Music Terms A-Z

Terms most often used in music:


Accelerando
Increase of speed in music
Accent
Stress of one tone over others, making it stand out; often it is the first beat of a measure
Accompaniment
Music that goes along with a more important part; often harmony or rhythmic patterns accompanying a melody.
Adagio
Slow, leisurely
Allegretto
Moderately fast, lively. Faster than Andante, slower than allegro
Allegro
Lively, brisk, rapid
Andante
Moderately slow, a walking speed
Baroque
Relating to the period from about 1600-1750, characterized by grandeur and heavy elaboration of design in music.
Binary form
Two-part form; the structure of a musical composition consisting of two main sections.
Cadence
Closing of a phrase or section of music
Cantata
A short lyric form dealing with either secular or sacred subjects
Chord
Three or more tones combined and sounded simultaneously
Classical
Referring to that period from approximately 1750-1800, characterized musically by objectivity of the composer, emotional restraint, and simple harmonies.
Consonance
A simultaneious sounding of tones that produces a feeling of rest, i.e., a feeling that there is no need for further resolution.
Crescendo
Gradually growing louder
Da Capo
From the beginning. A direction to repeat the entire compositon from the beginning to the place where the word "fine" appears or to the end.
Diminuendo
Gradually growing softer
Dissonance
A simultaneous sounding of tones that produces a feeling of tension or unrest and a feeling that further resolution is needed.
Dolce
Sweetly, softly
Dynamics
Varying intensities of sound throughout a given musical composition. (Piano, Mezzo Piano, Forte, etc.)
Espressione
Expressively
Fermata
A pause, stop, or interruption as that before the cadenza of a concerto.
Fine
The end of a musical piece
Forte
Loud, strong
Fortissimo
Very loud
Grave
Heavy, slow, pondereous in movement
Gusto
In good taste, tasteful
Harmony
The sound resulting from the simultaneous sounding of two or more tones consonant with each other
Interval
The distance between two tones
Istesso tempo
The same tempo. (The tempo remains as before, after a change was made)
Legato
Smooth, flowing
Largo
Large, broad, slow and stately
Legato
Smooth and connected
Lento
Slow
Melody
An arrangement of single tones in a meaningful sequence
Maestoso
Majestic, dignified
Meno
Less
Mezzo forte
Moderately loud
Mezzo piano
Moderately soft
Molto, molta
Much
Obbligato
Required, indispensable
Ostinato
A repeated melodic or rhythmic fragment
Piano
Soft, softly
Pianissimo
Very soft
Presto
Fast, rapid
Phrase
A small section of a composition comprising a musical thought. Comparable to a sentence in language.
Polyphonic Music
Music in which two or more melodies sound simultaneously
Polyrhythms
Music in which two or more keys are used simultaneously in a given composition
Ritardando
Gradually growing slower
Retrograde
A form of contrapuntal imitation in which the melody is played backwards.
Romantic
Relating to the nineteenth-century musical period characterized by subjectivity on the part of the composer, emotionalism in music, longer musical forms, and richer harmonies.
Root
The tone of the scale upon which a chord is built
Root Position
The postion of a chord in which the root appears as the lowest tone.
Rubato
From the Italian "robbed". Used to indicate a modification of the strict rhythmical flow.
Scale
A graduated series of tones arranged in a specified order
Scherzo
Joke, jest. A sprightly movement, light and humorous in nature
Sforzando
Explosively
Slur
A curved line drawn over two or more notes of different pitches, indicating that they are to be executed in a smoothly connected manner without a break.
Sostenuto
Sustained
Spirito
Spiritedly
Staccato
Separate. Sounded in a short, detached manner
Syncopation
The rhythmic result produced when a regularly accented beat is displaced onto an unaccented beat.
Tempo
The rate of speed at which a musical compostion is performed
Theme
A short musical passage that states an idea. It often provides the basis for variations, development, etc.
Timbre
The quality of a musical tone that distinguishes voices and instruments.
Tone
1. A musical sound 2. The quality of a musical sound
Tutto, Tutta
All, whole
Vivace
Spirited, bright, rapid, equalling or exceeding allegro