Composition of Ec[000000]f[16]LFMasses was an important type of music during the Renaissance, culminating with the works of Palestrina (c.1525-94). After that, this type of work lost its importance, though most composers of the 16th-18th centuries still wrote them.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBmelodyB
Any succession of pitches which are heard separately (as opposed to simultaneously) and form a recognizable shape. Melody represents the horizontal aspect of music, as opposed to harmony, which represents the vertical. The highness and lowness of the pitches, in Ec[000000]f[16]LFaddition to their duration or rhythm, can form sections or units, which are called phrases.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBmembranophonesB
Membranophones produce sound by the vibration of a stretched skin (or membrane), which encloses an air space by being stretched tightly across a box-like chamber. Any drum is a membranophone.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBMesopotamiaB
An ancient civilization in western Asia, located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and now a part of Iraq. Evidence has been found of this civilization existing more than 5,000 years B.C., so that it is considered to be the beginning place of Western civilization.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBIMessiahBI
The most popular oratorio composed by Handel, it was first produced in 1742, having been composed in six weeks in 1741. It consists of three parts, with a text based on various books of the Bible.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBminuetB
A dance in triple meter at a moderate or medium tempo, which was often included as a movement in Baroque instrumental suites, and later, was usually the third (occasionally the second) movement of four-movement works during the Classical period. Minuets are usually in a three-part Ec[000000]f[16]LFform with identical first and last sections: ABA.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBmotetB
A polyphonic choral work usually with a Latin text and intended for use in the Roman Catholic Church. Early motets (during the 1200s) were the first to specify rhythm patterns and would sometimes use more than one text. The motet continued to be an important type of music through the 1700s.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBIMusical OfferingBI
A composition by J. S. Bach based on a theme by Frederick the Great of Prussia, who Bach met in 1747. The collection consists of two fugues, a series of canons, and a trio sonata.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBopera buffaB
The name given to Italian comic opera in the 1700s. Comic operas used the local language and customs, had plots which featured commonplace people and events, and also contained portions which were spoken.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBoperaB
A drama set to music and performed on stage with scenery and costumes, usually with orchestral accompaniment. Most of the text is sung, though there can be spoken sections. Opera first came into existence around 1600 in northern Italy, at the beginning of the Baroque period. Ec[000000]f[16]LFMonteverdi's IOrfeoI was the first opera to achieve artistic and public acclaim. From that time until the present, opera has continued to be of importance to composers and audiences.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBoratorioB
A composition based on a religious story, using soloists, chorus, and orchestra. The types and forms of music are similar to those of opera, but there is no action, costumes, or scenery. Handel achieved great success with his oratorios written for the English public.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBorchestraB
A large instrumental ensemble, which usually includes the following groups or choirs: strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Orchestras have been an important ensemble from the Baroque period to the present.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBorchestrationB
The technique or art of arranging and composing effectively for orchestral instruments, which involves specific knowledge of each instrument's capabilities.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBorganB
A keyboard instrument, usually consisting of at least two keyboards (or manuals) for the performer's hands, and one keyboard (the pedals) to be played by the performer's feet. When a key is depressed, air is sent from a wind supply (or chest) through a pipe. The first organ Ec[000000]f[16]LFprobably dates from c. 250 B.C., when a Greek engineer invented a hydraulic instrument in which the wind supply was regulated by water pressure. Music for organ has been an important type of religious music from the Baroque period to the present.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBphraseB
A section or unit of a melody, with a clear beginning and ending. The ending is called a cadence. A clear phrase structure was valued and emphasized during the Classical period.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBpianoB
A keyboard instrument (originally named the Ipianoforte Ior IfortepianoI) which became popular during the 1700s. Sound is produced by strings, which are struck by felt hammers. The dynamic of the sound can be controlled by the amount of force used to strike the key. Pianos replaced the Ec[000000]f[16]LFharpsichord in popularity partially because of their ability to play loud and soft, including all levels in between. The piano was an extremely important solo instrument during the nineteenth century.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBpolyphonyB
A musical texture which features the combination of two or more independent (equally important) musical lines. Techniques used to combine the lines are known as counterpoint.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBprelude and fugueB
A type of instrumental composition developed during the Baroque period, usually written for solo keyboard. The prelude was a short work in a "free style," focusing on one primary texture, which would prepare the listener for the fugue. The fugue was a contrapuntal piece that Ec[000000]f[16]LFmade systematic use of imitative counterpoint. It would begin with a theme or subject in one part, which would then be successively imitated by the other parts.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBPrussiaB
A state in northern Europe which became a military power in the 1700s and led to the formation of the German Empire in 1871. Frederick the Great (Frederick II) ruled Prussia from 1740 until 1786 (during the Enlightenment) and was an amateur flutist and composer who knew or Ec[000000]f[16]LFemployed many of the important musicians of that time.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBragasB
Arrangements of five-seven pitches used as the basis for melodies in Indian music, and which can be associated with specific emotions, parts of the body, times of day, or seasons. Arabian music features a similar approach.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBrecitativeB
A type of vocal music which imitates the rhythm and inflections of speech, usually used for conversational and action-oriented sections of opera. It is also found in oratorios and cantatas.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBRenaissanceB
A musical period which lasted (approximately) from 1450 to 1600. The philosophical movement known as humanism placed emphasis on the quality of life on earth, which led to a rebirth in the arts. Music featured the development of imitative counterpoint, as well as harmonic Ec[000000]f[16]LFsuccession or progression. Important composers included Dufay, Ockeghem Josquin des Pres, and Palestrina.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBrhythmB
The length or duration of sounds, as well as their organization into groups with a meter (pattern of accents) and pulse (beat).
Ec[000000]f[16]LBritard (ritardando)B
An Italian term which means gradually becoming slower (the opposite of accelerando).
Ec[000000]f[16]LBroundB
A vocal work that is essentially the same as a canon; all voices enter successively and sing the same melody at the same pitch. A well-known example is IRow, Row, Row Your BoatI.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBscalesB
A scale is a Western term for a collection of notes arranged in an order from lowest to highest (or vice-versa). The principal scales used in Western music from the Baroque through the Romantic period are known as major, minor and chromatic. Unlike ragas, scales are not associated with specific emotions.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsecularB
Music and texts that are not associated with a religion or spiritual ideas: the opposite of sacred.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBserenadeB
A Classical period instrumental work similar to a divertimento. Serenades were usually written for small ensembles and consisted of three to ten short movements, some of them based on dances. Serenades were intended to be entertaining works which could be performed outdoors.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBshofarB
An ancient Jewish instrument, made from a ram's horn, which is still used for Jewish New Year celebrations.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsinfoniaB
An Italian term which implies blending separate sounds into one. It was originally used during the Baroque period for a variety of instrumental works, but eventually referred to Italian opera overtures that were in three sections: fast, slow and fast. These works were the Ec[000000]f[16]LFprecursor to the Classical period symphony.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsitarB
The most popular Indian string instrument, which is similar to a lute, with a long neck and three to seven strings.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsonata formB
An important musical form that was developed during the Classical period and used often for the first movements of instrumental works such as the symphony and the string quartet. The form consists of: 1) presentation of two different ideas in different keys or tonalities in an opening Ec[000000]f[16]LFsection, known as the "exposition;" 2) elaboration and expansion of those ideas and tonal relationships (the "development"); and 3) a restatement of the opening section with all ideas in the same tonality, producing a convincing resolution and conclusion (the "recapitulation").
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsopranoB
The highest female voice and the highest part in a four-part chorus. Soprano parts can also be sung by boys.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBSt. Mark'sB
A cathedral or basilica in Venice, which was the center of ceremonial and musical life during the late Renaissance and early Baroque. Many important composers worked or wrote music for St. Mark's, including Gabrieli and Monteverdi. The twentieth-century composer, Igor Ec[000000]f[16]LFStravinsky, composed a work for St. Mark's.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBstring quartetB
A work for an ensemble of four string instruments: two violins, one viola, and one cello. This became an important type of work during the Classical period, when it featured forms similar to those found in a symphony.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBstringsB
Any instrument in which sound is produced by a stretched string (a cordophone). However, the name usually refers to the instruments used in the string family of the orchestra: violins, violas, cellos and double basses.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBstyle galantB
A French and Italian style which flourished in the early 1700s, emphasizing simple and direct expression, but presented in a highly ornamented manner. The term is translated as "gallant style." One of the more important composers of this style was Johann Christian Bach, a son of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBsymphonyB
An important type of orchestral music which was developed during the Classical period and which still continues to be an important work for composers and audiences. It was often in four movements: moderately fast, slow, minuet, and very fast. The first movement would usually be in sonata form.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtalasB
Talas are specific rhythmic patterns found in Indian music. The patterns are repeated and combined throughout a section of music
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtenorB
The highest conventional adult male voice. The third highest voice in a four-part chorus.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBthemeB
A primary musical idea which forms the basis of a composition or movement of a composition. It is often a recognizable, memorable melodic idea. Themes are emphasized in musical works from the late Baroque period through the early twentieth century.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtoccataB
An instrumental work, usually for keyboard, which was developed during the Baroque period. The work would alternate between florid, improvisatory passages and stricter contrapuntal passages, while also displaying the performer's skills or technique.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtonalityB
The musical principle which features a gravitational pull towards a specific pitch, known as the tonic. Music arriving at the tonic produces a sense of resolution or completion. Much of Western music utilizes this principle, but it was especially emphasized from the Baroque period through the Romantic period.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtonicB
The principal pitch of a piece of music. The other pitches lead and gravitate towards it. (See tonality).
Ec[000000]f[16]LBtroubadoursB
French poet-musicians who composed, and sometimes performed, songs about idealized courtly love at European courts during the Middle Ages.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBvariationB
A technique of changing or modifying a musical theme or idea. Theme and variations is a specific musical form in which a stated theme is varied with each restatement.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBviolinB
The principal Western string instrument and the highest sounding string instrument of the orchestral string family. The violin has four strings and can be plucked, but is usually played by drawing a bow across the strings. Violins have existed since the sixteenth century, with the golden age of Ec[000000]f[16]LFviolin-making occurring in the seventeenth century in Italy.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBIThe Well-Tempered ClavierBI
An important keyboard work by Johann Sebastian Bach, begun in 1722 and finished by 1742. It consists of forty-eight preludes and fugues in two volumes. Each volume features one prelude and fugue in each of the twenty-four possible major and minor keys.
Ec[000000]f[16]LBwoodwindsB
Aerophones which produce sound by blowing air through the instrument or through a reed which vibrates. The conventional woodwind family of the Western orchestra includes the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. At one time, all of these instruments were made out of Ec[000000]f[16]LFwood, but flutes are now usually made out of metal.
