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orchestra and music vocabulary terms

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Term
Definition
pizzicato   pluck string  
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legato   play notes smoothly and connected  
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arco   use bow  
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piano   quiet, p  
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forte   loud, f  
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mezzo forte   medium loud, mf  
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mezzo piano   medium quiet, mp  
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crescendo   gradually play louder  
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diminuendo   gradually play quieter  
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measure   the space between two bar lines on a music staff  
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sharp   raises the pitch of a note by one half step, looks like a hashtag  
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key signature   sharps of flats after the clef that change certain notes throughout the entire piece  
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top number of the time signature   tells us the number of beats or counts in a measure  
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bottom number of the time signature   tells us the note that gets a beat or count, i.e. in 4/4 time a quarter note gets a beat  
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half note   a note that lasts for 2 beats in 4/4 time, a note head with a stem  
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quarter note   a note that lasts for 1 beat in 4/4 time, a solid note head with a stem  
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whole note   a note that lasts for 4 beats in 4/4 time, a single note head, no stem  
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eighth note   a note that lasts for 1/8 of a whole note in 4/4 time. 2 grouped together with a single bar across the top represents one beat  
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sixteenth note   a note that lasts 1/16 of a whole note in 4/4 time. 4 grouped together with two bars across the top represents one beat  
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quarter rest   one beat of silence in 4/4 meter  
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half rest   two beats of silence in 4/4 meter, looks like a top hat  
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rest   a symbol of no sound  
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major scale   a series of ascending or descending notes, the pattern of intervals is whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step or WWH WWWH  
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whole step   an interval of two half steps, i.e. F to E  
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half step   smallest space or interval between two notes, i.e. F to F sharp  
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articulation   how the notes are attacked or started  
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simile   continue playing music in a similar way to the previous section  
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tremolo   repeating a note very rapidly, done by moving the bow rapidly at the tip  
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adagio   moderately slow tempo  
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presto   very rapid tempo  
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ritardando   gradually slow down the speed of the beat  
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da capo (D.C)   signals the performer to go to the beginning of the piece  
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dal segno (D.S.)   signals the performer to go to the sign in the piece  
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fine   marks the end of a piece  
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fermata   A marking requiring the performer to hold the note as long as the conductor or performer sees fit.  
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key signature of C Major   no sharps or flats  
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key signature of G Major   F Sharp  
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key signature of D Major   F sharp, C sharp  
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key signature of A Major   F sharp, C sharp, G sharp  
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key signature of F Major   B flat  
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key signature of Bb Major   B flat, E flat  
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key signature of Eb Major   B flat, E flat, A flat  
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dotted half note   a note that lasts for 3 beats in 4/4 time, an open note head with a stem and a dot on the side  
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dotted quarter rest   a note that lasts for 1 1/2 beats in 4/4 time, a closed note head with a stem and a dot on the side  
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Baroque Era   1600-1750 music was frilly, fancy grotesque. Bach, Vivaldi are the well known composers of this era. Chamber music or small groupings were the orchestras of the time.  
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Classical Era   1750-1825 music was symmetrical, simple, and had form. The string quartet and symphony were created. Mozart and Haydn are the composers of the era. Orchestras grew to include the timpani. The violin family developed to the modern instruments of today.  
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Romantic Era   1825-1900 Emotion-filled and patriotic. Brahms and Tchaikovsky were the composers of this era. Symphonies are very large and expanded in this era.  
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Contemporary (20th/21st century)   1900-today Experimental, reactions to world wars, electronics. Stravinsky and Williams are the composers of this era. Music for films, video games is popular.  
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Modern violin   developed in the classical era. Stradivarius was a famous maker from Italy.  
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fiddle music   used for social purposes and dances  
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allegro   quick tempo  
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staccato   short bows, stays on the string  
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spiccato   short bows that bounce off the string  
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tie   a symbol that connects two notes of the same pitch. notes values are added together and played as one long note  
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Mozart   Classical Era, famous for operas  
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Haydn   Classical Era, famous for string quartets and symphonies  
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Bach   Baroque Era, famous for organ, violin, and chamber music  
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Vivaldi   Baroque Era, famous for violin concertos and chamber music  
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Brahms   Romantic Era, famous for large symphonies, beautiful melodies  
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Tchaikovsky   Romantic Era, famous for ballets like the Nutcraker and Swan Lake  
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Stravinsky   20th Century Era, neoclassicism--classical forms with new tones and harmonies and instruments  
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Williams   20th/Contemporary Eras, famous for movie scores like Star Wars and Harry Potter  
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