Multilingual Music Glossary
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Some random terms
- garbato
Kind, amiable, graceful - aria
Lyric song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, generally expressing intense emotion; found in opera, cantata, and oratorio. - bass The lowest part in a musical composition.
- heavy metal Rock style that gained popularity in the 1970s, characterized by simple, repetitive ideas and loud, distorted instrumental solos.
- oral tradition Music that is transmitted by example or imitation and performed from memory.
- tablature Any form of musical notation using symbols or letters rather than notes on the staff to describe pitches.
- ragtime Late nineteenth century piano style created by African-Americans, characterized by highly syncopated melodies.
- repercussion The frequent repetition of the same sound. Also, the re-entrance of the subject and answer in a fugue following other material.
- ternary form A three-part musical structure (ABA) based on statement (A), contrast (B) and repetition (A).
- double trill A simultaneous trill on two notes, usually in the distance of a third.
- col
“With the” - perdendo
Losing volume. - pasticcio
A composition assembled from passages taken from numerous other sources by various composers. - Kirkpatrick numbers The numbering system identifying compositions by Domenico Scarlatti.
- locrian A mode based upon the seventh tone of the major scale.