Download MUSIC A cappella ........................................Italian for “singing without

MUSIC
A cappella ........................................Italian for “singing without musical accompaniment”
Accordion..........................................Keyboard instrument with bellows that is linked with the polka
Allegro .............................................Italian word meaning “lively and fast”
Andante............................................Italian word meaning “at a moderate speed”
Aria ..................................................Long solo vocal piece with instrumental accompaniment in an opera or
oratorio
Bach, Johann Sebastian..................18th-century German composer and organist known for religious
compositions such as the St. John Passion and the Mass in B Minor and for
his 6 Brandenburg Concertos
Bagpipe...........................................Shrill-toned musical instrument typically associated with Scotland
Ballad ..............................................Simple song or poem that tells a story
Ballerina ..........................................Female ballet dancer
Ballet...............................................Classic dancing performed to music and presenting an idea or story,
usually with costumes and scenery
Beethoven, Ludwig van...................18th-19th-century German composer afflicted with deafness late in life and
known for his 9 symphonies
Bernstein, Leonard..........................20th-century American composer, conductor, and pianist known for his
West Side Story
Blues...............................................Form of jazz with slow tempo and melancholy words that developed from
black folk music, especially work songs and spirituals
Brahms, Johannes ........................19th-century German composer known for his 4 symphonies, his German
Requiem, and his lieder, or songs
Brass...............................................Family of musical instruments made of coiled metal and usually having a
mouthpiece, such as a trumpet, tuba, or trombone
Calliope ..........................................Keyboard instrument consisting of steam-blown whistles
Calypso ...........................................Music sung by natives of Trinidad and consisting of satirical ballads with
syncopated rhythms
Cancan (Can Can) ..........................Popular 19th-century French dance often performed in music halls
Carnegie Hall...................................New York City concert hall on 57th Street and 7th Avenue
Carol ...............................................Song of praise or joy for any religious festival, especially Christmas
Cello*...............................................Instrument of the violin family that is held between the knees in an upright
position
Chamber music...............................Music performed in a private room or small auditorium by a small group of
musicians
Chopsticks ......................................Simple, choppy traditional melody, usually played on a piano with one
finger of each hand
Choreography .................................Art of composing dance steps for ballet and stage dancing
Clarinet............................................Single-reed woodwind instrument that is most commonly pitched in B flat
Clef..................................................Treble or bass symbol at the start of a line of music
Coda................................................Italian word for “tail” designating a passage added to the end of a piece of
music
Concerto .........................................Italian word, literally meaning “concert,” that designates a piece of music to
be played by one or more solo instruments and an orchestra, usually in 3
movements
Conductor .......................................Director of an orchestra
Copland, Aaron ...............................20th-century American composer known for Appalachian Spring and
Fanfare for the Common Man
Corps de ballet................................French term for a ballet troupe
Crescendo.......................................Italian word for “increasing in volume”
Cymbals..........................................Percussion instrument that consists of a pair of thin metal plates having
handles for clashing them together
Danseur ..........................................Male ballet dancer
Debussy, Claude ............................19th-20th century French composer known for The Sea
Decrescendo (diminuendo).............Italian word for “decreasing in volume”
Ellington, “Duke”.............................20th-century black composer, pianist, and orchestral leader important in
jazz history and having the given name Edward Kennedy—some of his
important works are “Mood Indigo” and Black, Brown, and Beige
Entrechat.........................................French term for a leap in ballet in which a dancer crosses his/her legs more
than once
Etude...............................................French word for a short musical composition
Fife ..................................................Small high-pitched woodwind instrument played with drums in military units
Flute ................................................Woodwind instrument popular in bands and orchestras whose name
completes Mozart’s opera The Magic __________
Folk song ........................................Song composed by regional people and handed down from one generation
to another
Forte................................................Italian word for “loud”
Fortissimo.......................................Italian word for “very loud”
French horn ....................................Brass musical instrument that is a coiled metal tube ending in a flared bell
Fugue..............................................Latin word for “flight” that designates a composition that explores variations
of one main musical idea
Gershwin, George ...........................20th-century American composer of Rhapsody in Blue, a work combining
jazz and classical music
Glee Club ........................................Name commonly given to a school music club
Gospel Music ..................................American religious music rooted in field and work songs
Handel, George Frideric ..................18th-century German-born composer famous for his Water Music,
Fireworks Music, and his Messiah
Harmonica ......................................Small instrument commonly called the “mouth organ”
Harmony .........................................Pleasing sound resulting from a combination of sounds
Harp................................................Instrument that includes a resonator, a neck, and strings
Haydn, Joseph ................................18th-19th century Austrian composer known as the “Father of the
Symphony” and for his “London Symphonies”
Hymn ..............................................Song in praise of God
Jazz.................................................Form of music invented by black musicians in New Orleans
Jeté .................................................French term for a jump in ballet from one foot to the other with an outward
kick of the leg
Joplin, Scott....................................19th-20th century American “King of the Ragtime Composers” known for his
“Maple Leaf Rag”
Kazoo..............................................Tubal instrument that produces sound when one hums into the mouthpiece
Lyrics ..............................................Words of a song as distinguished from the music
Measure..........................................Notes that lie between 2 vertical bars on a staff—bar means the same thing
Maestro...........................................Italian word for an eminent teacher or conductor of music
Melody............................................Tune or theme in music
Meter ..............................................Regular pattern of beats in successive measures of music
Metronome .....................................Mechanical device for fixing the speed at which a piece of music is to be
played by marking time at a steady beat
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus............18th-century Austrian composer famous for his opera The Marriage of
Figaro
Musical** .......................................Theatrical or film production that includes song and dance along with
dialogue developing a story line
National anthem..............................Country’s official song
Octave.............................................Interval of 8 notes up or down the musical scale
Opera ..............................................Play set to music in which the characters sing, rather than speak, all or
most of their lines
Orchestra ........................................Word designating both the expensive front section of seats nearest the
stage in a theater and the musicians who sit and play in front of this space
Organ..............................................Keyboard instrument with pipes and pedals that has the ability to sound like
a whole orchestra
Overture ..........................................Instrumental composition that introduces a longer musical work, especially
an opera or an oratorio
Pas de deux ....................................French term for a ballet dance for 2 performers
Percussion ......................................Family of musical instruments that are played by striking them, such as
drums and xylophones
Piano***...........................................Keyboard instrument that derives its name from a shortened form of the
Italian words for “soft and loud”
Piccolo ............................................Smallest and highest pitched woodwind instrument, which is known in
Italian as the “little flute”
Pirouette .........................................French word for whirling around on one foot in ballet
Pitch................................................French word for a range or the high or low level of a musical note
Plié..................................................French term for a bend of the knees in ballet
Prokofiev, Sergei.............................20th-century Russian composer known for Peter and the Wolf
Ragtime ..........................................Rhythmic American music popularized by composers Tom Turpin and
James Scott about 1895, prior to the introduction of jazz
Rest ................................................Silent pause for a certain length of time
Rhythm ...........................................Regular pattern of stressed and unstressed notes in a piece of music
Rock ‘n’ roll ....................................Form of popular music that grew out of rhythm and blues
Round .............................................Short song begun at different times by different voices
Saxophone......................................Wind instrument called “the soul of jazz” with a metal body and keys for the
fingers
Scale ...............................................Series of musical notes arranged in their sequential ascending, or
descending, order
Sousa, John Philip..........................19th-20th century American musician, known as the “March King,”
composer of “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
Spiritual ..........................................Religious folk song of African-American origin
Staff ................................................Set of 5 horizontal parallel lines on which music is written— also called a
stave
Strauss Jr., Johann.........................19th-century Austrian composer who wrote nearly 400 waltzes and became
known as the “Waltz King”
Strings ............................................Family of musical instruments that use strings to produce sound, such as
violins and harps
Symphony.......................................Long piece of music usually with 4 parts written for a full orchestra
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich...................19th-century Russian composer known for 3 ballets and the 1812 Overture
Tempo.............................................Speed or pace at which a musical work is sung or played
Triangle ...........................................Musical instrument and geometric figure sharing the same name
Trumpet ..........................................Highest pitched member of the brass family
Tuba ................................................Brass instrument known for its “oom-pahs”
Tutu..................................................Female dancer’s short skirt
Ukulele ............................................Guitarlike musical instrument introduced into the Hawaiian islands in the
late 19th century
Violin...............................................Musical instrument named from an Italian word meaning “small viola”
Wagner, Richard .............................19th-century German composer known for his 4 operas that make up the
“Nibelungen Ring Cycle” or Ring of the Nibelungs (Der Ring des
Nibelungen)
Webber, Andrew Lloyd....................20th-century British composer and producer known for the musical The
Phantom of the Opera
Williams, John .................................20th-century composer of the music for the films E.T. and Star Wars
Woodwinds......................................Family of musical instruments in which sound is usually produced by the
vibration of reeds, as in the flute and clarinet
Xylophone.......................................Musical percussion instrument consisting of a mounted row of wooden bars
to be struck with 2 small mallets
*or violoncello**also called a musical comedy ***from pianoforte