Pachelbel, Johann - baptized in Nuremberg, Germany on September 1, 1653 - died in Nuremberg, Germany
on March 3, 1706 was a Baroque composer, organist and teacher of music. He is mostly remembered for his work "Canon in D Major".
Paganini, Niccolo - born in Genoa, Italy on October 27, 1782 - died in Nice, France on May 27, 1840
was a violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He is known as one of the premier virtuoso violin players
in the history of the instrument.
Palestrina, Giovanni Pierluigi da - born in Palestrina Rome, Italy in February of 1525 - died in Rome, Italy
on February 2, 1594 was a composer and organist of the Renaissance period. He was the most famous sixteenth-century representative of the Roman School of musical composition.
Passing tones - Unaccented notes which move conjunctly between two chords to which they do not belong harmonically.
Pausa - A rest.
Pavoratti, Luciano - born in Modena, Italy on October 12, 1935 - died in Modena, Italy on September 6, 2007
was an opera singer, who was and still is regarded, as one of the greatest tenors of all time.
During his career, he took the genre of opera to superstar proportion.
Penderecki, Krzysztof - born in Debica, Poland on November 23, 1933 is a Polish composer and conductor
of 20th century music. Some of his works, have been used in several major film soundtracks, including
"The Shining" and "The Exorcist".
Pensieroso - Contemplative, thoughtful.
Percussion family - Instruments made of sonorous material that produce sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when shaken or struck, including drums, rattles, bells, gongs, and xylophones.
Perfect - A term used to label fourth, fifth, and octave intervals. It corresponds to the major, as given to seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths.
Perfect cadence - The chordal progression of dominant to tonic, in a major key V-I, in minor V-i.
Perfect interval - Interval of an octave, fifth, or fourth without alteration.
Perfect pitch - The ability to hear and identify a note without any other musical support.
Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista - born in Jesi, Italy on January 4, 1710 - died in Pozzuoli, Italy on March 16, 1736 was a composer, violinist and organist.
Perahia, Murray - born in New York City U.S.A. on April 19, 1947 is a famous classical concert pianist.
He is known for his brilliant performances of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Schubert and other classical and romantic works.
Pesante - Heavy.
Peterson, Oscar Emmanuel - born in Montreal Quebec, Canada on August the 15th (My birthday!), 1925
is reagrded as one of the greatest jazz pianists of the 20th century. He is a 7 time grammy award winner.
Petite - Little.
Peu a peu - Little by little.
Phrase - A relatively short portion of a melodic line which expresses a musical idea, comparable to a line or sentence in poetry.
Pianissimo - Very soft.
Pianississimo - Very, very soft; the softest common dynamic marking.
Piano - Soft.
Pianoforte - "Soft-loud." A keyboard instrument, the full name for the piano, on which sound is produced by hammers striking strings when keys are pressed. It usually has 88 keys.
Picardy third - The term for the raising of the third, making a major triad, in the final chord of a composition which is in a minor key. The practice originated in c. 1500 and extended through the Baroque period.
Piston, Walter Hamor - born in Rockland, Maine on January 20, 1894 - died in Belmont, Massachusetts
on November 12, 1976 was a composer, pianist, violinist and theorist of 20th century music.
Pitch - The highness or lowness of a tone, as determined by the number of vibrations in the sound.
Piu - More. Used with other terms, e.g. piu mosso, more motion.
Pizzicato - "Pinched." On string instruments, plucking the string.
Plagal cadence - Sometimes called the "amen" cadence. The chordal progression of subdominant to tonic, in a major key IV-I, in minor iv-i.
Poco - Little. Used with other terms, e.g. poco accel., also, poco a poco, little by little.
Poco ced., Cedere - A little slower.
Poco piu mosso - A little more motion.
Poi - Then or afterwards, e.g. poi No. 3, then No. 3.
Ponchielli, Amilcare - born in Paderno Fasolaro, Italy on August 31, 1834 - died in Milan, Italy
on January 17, 1886 was a composer, mostly in the form of opera.
Postlude - "Play after." The final piece in a multi-movement work. Organ piece played at the end of a church service.
Poulenc, Francis Jean Marcel - born in Paris, France on January 7, 1899 - died in Paris, France
on January 30, 1963 was a composer and pianist and a member of the French group "Les Six".
Praetorius, Michael - born in Creuzburg, Germany on February 15, 1571(?) died in Wolfenbuttel, Germany
on February 15, 1621 was a composer, organist, and writer about music.
Prelude - "Play before." An introductory movement or piece.
Premiere - First performance.
Prestissimo - Very, very fast. The fastest tempo.
Presto - Very quick. Primo - First. Principal - Instrumental section leader.
Prophet 5 - was an analog keyboard synthesizer, manufactured by "Sequential Circuits" between the years
1978 and 1984. It was used in a majority of 1980's music and is heard in numerous hit records of that decade.
Prokofiev, Sergei Sergeyevich - born in Sontsovka, Russia (Now the Ukraine) on April 27, 1891
died in Moscow, Russia on March 5, 1953 was a composer and pianist. Some of his works are regarded,
as the most inovative, of the 20th century. He is best known for his narrated orchestral work
"Peter and the Wolf".
Prologue - An introductory piece that presents the background for an opera.
Puccini, Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria - born in Luca, Italy on December 22, 1858
died in Brussels, Belgium on November 29, 1924 was a composer of some of the worlds most cherished operas including,"La Boheme", "Tosca", "Madama Butterfly" and "Turendot".
Purcell, Henry - born in London, England in September of 1659 - died in London, England on November 21, 1695
was a Baroque composer and organist, who is still regarded, as one of England's greatest composers.
Quarter note/rest - A note/rest one half the length of a half note and one quarter the length of a whole note.
Quartet - A piece for four instruments or voices. Four performers.
Quasi - Almost. Used with other terms, e.g. quasi madrigal, almost or as if a madrigal.
Quintet - A piece for five instruments or voices. Five performers.
Rachmaninov, Sergei Vasilievich - born in Semyonovo near the Novgorod district in Russia on April 1, 1873
died in Beverly Hills, California U.S.A. on March 28, 1943 was a composer, pianist, teacher
and conductor of music. Aside from his many piano works, that include his piano concertos 2 and 3,
"Variations on a Theme by Paganini" and his many "Preludes" for piano, Rachmaninov is regarded,
as one of the most virtuous pianists of the 20th century.
Rapide - Rapidly.
Ravel, Joseph Maurice - born in Ciboure, France on March 7, 1875 - died in Paris, France on December 28, 1937 was a French composer and pianist of the impressionistic period, Some of Ravel's noted compositions
include "Mirroirs" , "Gaspard de la Nuit", "Daphnis et Chloe" and "Bolero".
Re - In solmization, the second degree of the major scale.
Recital - A performance by one or more performers.
Refrain - A short section of repeated material
which occurs at the end of each stanza.
Relative major and minor scales - Major and minor scales which have the same key signature.
Renaissance - The period c. 1450-1600.
Repeat - The repetition of a section or a composition as indicated by particular signs. Repeat of a section:
Repeat from the beginning: Also D.C., repeat from the beginning and D.S., repeat from the sign.
Resonance - Reinforcement and intensification of sound by vibrations.
Respighi, Ottorino - born in Bologna, Italy on July 9, 1879 - died in Rome, Italy on April 18, 1936
was a composer, musicologist, pianist, violist and violinist. He is best known for his work "The Pines of Rome".
Rest - A symbol used to denote silence.
Rhapsody - A free style instrumental piece characterized by dramatic changes in mood.
Richter, Sviatoslav Teofilovich - born in Zhytomyr, Ukraine on March 20, 1915 - died in Moscow, Russia
on August 1, 1997 - was an exceptional virtuoso concert pianist who is best known for his performances
of "Prokofiev" and "Beethoven".
Rimsky - Korsokov, Nikolai Andreyevich - born in Tikhvin St. Petersburg Russia on March 18, 1844
died in Lyubensk, Russia on June 21, 1908 was a composer, teacher of harmony, orchestration
and
one of the Russian 5 composers, He is mostly known for his incredible ability to orchestrate
and for
his works "Scheherazade" and "The Tale of the Tsar Saltan", which contains his most
famous piece,
"The Flight of the Bumble Bee".
Rhythm - The term which denotes the organization of sound in time; the temporal quality of sound.
Rinforzando - A reinforced accent.
Risoluto - Resolute.
Ritardando, rit - Gradually slower. Synonymous with rallentando.
Ritenuto - Immediate reduction in tempo.
Ritmico - Rhythmically.
Roll - On percussion instruments, a sticking technique consisting of a rapid succession of notes.
Romanticism - The period c. 1825-1900.
Root - The note upon which a triad or chord is built.
Root position - The arrangement of a chord in which the root is in the lowest voice.
Rossini, Gioachino Antonio - born in Pesaro, Italy on February 29, 1792 died in Passy Paris, France
on November 13, 1868 was a composer, who wrote 39 operas as well as sacred music and chamber music.
He is best known for his works "The Barber of Seville" and "The William Tell Overture".
Round - Like the canon, a song in which two or more parts having the same melody,
starting at different points. The parts may be repeated as desired.
Rubato - The term used to denote flexibility of tempo to assist in achieving expressiveness.
Rubinstein, Artur - born in Lodz, Poland on January, 28 1987 - died in Geneva, Switzerland
on December 20, 1982 was a famous 20th century concert pianist who is known as one of, if
not the greatest interpreter of "Frederic Chopin's" music.
Rudiments - On drums, the basic sticking patterns.
Ruhig - Quiet.
Run - A rapid scale passage.
Rustico - Pastoral, rustic, rural.
Saint - Saens, Charles Camille - born in Paris, France on October 9, 1835 - died in Algiers, Algeria
on December 16, 1921 was a composer, virtuoso organist, conductor and a virtuoso pianist, known for his works
"The Carnival of the Animals", "Danse Macabre" and the Symphony No. 3, known as the "Organ Symphony".
Sanft - Soft, gentle.
Sans - Without. Scale - A succession of tones. The scale generally used in Western music is the diatonic scale, consisting of whole and half steps in a specific order.
Satie, Alfred Eric Leslie - born in Honfleur, France on May 17, 1866 - died in Paris, France on July 1, 1925
was a French composer, pianist, and journalist. He is best known for his works called "The 3 Gymnopedies".
Scarlatti, Alessandro - born in Sicily, Italy on May 2, 1660 - died in Naples, Italy on October 24, 1725
was a Baroque composer, is best known for his operas and chamber cantatas. He is considered
the founder
of the Neapolitan school of opera. He was the father of two other composers,
Domenico Scarlatti and
Pietro Filippo Scarlatti.
Scarlatti, Giuseppe Domenico - born in Naples, Italy on October 26, 1685 - died in Madrid, Spain
on July 23, 1757 was a composer and harpsicordist. He is best known for his more than 550 keyboard sonatas.
Scherzo - "Joke." A piece in a lively tempo. A movement of a symphony, sonata, or quartet in quick triple time, replacing the minuet
Schnabel, Artur - born in Kunzendorf Silesia, Poland on April 17, 1882 - died in Axenstein, Switzerland
on August 15, 1951 was a famous classical pianist, who is regared as one of the greatest Beethoven
and Schubert players of all time.
Schnell - Fast.
Schoenberg, Arnold - born in Leopoldstadt Vienna, Austria on September 13, 1874
died in Los Angeles, California U.S.A. on July 13, 1951 - was a composer and pianist
of (12 tonal) 20th century music.
Schubert, Franz Peter - born in Vienna, Austria on January 31, 1797 - died in Vienna , Austria
on November 19, 1828 was a composer, pianist and violinist. He wrote over 600 Lieder or songs,
9 symphonies, liturgical music, operas, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music.
He is best known for his symphony #8 "Unfinished" , "The Death of the Maiden" string quartet
and for his aria "Ave Maria".
Schumann, Robert Alexander - born in Zwickau, Germany on June 8, 1810 - died in Endenich, Germany
on July 29, 1856 was a German composer, pianist and journalist. His music clearly defines the
Romantic movement. He is best known for his works "The Piano Concerto in A minor" "Carnaval"
and "Traumerei"
from "Kinderszenen" or "Childhood Sketches". He was also the husband of noted concert
pianist
Clara Wieck Schumann.
Score - The written depiction of all the parts of a musical ensemble with the parts stacked vertically and rhythmically aligned.
Scriabin, Alexander Nikolayevich - born in Moscow, Russia on January 6, 1872 - died in Moscow, Russia
on April 27, April 1915 was a composer and pianist. His most famous work, called "The Etude in D# Minor"
was brought to the forefront in the 20th century, by piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz.
Secco - "Dry." Unornamented.
Second - The second degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the next tone
above or below it, e.g. c up to d, or c down to b. Intervals of the second may be major, diminished, or augmented.
Section - A division of a musical composition.
Segno - "Sign."
Segovia, Andres Torres - born in Linares, Spain on February, 21 1893 - died in Madrid, Spain
on June 3, 1987 was a classical guitarist, who is regarded as the father of the modern
classical guitar movement.
Sehr - Very.
Sehr leise beginnend - Very soft in the beginning.
Semitone - A half step. The smallest interval on the keyboard.
Sempre - Always. Used with other terms, e.g. sempre staccato.
Semplice - Simple.
Senza - Without. Used with other terms, e.g. senza crescendo.
Septet - A piece for seven instruments or voices. Seven performers.
Sequence - The repetition of a melodic pattern on a higher or lower pitch level.
Serenade - A love song or piece, usually performed below someone's window in the evening.
Sereno - Serene, peaceful.
Serkin, Rudolf - born in Cheb (Eger) , Bohemia on March 28, 1903 - died in Guilford, Vermont on May 8, 1991
was a virtuoso concert pianist who was regarded as one of the premier Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms players of all time.
Serkin, Peter - born in New York City, U.S.A. on July 24, 1947 is a distinguished classical pianist, who is the son
of Rudolf Serkin and grandson of the great violinist Adolf Busch.
Seventh - The seventh degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the seventh tone above or below it, e.g. c up to b, or c down to d. Intervals of the seventh may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented.
Seventh chord - When a seventh (above the root) is added to a triad (root, third, fifth), the result is a seventh chord, e.g. the dominant triad in the key of C major, g-b-d, with the added seventh becomes g-b-d-f and is labelled V7.
Sforzando, Sfz, Sf - Sudden strong accent on a note or chord.
Sharp - A symbol which raises the pitch of a note one-half step.
Sheet music - An individually printed song, most often for voice, piano, guitar,or a combination of the three.
Any printed music.
Shifting meter - The changing of meter within a composition. Synonymous with changing meter.
Sibelius, Johann Julius Christian Jean - born in Hameenlinna, Finland on December 8, 1865
died in Jarvenpaa, Finland on September 20, 1957 was a composer, pianist and violinist,
who is still known, as the most famous Finnish composer of all time. His best known work
is called "Finlandia".
Simile - An indication to continue in the same manner.
Sin' - Until.
Sinatra, Francis Albert - "Frank" - born in Hoboken, New Jersey U.S.A. on December 12, 1915
died in Los Angeles, California U.S.A. on May 14, 1998 was a jazz, pop singer and actor.
He is regarded as one of the most influencial crooners of the 20th century. As times moves on,
his huge catalogue of songs and vocal style, continue to be accepted by people of all age.
He was also known as the leader of "The Rat Pack" who were a group of Bohemian like entertainers
that included "Sammy Davis Jr.", Dean Martin", "Peter Lawford" and "Joey Bishop".
Sinistra - Left hand.
Sino - Until.
Six-four chord - The second inversion of a triad, made by placing the fifth of the chord in the lowest voice,
e.g. Cis g-c-e.
Sixteenth note/rest - A note/rest half the length of an eighth note and a sixteenth the length of a whole note.
Sixth - The sixth degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the sixth tone above
or below it, e.g. c up to a, or c down to e. Intervals of the sixth may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented.
Sixth chord - The first inversion of a triad, made by placing the third of the chord in the lowest voice, e.g.
C6 is e-g-c.
Skip - Melodic movement of more than one whole step.
Slur - A curved line placed above or below two or more notes of different pitch to indicate that they are to be performed in legato style.
Smetana, Bedrich - born in Litomysi, Bohemia on March 2, 1824 - died in Prague, Bohemia on May 12, 1884
was a composer, pianist and violinist. He is best known for his opera "The Bartered Bride" and the symphonic
poem Vltava, better known as Moldau, where one of the melodies, is used for the "Israeli National Anthem".
Smorzando - Fading away.
Soave - Sweet, mild.
Sognando - Dreamily.
Sol - In solmization, the fifth degree of the major scale.
Solmization - The term for the use of syllables for the degrees of the major scale: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la ti, do.
The minor scale (natural) is la, ti, do, re, mi, fa, sol, la.
Solo - To perform alone or as the predominant part.
Sonata - An instrumental piece, often in several movements.
Sonatina - A short sonata.
Sostenuto - Sustaining of tone or slackening of tempo
Sousa, John Phillip -"The March King"- born in Washington D.C. U.S.A. on November 6, 1854
died in Reading, Pennsylvania U.S.A. on March 6, 1932 was a composer and conductor of probably,
the most famous American marches of all time. Some of these famous marches include "The Gladiator March",
"Semper Fidelis", "The Washington Post" and "Stars And Stripes For Ever".
Spiccato - On string instruments, a bowing technique wherein the bow is bounced on the string
at moderate speed.
Staccato - Detached sounds, indicated by a dot over or under a note. The opposite of legato.
Staff - The most frequently used staff has five horizontal lines, with four spaces, upon which the notes and other musical symbols are placed.
Stanza - A selection of a song, two or more lines long, characterized by a common meter, rhyme, and number of lines.
Steinway & Sons - is a compny that manufactures some of the finest piano's in the world.
Stern, Isaac - born in Krementz Ukraine on June the 21st 1920 - died in New York City U.S.A.
on September the 22nd 2001 was an icon classical violinist during the 20th century.
Stesso - Same.
Strauss 1, Johann - born in Vienna, Austria on March 14, 1804 - died in Vienna, Austria on September 25, 1849
was a romantic composer best known for his waltzes. His most famous piece is the Radetzky March. He was also
the father of Johann Strauss II, Josef Strauss and Eduard Strauss
.
Strauss 11, Johann - born in Vienna, Austria on October 25, 1825 - died in Vienna, Austria on June 3, 1899
was a composer and a violinist, best known for his waltzes "Tales from the Vienna Woods"
On the Beautiful Blue Danube" and for his comic operetta "Die Fledermaus" (The Bat).
Strauss, Richard George - born in Munich, Germany on June 11, 1864 died in Garmisch/Partenkirchen, Germany
on September 8, 1949 was a composer of the late romatic era. He is best known for his tone poem
"Also Sprach Zarathustra", inspired by Friedrich Nietzche's book of the same name.
Stravinsky, Igor Fyodorovich - born in Oranienbaum, Russia on June 17, 1882 - died in New York City, U.S.A.
on April 6, 1971 was a Russian composer, considered by many in both the West and his native land to be the
most influential composer of 20th century music. His 3 ballets "The Firebird Suite", "Petrushka"
and
"The Rite of Spring" are Stravinsky's most noted works.
String instrument family - Instruements with strings that produce sound when plucked, bowed, or struck.
Strophic - A term used to describe a song in which all the stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. The opposite of through-composed.
Subdominant - The fourth degree of the major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the fourth
degree of the scale, indicated by IV in a major key and by iv in a minor key.
Subito - Suddenly.
Submediant - The sixth degree of a major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the sixth degree
of the scale, indicated by VI in a major key and by vi in a minor key.
Sul - On the.
Supertonic - The second degree of the major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the second
degree of the scale, indicated by II in a major scale and iio in a minor scale.
Sur - On, over.
Suspension - The use of a nonharmonic tone to delay the resolution of a chord, frequently as it occurs in a cadence.
Svelto - Quick, light.
Symphony - A piece for large orchestra, usually in four movements, in which the first movement often is in
sonata form. A large orchestra.
Syncopation - Accent on an unexpected beat
Synthesizer - is an electronic musical instrument (usually a keyboard) that produces and manipulates audio
tones such as musical note sounds and sound effects through audio signal processing.
Szell, George - "Gyorgy" - born in Budapest, Hungary on June 7, 1897 - died in Cleveland, Ohio on July 30,1970 was a pianist and conductor. He is still regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.
He is best known for his timeless recordings of the music of Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert performed by his legacy "The Cleveland Orchestra". He was the music director for the "Cleveland Orchestra" from the years
1946 - 1970.
Tanto - Much, so much
Tatum Jr., Arthur - born in Toledo, Ohio U.S.A. on October 13, 1909 - died in Los Angeles, California U.S.A,
on November 5, 1956 was a jazz pianist, who is still regarded as the king of jazz piano technique.
He is best known for his virtuous version of "Tea for Two".
Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich - born in Votkinsk, Russia on May 7, 1840 - died in St. Petersburg, Russia
on November 6, 1893 was a Russian composer and pianist of the Romantic era. He is best know for his
works
"The Piano Concerto #1 in Bb Minor", "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker Suite",
and "The 1812 Overture".
Telemann, George Philipp - born in Magdeburg, Germany on March 14, 1681 - died in Hamburg, Germany
on June 25, 1767 was composer and musician of Baroque music.
Tempo - The rate of speed in a musical work.
Tempo primo - Return to the original tempo.
Teneramente - Tenderly.
Tenor clef - The C clef falling on the fourth line of the staff.
Tenuto, ten - Hold or sustain a note longer than the indicated value, usually not as long a duration
as the fermata.
Ternary form - Three-part form in which the middle section is different from the other sections. Indicated by ABA.
Terraced dynamics - The Baroque style of using sudden changes in dynamic levels, as opposed to gradual increase and decrease in volume.
Tertian harmony - A term used to describe music based on chords arranged in intervals of thirds.
Tessitura - The general pitch range of a vocal part.
Texture - The term used to describe the way in which melodic lines are combined, either with or without accompaniment. Types include monophonic, homophonic, and polyphonic, or contrapuntal.
Theme - The musical subject of a piece (usually a melody), as in sonata form or a fugue. An extramusical concept behind a piece.
Theme and variations - A statement of musical subject followed by restatements in different guises.
Theory - The study of how music is put together.
Theramin - created in the year 1919, is the first musical instrument designed to be played without being touched.
It generally consists of two pitch and one volume radio frequency oscillators and two metal antennas.
The electric signals from the theremin, after moving the hand over the instrument, are amplified and sent to a loudspeaker.
Third - The third degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the third tone above
or below it, e.g. c up to e, or c down to a. Intervals of the third may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented.
Through-composed - A term used to describe a song in which the music for each stanza is different. The opposite
of strophic.
Ti - In solmization, the seventh degree of the major scale. Also called the leading tone.
Tie - A curved line over or below two or more notes of the same pitch. The first pitch is sung or played and held
for the duration of the notes affected by the tie.
Time signature - Synonymous with meter signature.
Tonality - The term used to describe the organization of the melodic and harmonic elements to give a feeling of a key center or a tonic pitch.
Tone - A note; the basis of music.
Tone clusters - The simultaneous sounding of two or more adjacent tones.
Tonguing - On wind instruements, articulation with the tongue.
Tonic - The first note of a key. Also, the name of the chord built on the first degree of the scale, indicated by
I in a major key or 1 in a minor key.
Tono - Tone, key, pitch.
Torelli, Giuseppe - born in Verona, Italy on April 22, 1658 - died in Bologna, Italy
on February 8, 1709
was a composer and violinist of the Baroque era. He is best known for his contributions
for the
development of the instrumental concerto.
Tosto - Quick.
Tranquillo - Tranquilly; quietly; calm.
Transposition - The process of changing the key of a composition.
Tre - Three. Used with other terms, e.g. a tre voci, in three parts.
Treble clef - The G clef falling on the second line of the staff.
Triad - A chord of three tones arranged in thirds, e.g. the C-major triad c-e-g, root-third-fifth.
Trill, tr - A musical ornament performed by the rapid alternation of a given note with a major or minor second above.
Triple meter - Meter based on three beats, or a multiple of three, in a measure.
Triplet - A group of three notes performed in the time of two of the same kind.
Troppo - Too much. Used with other terms, e.g. allegro non troppo, not too fast.
Turn - A musical ornament characterized by the rapid performance of a given note, the major or minor second above and below, and a return to the given note.
Tutti - All. A direction for the entire ensemble to sing or play simultaneously.
Twelve-tone technique - A system of composition which uses the twelve tones of the chromatic scale
in an arbitrary arrangement called a tone row or series. The row may be used in its original form, its inversion,
in retrograde, and in the inversion of the retrograde. The system was devised by Arnold Schoenberg in the early 20th century.
Uchida, Mitsuko - born in Atami Tokyo, Japan - on December, 20, 1948 is a classical concert pianist who is best known for her interpretations of Mozart's works.
Una corda - Soft pedal.
Unison - Singing or playing the same notes by all singers or players, either at exactly the same pitch or in a different octave.
Un peu - A little. Used with other words, e.g. un peu piano.
Un poco - A little. Upbeat - One or more notes occurring before the first bar line,
as necessitated by the text
for the purpose of desirable accent. The unaccented beat of a measure.
Variation - The manipulation of a theme by the use of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic changes.
Vaughan Williams, Ralph - born in Down Ampney Gloucestershire, England on October 12, 1872
died in London, England on August 26, 1958 was a composer and violinist, who is known for his symphonies,
chamber music, operas, choral music and film scores.
Verdi, Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco - born in Le Roncole, Italy on October 9 or 10, 1813
died in Milan, Italy on January 27, 1901 was a composer of Italian opera. He is known as one of the
leading masters in the genre of opera, with masterworks including "Rigoletto", "La Traviata", "Aida"
"Otello" and "Il Trovatore".
Vibrato - Repeated fluctuation of pitch.
Villa - Lobos, Heitor - born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on March 5, 1887 - died in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
on November 17, 1959 was a composer, guitarist, cellist and clarinetist. He is known for combining
Brazilian folk music and European classical styles together in his music.
Virtuoso - A brillant, skillful performer.
Vivace - Lively, brisk, quick, and bright.
Vivaldi, Antonio Lucio (The Red Priest) - born in Venice, Italy on March 4, 1678
died in Vienna, Austria on July, 27 or 28, 1741 was a priest and a composer and violinist of Baroque
music. He is best known for his works "The 4 Seasons" and "Concerto Alla Rustica".
Vivo - Lively, bright.
Volti subito - Turn [the page] quickly.
Wagner, Richard Wilhelm - born in Leipzig, Germany on May 22, 1813 - died in Venice, Italy
on February 13, 1883 - was a composer, conductor, theorist, and essayist of music.
He is best known, for his operas, or "Music Drama's" that include "Rienzi", "Tristan and Isolde"
"The Flying Dutchman", , "The Ring Nibelungin","Parsifal" and "Lohengrin" which contains
the famous "Wedding March.
Weber, Carl Maria von - born in Eutin Holstein, Germany on November 18, 1786 - died in in London, England
onJune 5, 1926 was a composer, pianist, guitarist and conductor,who was known as one of the first significant artists, of the romatic movement.
Webern, Anton - born in Vienna, Austria on December 3, 1883 - died in Salzburg, Austria
on September 15, 1945 was a composer, conductor and member of "The 2nd Viennese School".
He was a student of Arnold Schoenberg and he became a huge advocate, for the 12 tonal movement
and a leader in the form of " Serial Music".
Weill, Kurt - born in Dessau, Germany on March 2, 1900 - died in New York City, U.S.A. on April 3, 1950
was a composer of music. He was one of the pioneers of "Broadway" style productions that originated in
the cabarets of Berlin Germany. His most famous work is "September Song" and "The 3 Penny Opera" which
contains the classic song "Mack the Knife".
Whole note/rest - A note/rest equal to two half notes and four quarter notes.
Wind instrument family - Instruments in which sound is produced by the vibration of air, including brass and woodwind instruments.
Wolf, Hugo - born in Windischgraz, Austria on March 13, 1860 - died in Vienna, Austria on January 22, 1903
was a composer and part of the "2nd Viennese School" movement.
Woodwind family - Instruments, originally made of wood, in which sound is produced by the vibration of air, including recorders, flutes, clarinets, saxophones, oboes, and bassoons.
