meter refers to how many beats per measure are in a particular composition.
minstrel a musician or entertainer of the Middle Ages.
minuet music in moderate triple meter, intended for the dance of the same name.
M.M. Maelzel's metronome, used to sound the precise tempo at which a passage or composition is to be played.
modulation the changing of keys within a single composition.
motif the briefest sequence of notes that can be defined as a melody, such as the opening four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.
movement a major section within a composition, often having its own key signature, and often set apart from following movements by a brief pause.
musicology the study of music.
mute any muffling device used on an instrument to lower its volume or alter its tone.
natural any note not raised or lowered by a sharp or a flat.
nocturne French term pertaining to the night, specifically music that conjures up images of the night and romance in the night. Also, a piano melody played with the right hand accompanied by soft broken chords played by the left.
noel a Christmas carol.
notation the writing down of music.
octave all eight notes of a minor or major scale. Also, the interval between the bottom and top notes of the scale.
octet eight; having eight voices or eight instruments; a composition for eight musicians, and similar groupings.
ode a lyrical poem sometimes set to music. opera buffa comic opera.
operetta an opera of a lighter or more humorous nature.
opus work; the word is usually followed by a number to designate the order in which a particular work was produced by a composer; for example, opus 27 would designate a composer's 27th work, although not all compositions are so numbered.
oratorio religious text set to music and involving soloists, chorus, and orchestra, usually performed without scenery, costumes, or special effects.
orchestra, symphony an orchestra capable of playing symphonies, usually having at least 90 musicians.
orchestration the writing and dividing of parts of a composition to be played by the individual instruments of an orchestra.
ornaments any notes added to a composition to put extra pizzazz into a piece; embellishments; flourishes.
overblow to blow so hard into a woodwind that it raises its normal pitch one octave higher (slightly higher for clarinets), a technique used in playing many musical compositions.
overture a composition of instrumental music preceding or introducing an opera, oratorio, or play.
paraphrase a theme, melody, or passage in a composition that is repeated in a different way.
passion a musical composition set to the Passion, the gospel account of the week's events leading up to the crucifixion of Christ.
pasticcio any composition created by several composers, or a montage of the works of several composers as assembled by an arranger.
pastoral any music that conjures up images of life in the country.
pedal tone the lowest pitch attainable on a wind instrument.
philharmonic amalgamation of two Greek words, "love-harmony." Another name for an orchestra or musical society.
pitch any note in the range between the lowest and the highest notes.
pitch pipe a small wind instrument used to demonstrate proper pitch.
polyrhythmic having more than one rhythm played at the same time.
portamento similar to a glissando but with smaller note intervals, thus limiting its execution to the violin, trombone, and voice, in which no separation of notes of half notes (as by frets) exist.
program music music that tells a story or depicts a mood or emotion.
quarter note a note with a time value equal to % of a whole note.
quarter rest a rest or silence equal to the time value of a quarter note.
quartet an ensemble of four musicians or a composition written for four musicians.
quintet an ensemble of five musicians or a composition written for five musicians.
ragtime a highly syncopated piano music performed with a quick tempo, popular in the United States early in the 20th century.
RB abbreviation of rhythm and blues.
rap music originated by black performers in the United States in the 1980s, characterized by a strong beat and recitative singing style.
refrain a section or verse of a musical composition that is repeated at regular intervals and especially at the end of each stanza.
reggae black Jamaican music characterized by off- time beats and simple, repetitive lyrics.
reprise a repetition of or return to an original theme of a composition.
rest a pause or silence.
retrograde refers to a melody that is reversed so that the first note becomes the last, and vice versa.
rhapsody a free form or improvised composition depicting a mood or emotion.
rhythm and blues black American music originating after World War II, combining elements of jazz and blues and characterized by loud volume, a driving beat, and usually depressing lyrics; the forerunner of rock and roll.
riff any short melodic phrase played on an instrument, but particularly on jazz or rock guitar.
rock and roll term coined in 1951 by disc jockey Alan Freed to describe a new type of music evolving from rhythm and blues and characterized by heavy drum beats, loud, jangly guitars, and youthful lyrics.
score the music written for a movie or play; any musical composition for orchestra.
secondo in a piano duet, the lower of two parts.
semiquaver British equivalent of a sixteenth (У16) note.
septet an ensemble of seven musicians or a composition written for seven musicians.
serenade an instrumental composition similar to a sonata. Also, a love song sung under the loved one's window.
sextet an ensemble of six musicians or a composition written for six musicians.
sharp an accidental that raises the pitch of a note by one-half. Also, of a note, played slightly above the correct pitch.
sight-reading performing music on sight without previous practice.
signature the key and meter signs at the beginning of a composition.
sixteenth note a note equal in time value to V\6 of a whole note.
sixteenth rest a rest or pause equal in time value to a sixteenth note.
sol-fa syllables the syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti.
sonata an instrumental composition in three to four movements with each differing in key, mood, and tempo.
sonatina a sonata with shorter or fewer movements.
soul style of 1960s music derivative of blues and gospel and often characterized by lyrics with black themes.
spiritual a type of religious song with complex rhythms, developed by black Americans in the 1800s.
staff the set of horizontal lines upon which notes are written and designated a pitch.
stanza in sings with a poetic text, a verse or set of verses. Also, the introductory passage of a song, followed by the chorus.