Term | Definition |
Suite | A set of short musical movements, for one or any combination of instruments, or for orchestra, played in a specific order |
Oratorio | A multi-sectional work for vocalists and orchestra, which uses the same structural elements as opera, without the use of scenery, setting, and costume |
Opera | A fully produced, multi-section work for the theater whose text or (or libretto) is primarily sung by soloists and a chorus, and which is accompanied by instruments, usually a large orchestra |
Consonance | Two or more sounds that are pleasing to the ear when played simultaneously; harmonies that create stability in a composition |
Meter | Grouping of beats into meaures |
Timbre | The "color" of a tone, meaning which instrument plays it; the color of quality of the musical sound being produced. |
Scale | The frequency of notes heard in ascending or descending order |
Harmony | Two or more tones played or sung at the same time; the composition and progression of chords, simultaneous sounds, and counterpoint |
Sonata | An extended multi-movement work generally for a solo instrumentalist |
Tone | A single not of a definite frequency |
Symphony | A full orchestral work usually in four movements |
Etude | An instrumental musical composition designed to provoke practice material for perfecting a particular technical skill in a solo instrument |
Tempo | Measured pace at which a composition is played |
Concerto | Composition for soloist and orchestra in three movements (first and third movements fast, second movement slow) |
Melody | Succession of tones in a given sequence that possesses certain subjective qualities-a perceivable coherence, an inevitability, and sense of completion. |
Dissonance | Two or more sounds that are not pleasing to the ear when played simultaneously; unstable harmonies that create tension in a composition |
Pitch | Any sound that sets up regular vibrations in the air and is perceived as a discrete tone; that relative highness or lowness can be measured in vibrations per second |
Counterpoint | The simplest form of harmony which features two melodic lines (referred to as voices or parts) of equal value played against one another |
Duration | Persistence of a tone in time, meaning how long it lasts |
Art music | Music created for the Christian church, the European courts, and the concert halls, from the Middle Ages to the present; also called art music |
Folk Music | Music created by and for the common people of a particular region, or by a disadvantaged ethnic group or religious sect, orally transmitted |
Beat | In music, basic unit of rhythem |
Motif | In music, a brief but recognizable recurring fragment of a melody |
Overture | Orchestral work, usually in two or three contrasting sections, used as the introduction to an opera or other dramatic piece |
Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble that contains string, brass, woodwind, and percussion sections and typically plays classical or art music |
Rhythm | How musical sounds are organized temporally, or in time, employing stressed and unstressed beats. |
Texture | A component of orchestration, referring in a descriptive way to the number of instruments playing at any one time. |
Theme | A musical idea repeated through a compostion |
Spirituals | Religious songs originating among African-American slaves in the American South that fused aspects of African music and religion with Christian hymns |
Ragtime music | Music popular from 1900-1920 that preceded jazz, was influenced by African American songs and featured syncopated, or "ragged" rhythm |
Blues Music | Music developed in Southern African-American communities at the end of the 19th century that fused work songs, spirituals, and chants and featured a twelve-bar blues chord progression |
Jazz Music | Musical style developed by African-Americans at the beginning of the 20th century that is an amalgamation of African and European music, featuring improvisation, syncopation, polyrhythms and the use of "swing time" (unequal notes) |
Hip-hop Music | Music developed in African-American communities during the late 1970s that features rhythmic and rhyming speech (rapping) and a 4/4 beat |
World Music | Term for global music (generally non-western) that is "discovered" by western audiences |
Avant-garde music | Term for post-1945 music that uses strange or innovative elements or combines different genres |
Aria | Long, accompanied song for a solo voice, typically found in an opera or ortorio |
Interval | The difference in pitch between tones, usually expressed in the number of steps. |