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ABA Form
Also known as Ternary form, ABA refers to a piece of music composed of two distinct sections: A section is followed by B section, A section returns and closes the work
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Andante
Moderately slow
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Andantino
A little faster and brighter than andante
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Cadenza
From cadence, a cadenza is the improvised or written-out virtuoso passage played by a soloist during a concerto, often without orchestral accompaniment and generally in the first and last movements of a concerto.
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Canon
A compositional technique in which a melody is imitated after an interval
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Chromaticism
Literally, movement by half-steps; also refers to the introduction of chromatically altered pitches that do not belong in the key of the piece
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Cimbalom
A large concert dulcimer originating in Hungary and played with small hammers rather than plucked or strummed
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Coda
A musical section used to wrap-up thematic material at the conclusion of a piece or movement
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Contrary Motion
Type of melodic motion in which two voices or parts move in opposite directions
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Counterpoint
A compositional technique in which the voices or parts are conceived as independent lines performed simultaneously
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Cross rhythm
The simultaneous use of conflicting rhythmic patterns
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Development Section
The second section of Sonata form: the development section immediately follows the exposition and usually incorporates previously heard thematic material through a series of modulations creating a sense of tonal ambiguity
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Dotted rhythm
A dotted note is a note with a small dot written after it indicating that the dot increases the duration of the note by half of its original value. Dotted rhythm is a repeated pattern of these crisp long-short notes
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Double-dot
Use of two dots after a note prolonging it by three-quarters of its original length
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Episode
Typically used to describe a secondary passage in a fugue, an Episode may also refer to a section of music containing thematic material of secondary importance
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Exposition Section
In Sonata form, the opening section, usually consisting of the principal melodic materials that will be heard throughout the work
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Fugue
Compositional technique in which two or more voices repeatedly imitate a short melody called the subject or theme
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Hornpipe
An animated dance of British origin usually in 3-beat time, popular from the 16th-19th centuries, resembling the jig
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Intermezzo
Lighthearted theatrical musical interlude between acts or scenes of an opera or play; also a movement of such character in instrumental music
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Inversion
1) the rearrangement of the notes in a chord so that the lowest note is not the root of the chord; 2) turning a melody upside down
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Largo e piano
very slow and quiet
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Lebhaft
Lively, brisk
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Leggiero
Literally, light, or to play as lightly as possible
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Marcato
A variation on staccato (“short”) articulation, marcato indicates to play short with slight elongation or emphasis
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Melisma
Originating in Gregorian chant, a technique of singing a group of notes for one syllable of text
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Motive, Motif
The shortest melodic and/or rhythmic figure that is intelligible and self-existent; motives are derivative of themes and may be as short as two notes
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Obbligato
An independent accompanying melodic part to the main melody; also known as a countermelody
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Pedal Point
In harmony, a long sustained note usually occurring in the bass with changing harmonies above it
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Pizzicato
A technique by which the strings are plucked rather than bowed
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Polytonal
The simultaneous use of two or more independent keys
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Recapitulation
The last section of Sonata form, following the exposition and development, in which the initial thematic material is repeated, more or less in its original form
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Recitative
Declamatory vocal style of speech-like, free rhythmic form to represent dialogue in contrast to the sung style of arias
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Rondo
A compositional style in which one section intermittently returns between contrasting sections;
e.g., ABACAD, A being the recurring theme; also known as the refrain theme
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Semi-Tone, Half Tone
In Western music, the smallest interval between two notes
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Sequence
The repetition of a short musical passage at a higher or lower pitch, or in the case of a harmonic sequence, in a series of chords
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Sforzando
Musical indication that a note or chord is accented or played in a forceful manner
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Sonata Form
At its most basic, a type of music construction prominent in the Classical and Romantic periods, typically consisting of three sections—Exposition, Development, and Recapitulation, occasionally followed by a coda
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staccato
Form of musical articulation, signifying an unconnected note, which is separated or detached from its neighbors by a silence.
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Stretto
In a fugue, the imitation of the subject theme in close succession
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Strophic
A simple song form in which the same music accompanies each stanza, occasionally with minor variations
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Sul ponticello
‘On the bridge’: instruction to bow close to the bridge to produce a thin, glassy sound
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Syncopation
Rhythmic device that gives the feeling of lively and irregular rhythm by changing the emphasis from strong beats to weak beats
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Tarantella
A Neapolitan dance in 6/8 time
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Tonic
The first scale note of a key and its tonal center
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Tremolo
A musical effect of shaking or trembling created by rapid back-and-forth bow strokes or rapid alternation of two notes
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Trill
An ornamentation of a more or less rapid alternation of a note with the note or semitone above or below it