Free Music Glossary

B

• B See flat.
• Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis The numbering system identifying compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach.
• backbeat A style of rhythmic accentuation that puts accents on even beats. In common time this means having accents on beats 2 and 4.
• backfall A descending appoggiatura.
• bagatelle A short piece of music, typically for the piano, and usually of a light, mellow character. The term literally means a “trifle”, as a reference to the innocent character of the piece.
• bajo See bass.
• bajo cifrado See thorough bass.
• ballad In jazz and popular music, a short song in a slow tempo, usually with a romantic or sentimental text.
• ballad opera See comic opera.
• ballade A one-movement musical piece with lyrical and dramatic narrative qualities, usually having a text dealing with courtly love.
• ballata A type of fourteenth-century italian secular song, similar to the French virelai.
• ballata See ballad.
• ballet A representation of a story by means of dances or pantomimic action accompanied by music.
• ballo See dance.
• bar See measure.
• bar Each of the lines drawn perpendicularly across the staff to divide it into measures. In common usage the term may also mean measure.
• barcarola See barcarolle.
• barcarolle A folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers (oarsmen of the traditional Venetian rowing boat called gondola), or a piece of music composed in that style. It is characterized by a rhythm reminiscent of the gondolier's stroke, almost invariably a moderate tempo 6/8 meter.
• barcaruola See barcarolle.
• barline See bar.
• baroque The music of the period circa 1600–1750, directly following the Renaissance and preceding the Classical era. Its style is characterized by rich ornamentation.
• bas Low in pitch.
• basfløjte See bass flute.
• basfluit See bass flute.
• bass The lowest part in a musical composition.
• bass flute A flute that plays one octave below the concert flute.
• bassa See bajo.
• basse See bass.
• basse chiffrée See thorough bass.
• basse dance A graceful, stately court dance of the early Renaissance.
• bassfløyte See bass flute.
• basso See bass.
• basso continuo Literally, “continuous bass”. A bass part that runs continuously throughout a work, characteristic of Baroque music.
• basso numerato See thorough bass.
• bassus See bass.
• batimiento See beat.
• baton The stick used by the conductor to define the beat of the music. Also, a light metal rod used for keeping time, twirling and juggling in marching band performances.
• battement See beat.
• battimento See beat.
• battito See beat.
• battuta See measure.
• beat A throbbing that is heard when two tones are slightly out of tune.
• beat The basic time unit of a piece of music. For example, each tick sounded by a metronome would correspond to a beat.
• bécarre See natural.
• becijferde bas See thorough bass.
• Beckflöte See recorder.
• becuadro See natural.
• beförtecken See flat.
• bel canto Literally “beautiful singing”. Elegant Italian vocal style, characterized by florid melodic lines and delivered by voices of great agility, smoothness and purity of tone.
• belebend Lively.
• bémol See flat.
• bemolle See flat.
• ben See bene.
• bene “Well” or “good”.
• bent pitch See blue note.
• bepop Complex jazz style developed in the 1940s.
• bequadro See natural.
• berceuse See lullaby.
• bergamasca A kind of Renaissance clumsy rustic dance.
• bergamask See bergamasca.
• bergomask See bergamasca.
• beruhigend Relaxing, melodious.
• bestimmt With decision.
• bewegt See animato.
• bezifferter Bass See thorough bass.
• Bia See Biamonti Catalog.
• Biamonti Catalog A chronological catalog of Ludwig van Beethoven's compositions, compiled by Giovanni Biamonti.
• bianca See half note.
• big band A type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a rhythm section.
• binary form Two-part structure of music; usually each part is repeated.
• binary measure A measure containing two beats.
• bind See tie.
• bindebåge See tie.
• bindebogen See slur.
• bindebue See tie.
• bindingsboog See tie.
• Bindung See tie.
• Bindungszeichen See slur.
• bird's eye See fermata.
• birdseye See fermata.
• bis Literally, “twice”. A directive to repeat a passage.
• biscroma See thirty-second note.
• bizzaro See bizzarro.
• bizzarro Odd, whimsical, irregular.
• blanca See half note.
• blanche See half note.
• Blockflöte See recorder.
• blue note In blues or jazz, a note that for expressive purposes is sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than usual.
• bluegrass A form of American country music, inspired by the music of immigrants from the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as jazz and blues. In bluegrass, as in jazz, each instrument takes its turn playing the melody and improvising around it, while the others perform accompaniment.
• blues African-American music genre, characterized by simple repetitive structures and by the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes.
• body The middle section of a flute, with the majority of the keys.
• Bogen See slur.
• Bogen See tie.
• bois See woodwind.
• bolero A moderately slow Spanish dance in 3/4 time.
• boogie-woogie A style of piano-based blues that became very popular in the late 1930s and early 1940s, but originated much earlier, and was extended from piano, to three pianos at once, guitar, big band, and country and western music, and even gospel. Whilst the blues traditionally depicts a variety of emotions, boogie-woogie is mainly associated with dancing.
• bop See bepop.
• bore The diameter of the tube of a woodwind or brass instrument. The shape of the bore in part dictates the timbre or tone color of the instrument.
• bossa nova Brazilian dance related to the samba, popular in the 1950s and 1960s.
• bourrée An old French dance in use during the Baroque period, very rapid and hearty, usually in 2/4 or 2/2 time.
• brace A symbol that looks like an archer's bow, used to connect two or more different staves that are to be played at the same time by the same instrument (e.g. a piano, a organ or a harp). This should not be confused with the bracket, that provides a visual connection between independent parts of a system.
• bracket In a score, a vertical bracket that groups together the staves relative to the instruments of a section, like the woodwinds or the strings.
• branle Quick French group dance of the Renaissance.
• bransle See branle.
• bravura Literally, “skill”. Great dexterity and skill in execution.
• break In the flute or other wind instrument, the place between the lower register of the instrument and the higher. For example, the break on the flute is between C-sharp and D.
• breath mark Indication of where to breathe in vocal and wind instrument parts. It may look like a large comma or apostrophe or like a tick/checkmark (✓), and is always written above the staff.
• breit See largo.
• brève See double whole note.
• breve See double whole note.
• brevis See double whole note.
• bridge A passage connecting two sections of a composition.
• brillante Bright, brilliant.
• brio Vivacity, spirit, liveliness.
• brioso Vivacious, spirited, lively.
• broderie See ornament.
• broken chord See arpeggio.
• buffo Comic, humorous.
• burden See drone.
• burden A phrase or theme that recurs at the end of each verse in a folk song or ballad.
• Burgundian chanson Fifteenth century French composition, usually for three voices, some or all of which may be played by instruments.
• burlesco Jocular, in a playful style.
• burlesque A humorous composition, usually involving parody or grotesque exaggeration.
• BWV See Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis.