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Whitstable Choral - Choral glossary Category: Music and Sound > Choral Date & country: 24/10/2013, UK Words: 663

accelerando
gradually getting quicker

accent
emphasis placed on a tone or chord.

accidental
a sharp, fiat, or natural sign.

accompaniment
subordinate harmonic and/or rhythmic material supporting a principal melody.

accrescendo
getting louder

ad libitum
at the performer

adagio
very slow

affabile
in a pleasing manner

affettuoso
affectionate, with tender warmth

affrettando
hurrying

agitato
excited

air (ayre)
a melodious composition used in some classic suites, which was designed to accompany dancing, but it was not one of the standard dance forms such as the Gavotte or the Minuet. a vocal or instrumental melody.

al fine
to the end

al Tedesca
in the German style

al, alia, alle
to the

allargando
gradually slower and broader

allegretto
slightly slower than allegro

allegro
lively, rather quick

allegro assai
very quick

allegro giusto
quick, with exactness

allegro modetaro
moderately quick

allemande
the first of the dances in the classic suite, written in duple time and played at a moderate tempo.

ambitus
the range of a plainsong from its highest to its lowest tone.

amoroso
loving

andante
rather slow, at a moderate pace.

andantino
generally a little quicker than andante

andare
go on

Anglaise
an English country dance, sometimes part of the suite, in quick duple time, always starting on a strong beat.

anima (con)
with life

anime
lively , spirited

animoso
in a lively manner

anticipation
an unaccented nonharmonic tone which resolves by repetition.

antico
ancient

antiphonal
alternating choirs.

appassionato
impassioned

appenato
grieved, distressed

appoggiato
leaning upon, drawn out

arabesque
a light and graceful piece with florid ornamentation in the melody.

arcato
played with the bow

ardente
with fire, vehemently

ardore
with love and warmth

areabile
sweet, loveable

areore
tenderness and affection

aria
a melodic composition for solo voice with accompaniment

arietta
a small aria in binary form, that is not having the middle section of the aria.arioso

arpeggio
the notes of a chord played consecutively in a consistently ascending or descending direction.

assai
very, extremely

assai piu
much more

atonality
absence of key or central tonality.

attacca
go on to the next

augmentation
to double the note values of a melody.

augmented triad
a three-note chord consisting of two major thirds.

authentic cadence
a cadence concluding with the progression dominant to tonic (V I).

authentic mode
in plainsong, a mode which ranges above the final.

auxiliary tone
an unaccented nonharmonic tone approached step-wise from above or below a chordal tone to which it returns.

ayre
a song or polyphonic vocal composition; old English spelling of air.

bagatelle
literally, a

ballade
a piece of a romantic type, usually in ABA form, combining dramatic and lyrical characteristics.

band
a large ensemble consisting mainly of wind instruments. barcarolle

bar form
a form in three sections, the first of which is ( AAB ).

bar, barline
a vertical line drawn through one or more staves to indicate a measure. Bar also means measure (e.g., a four-bar phrase).

barocco
eccentric, bizarre

bass
a voice, instrument, or part in the low register.

bassa
low, deep

basso
the bass part, the lowest male voice

basso continuo
the instrumental figured-bass part in an ensemble played by one or more bass instruments and a keyboard instrument.

basso ostinato
a persistently repeated theme in the bass register.

beat
the unit of time in metric music. In time signatures, the upper numeral indicates the number of beats per measure.

ben marcato
well marked or accented

ben, bene
well, good

bene placito
at will, at pleasure

berceuse
a lullaby, a quiet piece generally in moderate 6/8 time, with a rocking movement in the accompaniment.

binary two-fold/binary form
a form of two divisions or sections (AB)

bis
twice

bitonality
use of two different keys simultaneously.

bolero
a quick Spanish dance in 3/4 time with accompaniment of castanets.

bourree
a French or Spanish dance, usually in quick duple time, starting on an upbeat; similar to the Gavotte, and often found in the old suites.

brass
wind instruments which produce tone by vibration of the lips,

bravura
spirit, skill

breve
a double whole note equal to two semi-breves or whole notes

brillante
bright, sparkling

brio
vigor, spirit

broken chord
the tones of a chord played consecutively, usually according to some pattern.

buffa, buffo
comic, humorous

burlando
in a playful manner

cadence
the harmonic or melodic progression which concludes a phrase, section, or composition.

cadenza
an ornamental passage near the end of a solo

calando
gradually decreasing the time and tone

calcando
hurrying the time

calmato
tranquility

caloroso
warmth, animation

cambiata
in the Renaissance, an unaccented nonharmonic tone approached downward by step and resolved, on downward, by skip of a third to a chordal tone, followed by stepwise upward progression.

canon
a composition in which each part has exactly the same melody throughout the piece, starting at different points. The strictest form of imitation.

cantabile
in a singing style

cantando
in a singing style

cantata
a work for choirs and soloists with orchestral accompaniment.

canto
song, melody

cantus firmus
a

canzonet
a little song or piece with passages of imitation, something like a madrigal. capo

cappella
a church, a band of musicians that play in a church