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Q | R | S | T | U | V | W
| X | Y | Z
| |
| P |
| P |
Pacato |
Calm; quiet. |
| Partita |
Another word for
suite |
| Passion |
The 4 accounts of the
suffering and death of Christ (from the Gospel) |
| Pastorale |
A musical expression of a
genre familiar in European literature from Hellenistic times or earlier;
suggesting a rural idyll |
| Pausa |
A rest. |
| Pavan |
A stately duple metre
dance of the 16th and early 17th centuries. |
| Pensieroso |
Contemplative;
thoughtful. |
| Pesante |
Heavy. |
| Petite |
Little. |
| Peu a peu |
Little by little. |
| Pianissimo |
Very soft. |
| Pianississimo |
Very, very soft; the
softest common dynamic marking. |
| Pitch |
The pitch of a note is
the frequency of its vibrations. |
| Piu |
More; e.g. piu mosso -
more motion. |
| Pizzicato |
Pinched; plucking the
strings of an instrument. |
| Plainchant |
The traditional monodic
chant of the Catholic and Eastern Christian liturgies. |
| Poco |
Little; e.g. poco accel.,
poco a poco - little by little. |
| Poi |
Then or afterwards |
| Polacca |
In the Polish manner |
| Polka |
A Bohemian dance |
| Polonaise |
A Polish dance in triple
metre |
| Polyphony |
The writing of music in
many parts or in more than one part |
| Postlude |
"Play after;" the final
piece in a multi-movement work; organ piece played at the end of a church
service. |
| Prelude |
"Play before;" an
introductory movement or piece. |
| Premiere |
First performance. |
| Prestissimo |
Very, very fast; the
fastest tempo. |
| Presto |
Very quick. |
| Primo |
First. |
| Principal |
Instrumental section
leader. |
| Prologue |
An introductory piece
that presents the background for an opera. |
| Psalm |
From the Book of Psalms
in the Bible, sung to Plainchant. |
| Q |
| Q |
Quadrille |
A popular ballroom dance
in a brisk duple metre. |
| Quartet |
A piece for four
performers. |
| Quintet |
A piece for five
performers. |
| Quodlibet |
A quodlibet is a
light-hearted composition generally containing a combination of well known
tunes. |
| R |
| R |
Rallentando |
Gradually slower;
synonymous with ritardando. |
| Range |
The gamut of pitches,
from low to high, which a singer may perform. |
| Rapide |
Rapidly. |
| Refrain |
A short section of
repeated material which occurs at the end of each stanza. |
| Renaissance |
The period 1450 -
1600. |
| Requiem |
Mass for the Dead |
| Resonance |
Reinforcement and
intensification of sound by vibrations. |
| Rhapsody |
A work free in form and
inspiration, often an expression of national temperament |
| Rigaudon |
A French folk-dance |
| Rinforzando |
A reinforced accent. |
| Risoluto |
Resolute. |
| Ritardando |
Gradually slower;
synonymous with rallentando. |
| Ritenuto |
Immediate reduction in
tempo. |
| Ritmico |
Rhythmically. |
| Ritornello |
A recurrent phrase or
passage |
| Rococo |
A light decorative French
style |
| Romanticism |
Most commonly, a period
or the predominant features of that period, from the early 19th century until
the early 20th. |
| Rondo |
The use of a recurrent
theme between a series of varied episodes, often used for the rapid final
movement of a classical concerto or symphony. |
| Round |
Like the canon, a song in
which two or more parts having the same melody, starting at different points;
the parts may be repeated as desired. |
| Rubato |
A direction to allow a
player a measure of freedom in performance. |
| Ruhig |
Quiet. |
| Rustico |
Pastoral; rustic;
rural. |
| S |
| S |
Saltarello |
A rapid Italian dance in
triple metre |
| Sanft |
Soft; gentle. |
| Sarabande |
A slow dance in triple
metre, generally found in the baroque instrumental suite. |
| Scale |
A succession of tones.
The scale generally used in Western music is the diatonic scale, consisting of
whole and half steps in a specific order. |
| Scherzo |
A light-hearted movement
found from the early 17th century. |
| Schnell |
Fast. |
| Score |
The written depiction of
all the parts of a musical ensemble with the parts stacked vertically and
rhythmically aligned. |
| Secco |
"Dry;" unornamented. |
| Section |
A division of a musical
composition. |
| Segno |
Sign |
| Sequidilla |
A fairly quick
triple-metre Spanish dance. |
| Sehr |
Very. |
| Sehr leise
beginnend |
Very soft in the
beginning. |
| Semi |
Opera-Dramatic works of
the later 17th century that combined spoken drama with a significant element of
music |
| Semitone |
A half step; the smallest
interval on the keyboard. |
| Sempre |
Always; e.g. sempre
staccato. |
| Semplice |
Simple. |
| Senza |
Without; e.g. senza
crescendo. |
| Septet |
A piece for seven
performers. |
| Serenade |
A piece for evening
performance; suggests a piece of music in honour of someone or something. |
| Sereno |
Serene; peaceful. |
| Sforzando |
Sudden strong accent on a
note or chord. |
| Sharp |
A symbol which raises the
pitch of a note one-half step. |
| Siciliana |
A Sicilian shepherd dance
or song |
| Simile |
An indication to continue
in the same manner. |
| Sin' |
Until. |
| Sinifonia |
A passage or piece of
instrumental music, sometimes an introductory piece, leading later to the
Italian overture, known as the sinfonia before the opera, the origin of the
Italian symphony. |
| Sinfonia Concertante
|
A concerto that uses two
or more solo instruments. |
| Singspiel |
A stage work that makes
some use of spoken dialogue, even in a context of primarily musical
interest. |
| Sinistra |
Left hand. |
| Sino |
Until. |
| Smorzando |
Fading away. |
| Soave |
Sweet; mild. |
| Sognando |
Dreamily. |
| Solo |
To perform alone or as
the predominant part. |
| Sonata |
Originally designated
music that was to be played rather than sung. |
| Sonatina |
A short sonata. |
| Sostenuto |
Sustaining of tone or
slackening of tempo; play smoothly. |
| Spiccato |
On string instruments, a
bowing technique wherein the bow is bounced on the string at moderate
speed. |
| Staccato |
Detached sounds,
indicated by a dot over or under a note; the opposite of legato. |
| Stanza |
A selection of a song,
two or more lines long, characterized by a common meter, rhyme, and number of
lines. |
| Stesso |
Same. |
| Stretto |
The device by which a
second voice enters with the subject overlapping a first voice, rather than
starting after the completion of the subject by the first voice; also a faster
speed. |
| Subito |
Suddenly. |
| Suite |
An instrumental piece
consisting of several shorter pieces. |
| Sul |
On the. |
| Sur |
On; over. |
| Svelto |
Quick; light. |
| Symphony |
A piece for large
orchestra, usually in four movements, in which the first movement often is in
sonata form. A large orchestra. |
| Syncopation |
Accent on an unexpected
beat. |
| T |
| T |
Tafelmusik |
Music used to accompany
banquets. |
| Tanto |
Much; so much. |
| Tarantella |
A folk- dance from the
Southern Italian town of Taranto. |
| Te Deum |
A canticle sung in
thanksgiving and forming a part of the Divine Office, where it appears after
Matins on Sundays and major feast days. |
| Tempo |
The speed at which a
piece of music is played. |
| Tempo primo |
Return to the original
tempo. |
| Teneramente |
Tenderly. |
| Tenuto |
Hold or sustain a note
longer than the indicated value; usually not as long a duration as the fermata.
|
| Ternary form |
A tripartite musical
structure; three part song form, in which the third part is an exact or
modified repetition of the first. |
| Terraced dynamics
|
The Baroque style of
using sudden changes in dynamic levels, as opposed to gradual increase and
decrease in volume. |
| Theme |
A complete tune or melody
which is of fundamental importance in a piece of music. |
| Theory |
The study of how music is
put together. |
| Toccata |
An instrumental piece,
often designed to display the technical proficiency of a performer. |
| Tonality |
The term used to describe
the organization of the melodic and harmonic elements to give a feeling of a
key center or a tonic pitch. |
| Tone |
A note; the basis of
music. |
| Tosto |
Quick. |
| Tranquillo |
Tranquilly; quietly;
calm. |
| Tremolo |
The quick repetition of a
note, particularly in string-playing. |
| Troppo |
Too much; e.g. allegro
non troppo - not too fast. |
| Troubadour |
Court poets and composers
of Southern France in the 12th and 13th centuries. |
| Tutti |
All; a direction for the
entire ensemble to sing or play simultaneously. |
| U |
| U |
Una corda |
Soft pedal. |
| Unison |
Singing or playing the
same notes by all singers or players, either at exactly the same pitch or in a
different octave. |
| Un peu |
A little; e.g. un peu
piano. |
| Un poco |
A little. |
| Upbeat |
One or more notes
occurring before the first bar line, as necessitated by the text for the
purpose of desirable accent; the unaccented beat of a measure. |
| V |
| V |
Variation |
The manipulation of a
theme by the use of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic changes. |
| Verismo |
Realism |
| Vespers |
The evening service of
the Divine Office |
| Vibrato |
Repeated fluctuation of
pitch. |
| Virtuoso |
A brillant, skillful
performer. |
| Vivace |
Lively; brisk; quick;
bright. |
| Vivo |
Lively; bright. |
| Vocalise |
A vocal work, whether an
exercise or not, that has no words. |
| Volti subito |
Turn [the page] quickly.
|
| W |
| W |
Waltz |
A dance in triple time,
became the most popular of all ball - room dances in the 19th century |
| Sorry, we don't have any XYZ |
