Musical Definitions
- A battuta
As beaten; strictly in time (on the beat). - A cappella
The term means music for unaccompanied voices, but in the sixteenth century the texture could include the organ or other instruments. - A capriccio
The style and speed of the music is left for the player or singer to decide. - A placere
At pleasure. The tempo or speed of the music is left for player or singer to decide. - A poco a poco
Litterally means little by little. This is used for a change of tempo or volume. - A poco piu lento
A little slower. - A poco piu mosso
A little more movement-- play a little faster - A tempo
When music returns to it's normal speed the words 'A tempo' are written above the stave. 'tempo' in music means 'speed' rather than 'time'. - Abbreviations
'Musical Shorthand' used when part or all of a piece of music is to be played or sung more than once. Other abbreviations are used for notes or groups of notes which are to be played or sung more than once. - Accelerando, accel.
If the pulse of a piece of music is to become gradually quicker the word ACCEL. (short for accelerando) is used. A dotted line shows how long the acceleration is too last, and 'A tempo', or tempo 1, meaning 'primo', is written when the pulse returns to its original speed. - Accent
an audible stress to a note, shown by the sign >, ^, or v. - Accentato
Emphasized; more pronounced - Accents
Beats, strong or weak. - Acciaccato
Vehemently - Accidental
any sharp, flat, or natural that is not given in the key signature. An accidental in front of a note applies as often as the note is repeated at that particular octave during the remainder of the bar it is in. In the bar that comes after accidental sharps or flats is usual to find 'warning' to contradict the accidentals in the previous bar. - Accompagnato
Accompanying - Accompaniment
The vocal or instrumental 'backing' given to a melody. - Accoustics
the science of sound. - Ad Libitum / Ad Lib.
a tune meant to be sung or played very freely, without any regular pulse. They are written without any time signature or bar lines. The word 'freely' can be written Ad Libitum (or Ad lib.) meaning 'at will'. The style and speed of the music is left for the player or singer to decide. - Adagio
slow and leisurely (one of four movements called by Italian words that described the character of their different speeds). - Aeolian Mode
A medieval mode whose scale pattern is that of playing A to A on the white keys of a piano. This scale is also called the natural minor scale. - Affettuoso
With feeling. - Agitato
agitated (Italian term for mood and expression) - Air
A tune or a melody. - Al Coda
Go to the coda (tail) of the music. The Coda is often marked with a circle with a cross or plus through it. - Al niente
To nothing - Al Segno
Go to the sign (an S with a '/' through it and two dots- one on either side. - All' 8va alta
Play or sing an octave higher. - All' 8va bassa, all' 8va sotto
An octave lower. - Allargando
broadening out. Becoming more dignified. - Allegretto
not as quick as# Allegro. - Allegro
quick and cheerful, merry, lively. - Alto
The lowest voices of women and boys. Also instruments which play the notes of these voices. A vocal line in choir music that is usually for mezzo-sopranos - Alto Clef
The C clef giving the position of the note middle C on the middle line of the staff. - Ampiezza
(Italian f.) width, spaciousness, fullness. - Ancora
Anchor - Andante
At a moderate 'walking' pace tempo - Andantino
A little faster than Andante . - Animando
Animated - Animato
Animated, lively, spirited. - Appassionata
With passion. - Arco
Bow. 'Arco' written above or below the stave indicates that stringed instruments such as the violin, are to use bows instead of plucking the strings (Plucking is called pizzicato). - Aria
An air or tune. - Arpeggiando
This is the wavy vertical line preceding a chord which is to be 'rolled.' It is used for keyboard and harp music. - Arpeggio
The notes of the chord are sounded quickly on after the other starting with the lowest note, and going up. - Arrangement
When music has been 'arranged' it has been changed from the original way in which it was written. It may be in a different key, simplified or expanded, or it may have been adapted for different instrumentation. Music which is arranged for an instrument or voice has been made particularly suitable for that instrument or voice. - Assai
Very. Used in tempo directions, for example, allegro assai. (This is Italian, from Vulgar Latin *ad satis, to sufficiency.) eg: adagio assai, very slow. - Authentic Cadence
This is also known as a closed or standard cadence. It refers to the V chord to the I chord (or the IV - V - I). The dominant seventh (V7) can replace the dominant chord. - Bar / Measure
'distance in time', between one bar line and the next (Americans call a bar a Measure). The lines are the vertical strokes showing where the first pulse occurs in the new bar. - Bar Lines / Measure Lines
Bar lines divide music in bars. Each bar has the number of beats indicated by the Time Signature. The first beat after the Bar-Line is usually the strongest beat in the Bar. (see double bar line) - Barbaro
Barbarous, ferocious, wild - Baritone
Voices and instruments halfway between tenor and bass. - Bass
The lower voices of men. Also instruments which play the notes of these voices. - Bass or F Clef
See 'Signs on the staves.' - Basso continuo
(Italian) Also called 'continuo' or 'figured bass'. Basso continuo is a system for notating chords developed thorugh the 16th century and popular through the 17th century.
Basso continuo is in many ways similar to modern chord notation, but there are also important differences. In basso continuo the bass line is notated in standard notation, while other chord notes might be indicated with numbers and other symbols below the bass note. - Basso ostinato
(Italian) A bass line or pattern repeated over and over while upper parts proceed. - Beat
The rhythm to which you tap your foot in time with music. Also the rhythm of each bar which may be counted. Some beats are stronger than others. - Belebend
Latin for lively. A directive to perform the indicated passage in a lively, animated and often accelerating manner - Ben
Well, or good. - Bind
See tie. - Bis
The part marked is to be played or sung twice. - Bossa Nova
A latin style of instrumental music, originating in 1950's Brazil, derived from Samba, and characterized by a gentle mood, moderate to slow Samba rhythm and bass line, blended with subdued percussion and somewhat complex harmonic flavors heavily influenced by mid-20th century Jazz . - Brace
Music on Staves joined by a Brace is to be played or sung at the same time by one instrument or by a group of instruments or voices - Breve
Twice a whole note (or semibreve.) The breve is the longest note. It is not often found except in church music. - Brillante
Bright, brilliant. - Brio
Vigour. Con brio means with vigour, strongly, energetically. - Broken Chord
A chord where the notes are not played all at once but rather separated. - C Clef
The alto clef or tenor clef which give the position of the note middle C. In an alto clef it is the center line. In a tenor clef it is the second line from the top. - Cacophony
harsh, unmelodious sound - Cadence
A group of chords that create a sense of resolution. A common example is the 'Amen' sung at the end of hymns in a church service. Examples of cadences are the authentic cadence, the half cadence, the plagal cadence, the interrupted cadence, the inverted cadence and the upper leading-tone cadence. - Calando
Dying away, becoming slower and softer. - Cantabile
In a singing style, as if singing. - Cantando
See cantabile. - Cantata
Usually religious music for choir and orchestra - Changing Note
An unaccented and non-harmonic note that is passed by on the way to play a major third interval, most commonly in a downwards direction. - Choir
A group of singers performing together - Chorale
Originally, a hymn tune of the Lutheran Church characterized by blocked chords. In casual modern usage, a classical setting, eg, by JS Bach, of such a tune, in usually four-voiced, that proceeds in a primarily one-tone texture with both harmonic progression and individual voice-leading having equal importance. For this reason, they are often used as theory examples. - Chord / Chords
The sound of three or more notes being played together. There is some debate over whether two notes played together could be a chord. Some dictionaries will say it is, others that only three notes together is a chord. - Chord progression
a series of chords played one after another - Chord shapes
The diagrams often shown above the staff which give the fingering for chords on the guitar, piano, organ, and other instruments. - Chromatic
Refers to note going up or down a semitone. - Clef
Literally means 'key', it's a symbol at the beginning of a staff that denotes the pitch of the notes. - Coda Sign
'Al Coda' means to go the Coda. The Coda section is marked with a symbol which is a circle with a plus sign through it. - Colla parte
With loose accompaniment - Come prima
Like the first - Common Time
Four beats per measure or bar - Compound
Time signatures with a dotted note beat. In simple time the beat is divided into two. In compound time the beat is divided into three. - Con Fuoco
Fiery, impetuous - Con Furia
Wildly, fiercely, vehemently - Con Furore
Furiously, passionately, raging or manic - Con Islancio
Vehemently, impetuously. with dash - Con Rabbia
With passion or frenzy; furiously - Concerto
A concerto (from the Italian: concerto, plural concerti or, often, the anglicised form concertos) as a musical work is a composition usually in three parts or movements, in which (usually) one solo instrument (for instance, a piano or violin) is accompanied by an orchestra - Conjunct motion
stepwise phrases are described as being in conjunct motion. Phrases with leaps are in disjunct motion. - Contralto
The lowest female voice - Crescendo
Crescendo means to become gradually louder as you play or sing. - Crotchet
Americans use 'quarter note'. - Da Capo, or D.C.
D.C. is an abbreviation for DA CAPO which means repeat from the top. Literally means 'the top.' - Dal Segno, or D.S.
D.S. is an abbreviation for DAL SEGNO which means repeat from the sign. This sign is an S, with a slash through it and two dots on either side of it. - Dash
A dash is like a staccato note , but it is meant to be played even more abruptly. It looks like an apostophe above or below a note ('). - Decrescendo
Decrescendo means to become gradually quieter as you play or sing. - Delicato
Played delicately, faintly, or in a subdued manner - Delirante
Wild, frenziedly, delirious - Diatonic
the seven note scale with its octave. The steps of a diatonic scale are not all the same size. The distance between B and C, and between E and F, is half the size of the other steps. - Diminuendo
Diminuendo means to become gradually quieter as you play or sing. - Dolce
Sweetly - Dominant
the fifth degree of any scale. The to and fro between tonic and dominant can be felt when singing a phrase such as the begining of 'God rest you merry, Gentleman'. - Dorian
the tonic is D. The semitones are between the second and third and the sixth and seventh degrees. - Dotted notes
Whatever the time signature may be, a dot after any note always makes it half as long again. - Double Bar Line
A double bar line are two vertical lines that marks the end of a piece of music, or the end of a repeat. It can also mark the end of a section of music, a change of key or a change of time signature. - Double Flat Sign
A double flat sign (bb) further flattens a note which is already flat . - Double Sharp Sign
This further sharpens a note which is already sharp. - Drone
Dreary, monotonous sound like buzzing - Duet
A piece of music for two musicians - Dynamics
The volume of a musical piece, most often used to describe the changes in volume through a section or piece. - Echappee
See Escape Note. - Eco
(Italian 'echo') when a group of notes is played again, usually at a lower volume, to create an echo effect - Encore
(French 'again') Called back to perform another time - Ensemble
When all of the singers in a chorus or instruments in an orchestra perform - Escape Note
A non-harmonic note or tone (outside of the currently played chord) - compare changing note. - Estinto
(Italian 'extinguished') almost inaudible - Falsetto
The male 'head' voice, above the usual male vocal range - Fantasia
A musical piece that is written in a free form style - Fermata
(Italian 'pause') Instruction to hold a note a bit longer - Feuerig
Fiery, impetuous - Fieramente
Wildly, boldly - Flat Sign
A flat sign (b) lowers or 'flattens' a note. It affects all notes in the same position which follow in the bar. Written immediately after the clef, it is part of the key signature. - Forte
Play loudly. - Fortepiano
While playing or singing, make a quick change from loud to soft. - Fortissimo
Play very loudly. - Fortississimo
Play as loudly as possible. - Forza
(Italian 'force') Power, strength, energy - Fremente
furiously - Frequency
the number of vibrations per second. A high note has a greater frequency than a low note. The lowest note of a piano has an approximate frequency of 30: the highest note has an approximate frequency of 4000. - Fugue
A composition, often for a keyboard instrument, in which several musical lines (or 'voices' - usually three or four) enter in succession in different ranges with the same theme, which is then extensively developed in further entries of the theme. The most famous composer of fugues was Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). - Furioso
furiously, wildly - Glee
Vocal piece written for three or more vocal solos - Glissando
sliding quickly up or down a scale when playing a piano or harp - Grace Note
A grace note is a small note with a stroke through it. It is quickly played before playing the full length note. - Grace Note without Stroke
If a grace note has no stroke through it, it is played for full value of the note, however the note that follows is played at half it's normal value. - Grazioso
Gracefully - Allegretto Grazioso would mean fairly fast and gracefuly - Gustoso
with an agreeable manner - Half Cadence
This cadence sounds incomplete, since it ends on the five chord (V). - Harmony
when pitches agree or sound enjoyable - Hold
See pause. - Homophony
a musical piece that has a leading voice - Hornpipe
A hornpipe is a variety of lively dance music, of the British Isles, often played in a lively triple meter, which was named for the traditional sailor's instrument upon which it was originally played. - Hymn
a religious song written for a choir - Immer
Always - Impetuoso
Impetuously, vehemently - Impromptu
a short instrumental piece created on the spot - In modo di
(Italian 'in the style of') - Infernale
Infernal - Interlude
a short piece played between acts of a play or musical - Intermezzo
a short instrumental piece that is performed between acts in an opera - Interrupted Cadence
This cadence is also referred to as the deceptive cadence. It is a five chord to any other chord. The feeling of this cadence is that the music will resolve to the one chord (I) at any moment but does not. - Interval
The space between two notes. - Ionian
the tonic is one. The semitones are between the third and fourth and the seventh and eighth degrees. - Jazz
1. A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom.
2. Big band dance music. - Jig
The jig is a type of folk dance, as well as the accompanying dance music, which is popular in Ireland. The jig may derive its name from the French word gigue, meaning small fiddle, or giga, the Italian name of a short piece of music much in style in olden times. - Key
the tonal focus of a musical arrangement - Key Signatures
A grouping of sharp or flat signs placed immediately after the clef on the lines of the staff.
Unless contradicted (cancelled) by natural signs, they affect every note with the same name as the ones marked. - L'istesso
Literally, 'the same' - L'istesso Tempo
The same tempo. - Lament
a grieving composition usually played at a funeral - Langsam
(German 'long') slow, at leisure - Leap
the gap between the two last notes - Lebhaft
A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition in a lively, quick, vivacious style. - Legato
In a flowing coherent manner - Locrian Mode
A mode whose scale pattern is that of playing B to B on the white keys of a piano. While this mode theoretically existed in medieval times, it was never used. - Lunga
Long. - Lydian
the tonic is four. The semitones are between the fourth and fifth and the seventh and eighth degrees. - Ma non troppo
(Italian 'but not too much') just a little - Maggiore
The major mode. - Major Interval
The interval between the keynote of a major scale and the 2nd, 3rd, 6th, or 7th of that scale. - Melodic Interval
the distance in pitch between two notes. A stepwise movement up or down is the melodic interval of a second. - Melody
a sequence notes of different pitches that form a musical piece - Meno mosso
(Italian 'less motion') slower pace - Mesto
(Italian 'mournful') sad, somber, sorrowful - Meter
the pattern of regular beats that defines a musical piece - Metronome
a measured pendulum giving the figure for any speed wanted. - Mezzo
Mezzo literally means 'half'. - Mezzo-Forte
Play moderately loudly. - Mezzo-Piano
Play moderately softly. - Mezzo-soprano
the middle range for a female singer - Minuet
1. A slow, stately pattern dance in 3/4 time for groups of couples, originating in 17th-century France.
2. The music for or in the rhythm of the minuet. - Minum
Americans use 'half note'. - Mixolydian
the tonic is five. The semitones are between the third and fourth and the sixth and seventh degrees. - Modal Scales
Mixolydian, Lydian, Phrygian, Dorian, and Ionian - Mode
A scale pattern consisting of set intervals of whole and half steps. The primary modes are Aeolian, Dorian, Ionian, Locrian, Lydian, Mixolydian, and Phrygian. - Modulation
shifting to a different key - Molto
Much - Mosso
Italian for animated, or moving-- sometimes rapid. - Motet
A motet is an unaccompanied choral composition with sacred lyrics; intended to be sung as part of a church service; originated in the 13th century. It is a multi-voice vocal genre, often secular in the Middle Ages but sacred or devotional thereafter. - Movendo
This is an Italian word that means 'moving' or 'growing.' - Musette
1. A small French bagpipe operated with a bellows and having a soft sound.
2. A soft pastoral aire that imitates bagpipe music.
3. A musette bag. - Natural Flat Sign
A natural flat sign contradicts (naturalises) a double flat sign (bb). - Natural Sharp Sign
This contradicts (naturalizes) a double sharp sign (x). - Natural Sign
This contradicts (naturalizes) a sharp (#) or flat (b) -- the note marked becomes a 'natural' note. If affects all notes in the same position which follow in the bar . - Niente
Nothing - Nocturne
a musical composition that is written for the night - Non Troppo
Not too much. Eg, ALLEGRO NON TROPPO means fast, but not too fast. - Nonchord tone
See escape note. - Nota Cambiata
See Changing Note - Notation
The ordinary letters of the alphabet are easy to follow in a pattern as simple as the tetrachord, but in more elaborate music they would be confusing, so musicians have invented their own system of writing, called notation. - Note
each clear, sustained level of sound. - Octave Sign
An octave sign (8ve__________|) shown over notes means to play or sing these notes an octave higher. When it is under notes, then play or sing the notes an octave lower. - Opera
a theatrical piece that is sung not spoken - Opus
an easy way of naming musical arrangements by a composer (literally 'work') - Oscilante
(Italian 'oscillating') fluctuating, changing back and forth - Ostinato
(Italian 'obstinate') stubborn, determined - Overture
the introduction to an opera - Passionato
(Italian 'passionate') with passion, with strong emotion - Pause
Also known as a hold, or hold sign, this symbol indicates that the note or rest it marks is to be held longer than normal. It may also mark the end of a piece. It looks like an eyebrow over (or under) an eye. - Pedal
A pedal sign (Ped.___________|) means to press down the right pedal (sustain) on the piano. - Pentatonic
can apply to a tune founded on any five notes - Percussion
instruments where sound is made when a resonating surface is being hit - Perdendosi
A directive to a musician that the music should die away, gradually diminish in volume, rhythm, and tone. - Perfect pitch
being able to immediately find the required level of sound for any note without any help. - Phrase
a musical line or sentence - Phrygian
the tonic is E. The semitones are between the first and second and fifth and sixth degrees. - Pianissimo
play very softly. - Pianississimo
Play as quietly as possible. - Piano
Piano means softly. The instrument we call a piano was originally named the piano-forte, which meant it could play softly and loudly . - Pitch
the highness or lowness of a tone - Piu Forte
Play more loudly than before (literally, a little more) - Plagal Cadence
This cadence is also known as the 'Amen' candence (IV - I). - Poco
little - Poco Stretto
loosely, ungirt, limber, unformal, loose, fluffily - Precipitoso
Preciptously, impetuously, with dash - Prelude
a part of a piece that comes before another part - Presto
Italian for 'fast'. Presto is generally used as the fastest tempo marking. In 18th century music it usually means as fast as possible. - Quartet
a group that includes four voices or instruments - Quaver
Americans use eighth note. - Rapido
(Italian 'quickly') rapidly, faster - Reel
The reel is a type of folk dance as well as the name for the accompanying music. In Scottish country dancing, the reel is one of the four traditional dances, the others being the jig, the strathspey and the waltz . - Refrain
part of a song that reoccurs. Sometimes called a chorus - Relative major and minor
the major and minor keys that share the same notes in that key. - Repeat Signs
Repeat signs are usually indicated by two dots at the beginning or end of a bar ( |:). These are used for repeating sections of music. The 'D.S.' or 'D.C.' repeat is used in conjunction with FINE (end) and CODA (a closing section). Other types of repeats are one and two bar repeats which are a slash with a dot on either side crossing a bar line for two bar repeats and in the middle of a bar for one bar repeats. (`/.) - Reprise
to replay a part of a musical piece - Requiem
a musical arrangement to mourn the dead - Rest / Rests
Rests last for the same number of beats as the notes which they replace. A rest in a bar or measure is a period of time where no note is played. - rf, sf, sfz
When any of these markings indicate that notes recieve special emphasis. - Rhythm
all tunes have rhythm. Sometimes the rhythm is free flowing, but more often it is measured with a regularly occuring Pulse. The pulse is not like the ticking of a clock: there is a physical tension and relaxation in it. Unfortunately, we often lose this effortless continuity when learning to 'keep time' in music. In the early stages of keeping time, a measured rhythm can be Counted where each syllable is given a rhythmical pattern of long notes and short notes. - Ritenuto
Held back, at a slower rate of speed. - Rubato
This means 'robbed' and usually refers to time. In other words, the timing is kind interpreted, and not exactly on meter. - Sbalzato
Dashingly, impetuously - Scale
the ladder of sound from any note to its octave . - Scherzando
A directive to perform a certain passage of a composition in a lively, playful, merry, animated manner. - Scherzo
A lively movement, commonly in 3/4 time, introduced as a replacement for a minuet in pieces with multiple movements. - Score
written music that displays all of the parts of a given piece - Sehr
Very, much. - Semibreve
Americans use 'whole note'. - Semitones
half steps - Sempre
Italian word meaning 'Always.' - Serenade
a light happy piece - Sharp Sign
A sharp sign (#) raises or 'sharpens' a note. It affects all notes in the same position which follow in the bar. Written immediately after the clef , it is a part of the key signature . - Signs On The Staves
There are four common signs used on the staves. They are the treble , or G clef, the bass clef , or F clef, the alto clef (the C CLEF on the middle line), and the tenor (the C CLEF on the second from top line). Each of these clefs were originally letters, indicating which note on the staff was that note. - Slur
The curved line linking two notes. Notes that are slurred are always sung or played very smoothly and expressively, with a gentle stress at the beginning of the slur, and a gentle relaxation at the end of it.
Slurs also indicate 'bowing' for stringed instruments, and can indicate proper 'phrasing' for a sequence of notes. - Snap
A so-called Scotch snap is a short note before a dotted note, which in traditional playing is generally exaggerated rhythmically for musical expression. - Sonata
In the Baroque, the term 'sonata' was applied to a variety of works for solo instrument such as keyboard or violin, and for groups of instruments. In the transition from the Baroque to the Classical period, the term sonata underwent a change in usage, coming to mean a chamber-music genre for either a solo instrument (usually a keyboard), or a solo melody instrument with piano. Increasingly after 1800, the term applied to a form of large-scale musical argument, and it was generally used in this sense in musicology and musical analysis. - Sonore
Sonorous - A full, deep, or rich sound. Impressive style. - Soprano
the highest voice in the women's vocal range - Sostenuto
Playing or singing smoothly, applied to a movement or passage and giving each note its full value: used in written music to show how a piece, or part of a piece, should be performed. Also used in a passage to indicate the tones of said passage are to be somewhat prolonged or protracted. - Sotto Voce
'Under voice' in Italian means to speak under one's breath. In music, a dramatic lowering of the vocal or instrumental tone . not necessarily pianissimo, but with a hushed quality. An example of Sotto voce is in the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. The singers lower their volume in order to attain the 'hushed' quality desired. - Staccato
A note marked with a dot above or below it is meant to be played in a short manner, like the way you would touch a hot iron. If the staccato notes are slurred, they are to be played less shortly, but still separated by silent spaces. - Staff, Staves
The five lines and four spaces on which music is written.
Music on staves joined by a verticle line (See brace ) is to be played or sung at the same time. - Stanza
also called a verse, a section of a song where the music is the same but lyrics are different - Strain
In music, a strain is a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence. - Strathspey
A strathspey is a type of dance tune in 4/4 time. It is similar to a hornpipe but slower and more stately, and contains many dot-cut 'snaps.' - Stringendo
This is an Italian word that means 'tightening.' It is sometimes used to communicate a growing sense of urgency. - Syncopation
changing the rhythm of a song on purpose so that the beat falls on a beat which is not normally accented. - Tacet
'Be silent', or 'It is silent.' This term is used chiefly as a direction-- a direction for a vocal or instrumental part to be silent during a whole section. - Tardo
(Italian 'slow') reduced speed, decelerated - Tempestoso
Stormily, passionately - Tempo
the pace of a musical piece - Teneramente
Tenderly - Tenor
the highest male voice, though not as high as falsetto - Tenor Clef
See 'Signs on the staves.' - Tenuto
'Held', sustained for its full time value. - Tessitura
(Italian 'texture') the range where any given voice can give its best sound - Tetrachord
The difference in sound between a tone and a semitone is vitally important in music. A good way to practise hearing the difference is to begin on the A above middle C and then sing or play a whole tone down to G, another whole tone down to F and a semitone down to E. This pattern is called a tetrachord. The same pattern of two descending tones followed by a semitone can be begun on E, going down to B. - Theme
a melody that defines the rest of the musical composition - Tie or Bind
A tie or bind is a curved line above or below two notes which serves to add the value of these two notes together. Note that both notes must be in the same position on the staff. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch: it can be confused with a slur, which links together notes of a different pitch. Tied notes always sound like one continuous note. - Time Pattern
a rhythmical pattern in long notes and short notes. The time pattern of any song can be written above it's words in the musical notation for long notes and short notes. - Time Signature
A time signature is a device which shows how to count the time patterns in any bar. It is represented by either two numbers, a 'c', or 'c' with a vertical line through it. This is usually shown at the beginning of staves. These symbols give the number of beats to a bar. Concerning the two numbers, the lower number represents the unit of time: it is written according to its value in terms of a semibreve. The number of top of a time-signature shows how many units there are to the bar. The time signature is written on the stave just before the first note of the tune. A time signature with four quarter notes to the bar is written 4/4 (common time, also represented by a 'C'). The time signature for songs with two quarter notes to the bar is written 2/4, etc. - Time Values
Crotchet : Americans use 'quarter note '.
Minum : Americans use 'half note '.
Crotchets and minums have their stems going upwards on the right of the note when the pitch is below the middle line of the stave, and downwards on the left for notes that are above the middle line.
Semibreve : Americans use 'whole note'.
The semibreve lasts as long as two minums or four crotchets.
Quaver : Americans use eighth note
a note that is half as long as a quarter note. There are eight eighth notes to a whole note. A single eighth note is written with the tail to the right of the stem, whether the stem goes up or down. Two eighth notes together have their tails joined. - Toccata
An important type of early keyboard music characterized by rapid, repeated notes, designed to 'show off' the instrument, composer, and the performer. - Tones
whole steps - Traurig
(German 'sad') unhappy, distressed, somber - Treble or G Clef
See 'Signs on the staves.' - Tremolo
Tremolo is to trill or shake a note. They can be represented by trill, a shake, mordents, and turns. These are a type of music ornamentation. - Triplet
Three notes to be fitted into the time of two. Other numbers of notes may be grouped in the same way, but of course would then not be named a 'triplet'. For example, two notes played over three beats is called a couplet or duplet. - Troppo
Much. - Unison
This word is written above music in which more than one section play or sing the same notes together, usually on a melody. - Vibrato
the effect of vibrating a note - Violento
Violent, impetuous - Vivace
Lively, brisk. When used as a tempo, generally faster than allegro, but not as fast as presto. - Vivo
(Italian 'lively') spirited, brisk - Waltz
A waltz is a song written in 3/4 time with a strong accent on the first beat. It is most often played at a slow tempo, usually between 30 to 45 bpm, but dependent upon the region of performance and the origin of the music. - Wenig
(German 'less') instruction to play with less force or a lower volume
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