Alto: an alto is a singer with the lowest range (for women) and the highest (for men) or a musical instrument with the equivalent range such as the viola and the alto flute.
Aria: an aria (‘air’ in Italian) is a solo vocal piece with orchestral accompaniment.
Basses: the double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument in the orchestra. Read more
Basso continuo: the basso continuo is the accompanying part played by a keyboard instrument (like the harpsichord or the organ) or a plucked string instrument (like the lute or guitar).
Bassoon: the bassoon is the lowest sounding member of the woodwind family and perhaps the most versatile. Read more
Bass: a bass is a singer with the lowest range or a musical instrument with the equivalent range such as the double bass, bassoon and trombone.
Cantata: a cantata (‘sung’ in Italian) is a vocal composition accompanied by instruments.
Canzonetta: a canzonetta (‘little song’ in Italian) is a popular Italian secular vocal composition.
Cello: the cello is the tenor voice in the string section. Read more
Chanson: a chanson is a polyphonic French song.
Clarinet: the clarinet is a member of the woodwind family and comes in many shapes and sizes. Read more
Concerto: a concerto is a piece of music in which one solo instrument is contrasted with an orchestra.
Concerto grosso: the concerto grosso is the early form of concerto which peaked during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Counterpoint: counterpoint (which derives from punctus contra punctum or ‘note against note’ in Latin) is the simultaneous sounding of separate melodies or lines against each other, as in polyphony.
Cymbals: cymbals are percussion instruments with plate-shaped brass or metal discs that are played by clashing both discs together.
Double sticking: double-sticking consists of hitting the drums simultaneously with both sticks.
Flute: perhaps the best known member of the woodwind family, the flute produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge. Read more
Fortepiano: the fortepiano (or pianoforte) is the early version of the piano.
Harp: the harp is a string instrument which consists of an open frame with a graduated series of strings and generates sounds by plucking the strings.
Harpsichord: the harpsichord is a keyboard instrument which generates sounds by plucking a string rather than striking one, as in a piano.
Homophony: homophony (‘same sounding’ in Greek) describes music with two or more instruments or voices moving together in harmony.
Horn: the horn, often called the French horn, is a brass instrument member of the woodwind family that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. Read more
Libretto: a libretto (‘little book’ in Italian) is the literary text of an opera, operetta or oratorio.
Lied, Lieder (pl): a lied (‘song’ in German) is a typical German song from the romantic period. The great lieder composers were Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss.
Lute: the lute is a string instrument with a fretted neck and a deep round back.
Madrigal: a madrigal is a setting of 3-6 voices often in Italian.
Minimalism: minimalism is the repetition of short musical phrases with minimal variations over a long period of time.
Monody: monody is a solo vocal style with a single melodic line and instrumental accompaniment. The term is generally applied to Italian songs of the early 17th century.
Motet: a motet is a polyphonic choral work.
Oboe/cor anglais: the oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. Both the oboe and the cor anglais, its larger relative, produce a beautiful, sweet and haunting sound. Read more
Opera: an opera (‘works’ in Italian) is a musical dramatic work in which the actors sing some or all of their parts.
Operetta: an operetta is similar to opera but deals with less serious topics and often includes more spoken texts than opera.
Oratorio: an oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus.
Organ: the organ is a keyboard instrument which generates sounds by blowing air through pipes.
Ornamentation: notes used to embellish a melody.
Overture: an overture is a piece of instrumental music that acts as an introduction to an oratorio, opera, play or ballet.
Percussion: anything that has to be hit in order to make a sound (drums, cymbals, xylophones, triangles, etc.) is included in the percussion section. Read more
Piano: the piano is a keyboard instrument with 88 keys and a standard compass of 7 1/3 octaves.
Pitch: pitch is the frequency of a musical note or sound as perceived by the human ear.
Polyphony: polyphony is the simultaneous combination of more than one melody.
Prelude: a prelude is a piece that is played before another piece or group of pieces, serving as an introduction.
Recorder: forerunner of the flute, the recorder is a woodwind musical instrument made without reed.
Reed: a thin strip of material which vibrates to produce a sound on a musical instrument (single reed on the clarinet and saxophone; double reeds on the bassoon, oboe, bagpipes, trombone, English horn, and some organs).
Saxophone: the saxophone is a wind instrument with a reed and a body made of brass. It forms a bridge between the woodwind and brass sections of the orchestra. Read more
Serialism: serialism is a method of composition which uses series of notes to describe musical elements, and allows the manipulation of those series.
Sonata: a piece for solo instruments or a group of instruments which is played and not sung.
Soprano: a soprano is a female singer with a highest vocal range or a musical instrument with the equivalent range such as the trumpet, violin and flute.
Suite: a suite is an organized set of dance-style pieces performed at a single sitting.
Symphony: a symphony (‘sounding together’ in Greek) is a large scale musical piece for the orchestra in several movements.
Tenor: a tenor is a male singer with the highest vocal range or a musical instrument with the equivalent range such as the cello and trombone.
Theorbo: the theorbo is a larger type of lute typical of Renaissance music.
Trombone: the trombone is part of the brass family and comes in three main sizes: alto, tenor and bass. Read more
Trumpet: the trumpet is the soprano voice of the brass family. Read more
Tuba: the tuba is the largest of the low-brass instruments and one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra. Read more
Variation: a variation is a varied version of a given tune or theme.
Vihuela: the vihuela is a Spanish twelve-string guitar.
Viol: a viol is a bowed string instrument developed during the Renaissance period.
Viola: larger than the violin, the viola is the alto voice of the string family. Read more
Violin: the violin is the highest pitched and most agile member of the string family. Read more
Xylophones: the xylophone is a percussion instrument with wooden bars of various lengths that are struck by a mallet.
