| A |
|
|
|
|
Adagio |
Αντάτζιο |
A slow tempo, slight faster
than a Largo. |
|
Allegro |
Αλλέγκρο |
A medium fast tempo. |
|
Alto or Contralto |
Άλτο ή Κοντράλτο |
The lowest-pitched female singing
voice. |
|
Andante |
Αντάντε |
A moderate tempo. |
|
Aria |
΄Αρια |
A solo song sung in an opera or oratorio. |
| B |
|
|
|
|
Ballade |
Μπαλάντα |
A melodic piano piece from the Romantic
period. |
|
Ballet |
Μπαλλέτο |
A danced story with instrumental
accompaniment. |
|
Bass |
Μπάσσο |
The lowest-pitched male singing voice. |
| C |
|
|
|
|
Cadenza |
Κατάντζα |
An unaccompanied solo within a movement
of a concerto. |
|
Canon |
Κάνον |
A piece in which several voices or
instruments perform the same melody but start at different times (like
"Row, row, row your boat"). One or more "free" parts may be added: Pachelbel's
Canon, for instance, has a "ground-bass" - the bottom part playing the
same notes over and over. |
|
Cantata |
Καντάτα |
A sacred choral piece popular during
the Baroque period. |
|
Chamber Music |
Μουσική Δωματίου |
Compositions for small groups of
instruments, usually no more than five or six. |
|
Chorus master |
Διευθυντής Χορωδίας |
Director of the chorus for a large
orchestra/choral piece or an opera. |
|
Concerto |
Κοντσέρτο |
A piece of solo instrument accompanied
by orchestra. |
|
Concerto Grosso |
Κοντσέρτο Γκρόσσο |
A concerto for a small group of instrumental
soloists and orchestra. |
|
Conductor |
|
Leader of the orchestra (and any
extra performers - vocalists, instrumentalists, choruses) who directs the
orchestra from a podium. |
|
Countertenor |
|
see Tenor The highest male singing
voice, reaching well into the female alto range; seldom used by composers
since the Baroque period. To achieve their high range, most countertenors
use a special vocal technique called "falsetto". |
|
Crescendo |
Κρεσσέντο |
Gradual increase of volume from soft
to loud. |
| E |
|
|
|
|
Etude |
Ετιούντ |
A study piece with exemplary compositional
style. |
| F |
|
|
|
|
Fantasia |
Φαντασία |
A free-flowing composition with no
pre-set style or form. |
|
Forte |
Φόρτε |
Instruction to play a passage of
music loudly. |
|
Fortissimo |
Φορτίσσιμο |
Instruction to play very, very loudly. |
|
Fugue |
Φούγκα |
A Baroque piece with a recurring
theme against various independent voices. |
| K |
|
|
|
|
Key Signature |
|
The instruction to the performers
as to the tonality (the key) the piece is to be played in. Major key signatures
are bright and "happy" and minor keys are dark and contemplative. Key signatures
are denoted with "flats" and "sharps". |
| M |
|
|
|
|
Minuet |
Μινουέτο |
A court dance in 3/4 time used by
composers for instrumental compositions. |
| N |
|
|
|
|
Nocturne |
Νοκτούρνο |
A dreamlike piece most often for
piano. |
| O |
|
|
|
|
Opera |
Όπερα |
A large theatrical piece involving
orchestra, chorus and soloists in a dramatic setting, performed in costume. |
|
Operetta |
Οπερέτα |
A lighter version of opera in subject
and style. |
|
Opus |
|
Latin for "work" - abbreviated Op.
- denotes the position of a composition in the sequence of the composer's
complete works. |
|
Oratorio |
Ορατόριο |
A large-scale sacred work for orchestra,
chorus and vocal soloists popular in the Baroque period. |
|
Overture |
|
The orchestral opening piece to an
opera or oratorio. Overtures also have been written as independent concert
pieces by Romantic and Modern composers. |
| P |
|
|
|
|
Partita |
Παρτίτα |
A suite for solo instrument popular
in the Baroque. |
|
Passion |
|
An oratorio dealing specifically
with the crucifixion of Christ. |
|
Pavane |
|
A French dance in 3/4 time. |
|
Piano |
Πιάνο |
(1) A keyboard instrument.
(2) Instruction to play a passage
of music softly. |
|
Pianissimo |
Πιανίσσιμο |
Instruction to play very, very softly. |
|
Pizzicato |
|
A technique in string playing where
the string is actually plucked with the finger. |
|
Polonaise |
Πωλοναίζ |
A Polish dance in 3/4 time. |
|
Prelude |
Πρελούδιο |
A short instrumental piece preceding
other movements in a larger work. |
|
Presto |
Πρέστο |
A very quick tempo. |
| R |
|
|
|
|
RCA Victor |
|
The world's finest classical music
label ... OK, OK, I'm biased ... |
|
Requiem |
Ρέκβιεμ |
A musical mass for the dead usually
featuring vocalists, chorus and orchestra. |
|
Rondo |
|
A compositional form where the main
blocks of music (denoted as A, B & C) appear in the following sequence:
A - B - A - C - A. |
| S |
|
|
|
|
Sarabande |
|
A slow Spanish dance in 3/4 time. |
|
Sinfonia |
|
An instrumental prelude to a large-scale
Baroque piece (like an oratorio or cantata) |
|
Sonata Allegro |
Σονάτα Αλλέγκρο |
Sonata Allegro (so-not-ah,
ah-leg-grow) or Sonata form This compositional form is the basis of the
vast majority of instrumental works from the late Baroque period on. It
involves three large blocks of music within the same movement: (1) Exposition
- the statement of the main themes of the movement; (2) Development - the
interplay of the themes in a contest or struggle; (3) Recapitulation -
the restatement of the original themes and the conclusion. |
|
Sonata |
Σονάτα |
A piece for solo instrument (usually
with piano accompaniment) in three or four movements. |
|
Soprano |
Σοπράνο |
The highest female singing voice. |
|
Suite |
Σουΐτα |
A collection of short instrumental
movements. |
|
Symphonic Poem |
Συμφωνικό ποίημα |
Tone Poem or Symphonic Sketch A large
scale orchestral work, usually in a single long movement, that adheres
to a program or story. |
|
Symphony |
Συμφωνία |
An orchestral work (which occasionally
involves singers) of three to four movements that was refined in the Classical
period and became all the rage in the Romantic era. |
| T |
|
|
|
|
Tenor |
Τενόρος |
The highest natural male singing
voice, between base and tenor. |
|
Toccata |
|
A Baroque instrumental piece displaying
the performer's gifts as a virtuoso. |
| V |
|
|
|
|
Virtuoso |
|
An instrumental performer of exceptional
skills. |
|
Vivace |
|
A very quick tempo. |
E-Mail : geohatzi@ath.forthnet.gr