zither a folk instrument consisting of a flat, wooden soundbox over which as many as 42 strings are stretched.
vocals and song
absolute pitch the ability to remember, identify, and sing tones accurately without the aid of hearing another tone. Also known as perfect pitch.
a cappella singing without instrumental accompaniment.
alto high; a low-register voice of a female (contralto) or a high-register or falsetto voice of a male. A register below soprano.
answer, call and the repeating or nearly repeating of a theme sung by two or more singers in succession.
antiphonal sung by two singers or two groups in a choir alternately.
aria a long, elaborate solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment, associated with operas, cantatas, and oratorios.
ariette a short aria.
ballad a simple, narrative song, usually of a sentimental or romantic nature.
barcarolle a type of song sung by Venetian gondoliers.
baritone midrange of a male voice, about halfway between tenor and bass.
bass the lowest male voice.
basso buffo a bass singing voice, most fitting of comic opera.
basso cantante a bass singing voice characterized as light and sweet.
basso profundo a bass singing voice characterized as especially deep and powerful.
canon a musical composition featuring echoing voice parts that overlap, for example, "row, row, row your boat."
canon, double a musical composition with two simultaneous canons or a total of four voices singing the same lines at slightly different times.
canon, free a canon in which the imitation or echoing portion is sung in a slightly different way than the original.
canon, mixed a canon accompanied by independent voice parts and melodies.
canon, retrograde a canon with the imitation/echo portion sung backward from the original.
canticle a chant or hymn other than a psalm with words taken directly from the Bible.
cantillation free-rhythm chanting, as in Jewish liturgies.
cantor in Jewish worship, the chief singer of the liturgy. Also, the leader of a choir.
carol to sing joyfully; a Christmas song, usually with several parts.
castrato a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to remain an alto or soprano in the Italian opera of the 17th and 18 th centuries.
chant a monophonic, nonrhythmic, unaccompanied form of singing.
chest voice the lowest register of the human voice, said to emanate from the chest. See head voice.
choral of, relating to, or sung by a chorus or choir.
choral symphony a symphony with choral music.
compass the complete range of a voice, from the lowest to the highest note that can possibly be attained.
contralto the lowest range of a female voice; the range between soprano and tenor.
croon to sing softly.
diction the clear and proper enunciation of song lyrics.
falsetto a method of attaining an unnaturally high pitch in a male voice, a technique notably used by such pop vocal groups as the Bee Gees and the Four Seasons.
glee club a chorus consisting of males and/or females or both that perform glees and other types of songs.
glees brief, unaccompanied songs for men's chorus, usually having three to four voice parts, popular in the 1800s.
head voice the high-pitched voicing that causes the sensation of vibrations in the singer's head.
homophony a composition with one central voice part, as opposed to polyphony or several voice parts.
lyric a light, sweet voice.
madrigal a vocal composition having two or more movements and five or six voice parts.
mezza voce Italian music notation directing the singer to sing at half his or her normal volume.
mezzo soprano a female voice with a range halfway between alto and soprano.
parlante Italian music notation directing a singer to approximate the sound of speech.
pathetique French music notation directing the singer to express deep feeling.
patter song a type of comedic opera song sung very quickly and in a speechlike style.
plainsong chanting.
polyphonic having several voice parts.
prima donna in opera, the lead female singer.
primo uomo in opera, the lead male singer.
recitative a style of operatic singing similar to speech and with few changes in pitch.
round a simple form of a canon; a song with two or more voice parts that echo, imitate, or overlap one another, such as "Three Blind Mice" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."
scat style of jazz singing characterized by nonsensical syllables and other vocalizations other than lyrics.
serenade a love song, especially one sung under a lover's window at night.
shanty a work song sung by sailors to keep time in jobs involving teams. "Blow the Man Down" is a typical shanty.
solfeggio a vocal exercise employing the sol-fa syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti).
soprano the highest range of a female voice; the highest range of a young boy.
syllabic characterized by one note sung for each syllable of the lyrics.
tenor the highest range of a male voice.
WIND INSTRuMENTS
alpenhorn a long (sometimes as long as 12 feet) wooden horn used in the Alps to convey signals, call cattle, or play simple melodies.
aulos a shrill wind instrument of ancient Greece, characterized by several finger holes and a double reed; played two at a time, one in each hand by a single performer.
Bach trumpet a high-pitched trumpet originating in Bach's day and used in many of his compositions.
bagpipe Scottish instrument producing a haunting, droning sound through the use of several pipes and a windbag pumped with the arm.
bamboo pipe a simple recorderlike instrument made of bamboo.
barrel organ an instrument consisting of a wooden barrel with fixed pins or projections that automatically force air into organ pipes with each rotation, usually capable of playing only one tune.
basset horn a type of alto clarinet invented in the 18th century, characterized by a long, slender body and an up-curving metal bell, used frequently in the operas of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Strauss.
bassoon a very long (8% feet doubled over) member of the oboe family producing sounds that are sometimes exceptionally comedic or sad.
block flute a recorder or flageolet.
bombardon a type of bass tuba.
bore the conical or cylindrical tube of a wind instrument.
cor de chasse a brass hunting horn originating in the 17th century.
cornet a small brass instrument similar to a trumpet and used in military bands.
crook a curved piece of tubing connecting to the reed with the body of a woodwind; it makes the instrument easier to hold.
crumhorn a J-shaped woodwind of the 16th and 17th centuries.