The interval between two musical notes, the upper one of which has twice the pitch of the lower one. In a major or minor scale, the distance of this interval lies eight steps* away, hence the term “octave.” (*in the major or minor scales, the eight steps are actually a combination...
In a major or minor scale, the distance of this interval lies eight steps* away, hence the term “octave.” (*in the major or minor scales, the eight steps are actually a combination of “whole steps” and “half-steps”) Opus (Latin) Meaning work. Work numbers are usually assigned ...
Musical termAlternativesDefinition / meaningLanguageNotes ato / at / in / by / for, etc.ItalianUsed in combination with other terms, e.g. a tempo: in time allaall', alto the / at the / in the manner ofItalianUsed in combination with other terms, e.g. alla marcia: in the manner of...
Tutti: An Italian term meaning “all,” used in orchestral music to indicate a passage played by the entire ensemble. U Upbeat: The last beat in a measure, which typically precedes the downbeat of the next measure. Unpitched: Describes a percussion instrument that doesn’t produce a definite...
* sforzando or sfz: made loud; i.e., a sudden strong accent * shake: a jazz term describing a trill between one note and its minor third; or, with brass instruments, between a note and its next overblown harmonic. * sharp: a symbol (♯) that raises the pitch of the note by a...
Here's my very first term: Teneramente(Italian); Tenderly, softly, delicately. P.S. I would like to ask those of you who would also like to participate to please not add more than 1 word a day or it will be too much all at once and defeat the purpose. Thanks so much. ...
A term meaning “backward” or “the series is sounded in reverse order.” Retrograde reverses the order of the motive’s pitches: what was the first pitch becomes the last, and vice versa. Measure 2 indicates Retrograde. Riff A prominent feature in pop and jazz compositions, a riff is a...
As well as pitch and volume, all musical notes have atonal colourknown astimbre.Timbreis what differentiates the sound of one instrument from another. It is a somewhat loose term compared to words like pitch and volume which we use to describe sound, but it can still be broken down and un...
Research is a broad term, and can be undertaken in as little or extensive detail as the composer sees fit. Sometimes, listening to a bunch of albums and watching some movies might cut the mustard. Other times, depth is required. Lord of the Rings composer Howard Shore traveled to the film...
ev criticises Kurth for not using the term “intonation” in the sense understood by Asaf’ev, does not Kurth’s idea of energy, as the cause of musical thought leading to the emergence of melody (melos), have the same meaning as intonation, which also cannot happen without appropriate ...