Dictionary: A

Ring finger of the right hand See p,i,m,a in Left & Right Hand Fingerings

by, for, in, to, with, in the manner of

in the style of a ballad

with the beat, in strict time

music that is vocal or choral but without instrumental accompaniment

capriciously; as the player wishes

for two performers or two instruments

playing on two strings

to nothing, for example, to pppp

as you want, as you wish, ad lib

by degrees, gradually

little by little

as you please, at will, ad lib

as you please, at will, ad lib

the original speed; a direction to return to the original speed after a deliberate change of tempo

off

from the beginning

vehemently, violently

negligent, free and easy

a stylized roll played by the timbalero usually to signify a change in the music; a word used to describe the timbales figure (roll and accent) pla…

negligent, free and easy, impassioned

to lower, to tune a string down

embellishments, ornaments

embellishment, ornament

to ornament

to dampen, to mute

evening

evening song

originating in the seventeenth century, evening music usually of a religious or contemplative nature

but

to play notes detached, to play staccato

abridgement, abbreviation

to play notes detached, to play staccato

diminuendo, to soften gradually

the music of the indigenous people's of Australia

a song or dance from the Abruzzi district of eastern Rome

to play notes detached, to play staccato

term used for music dependent on its structure alone for comprehension, the antithesis of program music

perfect pitch, a strong conscious or unconscious memory of musical pitch

to play notes detached, to play staccato

to change one's instrument; changing parts in polyphony

to change one's instrument; changing parts in polyphony

caressing

caressingly

accelerating, getting steadily faster

accelerating, getting steadily faster

accelerated

a stress or emphasis placed upon a note or a passage indicating an elevated importance See Accents in Elements of a Musical Score See Accents in No…

a note ornament see Accent Fallend in Note Ornamentation

a note ornament see Accent Steigend in Note Ornamentation

a note ornament see Accent und Mordant in Note Ornamentation

a note ornament see Accent und Trillo in Note Ornamentation

accented

accent

to mark with an accent; accessory notes, for example: the upper note in a trill, or the notes above and below the written note in a turn

accented

a spread chord, played from top to bottom; brusquely, forcibly

Grace note; crushed note, written with a diagonal line through the note hook or flag

sign for raising, lowering the pitch of a note or of canceling a previously applied sign, the sharp and flat signs in a key signature are not stric…

chord containing one or more notes foreign to its proper harmony

Accidentals are symbols placed before notes: sharp ( ) raises a pitch flat ( ) lowers a pitch natural cancels previous alteration In standard notat…

accompanied, accompanying; where the accompanist must follow the singer allowing the singer to vary the tempo as he or she wishes

support provided by harmonically or melodically to the main theme in a piece of music, which although designed to be subordinate may, on occasions,…

to perform with another but in a subordinate role

chord, tuning

to tune

tuned

tuned

tuned

tuned

tuning

tuned

to tune

chord

getting louder

emphasized

eight, care

a note one eighth the time value of a whole note see Note Values

a note one eighth the time value of a whole note see Note Values

a rest one eighth the time value of a whole rest

in eight parts

a genre of American rock, often associated with psychedelic drugs, that emerged in the late 1960's

a term used to distinguish a non electric instrument from its electric version

a musical notation which gives mechanical directions to a musical performer but without giving any indication of the resulting sound

at pleasure, as you wish it

at pleasure, as you wish it

slow

slow

slow

patterns of beats that subdivide into smaller, irregular groups, for example, 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 10; a meter common in certain types of Eastern Europe…

patterns of beats that subdivide into smaller, irregular groups, for example, 2 + 3 + 2 + 3 = 10; a meter common in certain types of Eastern Europe…

becoming sweet or soft

in a mournful manner

nobility

angered, irate

a seven to ten stringed harp of the Alur people from Uganda

Christian religious observance which takes place in the four weeks immediately preceding Christmas

anxious

a box across which lie strings of various thicknesses, stretched and tuned in unison, which when placed in a window and the strings are excited by…

extremely

in a gentle pleasant manner; in an affable manner

diminuendo, a steady softening

in a distressful or anxious manner

distressingly or anxiously

distressed or anxious

a persistent emotional state of mind, such as wonder, fear, joy, rage

a theory that arose during the Baroque period that associated certain musical methods and figures to arouse or portray particular emotions, for exa…

fervor

full of fervor

affection

tenderly

affectionately

with tenderness

affection

afflicted, sad, melancholy

affliction

hurrying, in a quickening tempo

to hurry

in a hurrying manner

hurried

hurried

hurried

a rhythmic style combining adaptations of sacred Batá drum rhythms popularized in Cuba in the 1940s, and often used to interpret lullabies

the fusion of West African and black American music

a rhythm from Bahia, Brazil used in street parades

an accent placed on any beat in a measure other than the first

lightly and easily, unlabored

ease

rhythmically exact

rhythmically exact

agreeable

free or comfortable tempo

agitatedly

lively

in an agile and nimble fashion

in an agile and nimble fashion

in an agile and nimble fashion

agitation

the gypsy feeling of a Spanish dance

agitated, agitatedly, excited, fast, hurried, restless

agitation

agitated, agitatedly

agitatedly

agitated

the slight variations of rhythmic strength, tempo, accent and volume derived from the nature of a particular musical phrase in contrast to the regu…

ornament, grace note

ornaments, grace notes

rural

(1784 1849) See Classical Guitarists and Composers

Christmas songs from Spain and Spanish America

(1885 1944) See Classical Guitarists and Composers

at the, to the

shrill, high pitch

shrill, high pitch

tune, tuneful song, art song accompanied by the lute or viola da gamba

monodic song or chanson often with a simple lute accompaniment

ease

a Moroccan harvest dance performed by men and women

a Moroccan warrior dance performed only by men. They link arms as if welded to each other and chant their song during a continuous backwards and fo…

a Moroccan dance

a stringed instrument from the Baka forest people of southeast Cameroon

Korean seven string zither

to add

Albanian dance for men and women, in separate circles

chord

to tune

at the, to the, in the

to the end

go back to the sign or go on to the sign

in the German style

religious praise songs in Spain and Spanish America

traditional Galician folk song

troubadour or trouvère song about a lover's morning departure from his beloved after an illicit tryst

a simple accompaniment consisting of broken chords, usually 'tonic, dominant, mediant, dominant' in succession

morning music, particular of a rough pastoral form

gypsy wedding song; a flamenco style

a page or leaf from a book, or a short, easy piece

Flirtatious and erotic dance from Peru. It's a couple's dance. Traditionally, the woman has a piece of tissue between her legs while the man dances…

some

some

some

a compositional technique where the choice of pitch, rhythmic value and order of events is left to chance

a compositional technique where the choice of pitch, rhythmic value and order of events is left to chance

a joyful flamenco dance, with twelve beats, from the province of Cádiz

to the, at the, on the, with the, in the manner of, in the style of

to the, at the, on the, with the, in the manner of, in the style of

cut time; used for quick duple time in which the half note is given one beat instead of two

in the style of a hunting piece

in the Turkish style

in a gypsy style

going on, continuing to get

getting slower and slower, with a fuller tone

getting slower and slower, with a fuller tone

all

to the

brightly, gaily

brightly, gaily

lively but less so than allegro

very fast tempo marking between presto and vivacissimo

quick, lively, bright, not as fast as presto

very quick

quick with precision

quick with precision and dignified

moderately quick

fast, but not too fast

alone, single

a highly melismatic responsoral chant from the mass; the third element in the Proper of the Roman Catholic Mass

a dance of German origin with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a s…

a dance of German origin with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a s…

slowing

slowing down

gradually, little by little

gradually, little by little

gradually, little by little

to lengthen the notes, to slow the tempo

then

manner

a dance of German origin with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a s…

a dance of German origin with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a s…

a dance of German origin with 4 moderate beats to the bar, although sometimes written as two longer beats in a bar, often the first movement in a s…

as, like, when, than

thus

high

high

the raising or lowering of a note by means of an accidental a double sharp, sharp, double flat, flat or natural sign

a chord in which a note has been changed from its normal position, usually chromatically

substitute fingering, often used to provide tonal contrast; also used to make the playing of passage work easier

alternating one movement with another

very high

See clef in Staff, Barline, & Clef

another

encore, play it again

another

others

another

raised, lifted off, unmated

raised, lifted off, unmated

raised, lifted off, unmated

raised, lifted off, unmated

at the, on the, to the, by the, near the

lovable, sweet

lovableness

bitterly

bitterness

music performed by the Berbers of Northwestern Africa

sounds in the background arising from the environment

sounds in the background arising from the environment

sounds in the background arising from the environment

purely diatonic series of sacred melodies or chants collected and introduced into the Catholic Church by St. Ambrose (c. 339 397)

so be it

A chord progression where the subdominant chord is followed by the tonic chord In the tonality of C major, an plagal cadence would be the subdomina…

without a time signature or meter as in Gregorian chant

love, tenderness, affection

loving

lovingly

lovingly

loving

love

the amount of a signal

on, by, to, at phrase

Breton circle dance

up beats or pickup notes, unstressed syllables at the beginning of a phrase

An anacrusis is a pickup that leads into the first complete bar. In notation, the opening and final measures often complement each other so their b…

a phrase that starts and ends in the middle of a bar

a Spanish lullaby

the study of the form and structure of music

musical foot comprising two short notes or syllables, followed by one long

the natural minor scale

still, yet

still more slowly

devotion

devotional

various dances of Spanish origin

various dances of Spanish origin

various dances of Spanish origin

going, of a running character

moving along, flowing, at a walking pace

graceful moving along, at a walking pace

sustained and moving along

andante

go on

lasting, continuing

other

other

beginning

at the beginning

suitable to

agreeable

English; an English country dance, sometimes part of the suite, in quick duple time, always starting on a strong beat

English; an English country dance, sometimes part of the suite, in quick duple time, always starting on a strong beat

pain, anxious wish

anguish

with anguished feeling

with anguished feeling

to seize, to attack

anguish, anxiety

to hold on

a supplement, coda

the sound post of a stringed instrument, the soul

animating

become animated

animated

animated

spirit

spirited

spirit

to swell or grow in volume

grace

grace

graceful

unknown, particular unknown composer

unknown, particular unknown composer

very strong pizzicato

touch, attack, appoggiatura before a principal note

compliant, yielding

crescendo, gradually getting louder

anxiety

instead of

to tune

a musical phrase that responds to another

the subject of a fugue or canon; the first phrase of a musical period; the first of a pair of musical statements, termed antecedent and consequent,…

national patriotic song

ancient, antique

ancient, antique

ancient, antique

Anticipated or Expected Barre See Anticipated or Expected Barre in Barre

a note played before a chord with which it is a concord, where it is discordant with the preceding chord

ancient, antique

a musical form where one section of performers answers another

in a fugue, the answer

swelling in tone

more peacefully

clear, distinct, broad style

a person or an ideal that has been glorified or deified

Apoyando is commonly used to produce a stronger, projecting tone for melody lines. The plucking finger follows through and rests on the adjacent st…

passion

impassioned

passionately

impassioned

hardly, barely

as if distressed

portamento, legato, playing smoothly, stressed, drawn out, leaning on

portamento, legato, playing smoothly, stressed, drawn out, leaning on

a note preparatory to another or to a chord acting as an unprepared suspension See appoggiatura in Note Symbols

emphasized

emphasized

after

delicately textured

popular Turkish music of Arabic rather than Turkish origin

a dance associated with Aragon in Spain

a dance associated with Aragon in Spain

a term applied to describe a melodic line that first rises before falling to a cadence

bow, string as in a single stringed instrument; used to mark a section to

a term used to describe how the flow of sound is influenced by a building's structure; the study and design of acoustically balanced halls

a large lute popular both in Italy and England during the Renaissance with an elongated neck, fitted with two peg boxes, one to accommodate unstopp…

play a stringed instrument with a bow as opposed to plucked or pizzicato; the bow of a stringed instrument

ardently

ardent, with fire, vehemently

boldly

bold

with warmth

played with the bow

argument

music written for a solo voice with accompaniment, forming part of a larger work

a short simple aria

ancient circle dance from Bilbao, in Spain’s Basque Country

harmony

harmony

Play using Harmonics

read the notes as written using Harmonics

harmoniously

harmonious

harp

(Italian) a spread chord played from the top down or from the bottom up

(Italian) a spread chords played from the top down or from the bottom up

arpeggiate successive chords

arpeggiate successive chords

(Italian) a spread chord played from the top down or from the bottom up

to arpeggiate successive chords

played in a "harp like manner". A spread chord played from the bottom up or from the top down (with a downward pointing arrow). See arpeggio in Not…

Arpeggio patterns are repeated right hand orders such as , , or . On classical guitar, practicing fixed patterns helps: build right hand consistenc…

abbreviated form of arranged

strong pizzicato, strongly plucked

to set a work originally written for one instrument (or set of instruments) for another instrument or set of instruments

a work that has been arranged

a Spanish lullaby

a Spanish lullaby

designed to stand alone and written for the concert hall, rather than a traditional or folk song

well articulated

articulation

slight separations made between notes

staccato, legato, tenuto,…..

well articulated

high notes produced on a stringed instrument where the strings is stopped lightly halfway along its sounding length

well behaved, agreeable

well articulated

a term applied in music to describe a rising melodic line, that is one rising in pitch

aspiring

rough, harsh

rough, harsh

very, extremely

much more

enough, fairly

together

usually, time signatures with 5 or 7 as the top number

usually, time signatures with 5 or 7 as the top number

a small pause on a weak beat used to strengthen the following strong beat

music that avoids a key centre but is not constructed on serial principles

music that avoids a key centre but is not constructed on serial principles

Christmas songs in the Spanish Basque Country

at once, attack, immediately; used at the end of a section, the term means go on immediately to the next section without a pause

short motif used in imitation or as a fugal subject

the beginning or manner of beginning a piece, a passage, or a musical note

attack

to the, at the

beneath, less than

early morning music, music for dawn

also, but

audacity

audacious

the range of frequencies that the human ear can hear

the try out that a musician must go through before he or she is accepted into an ensemble; also the try outs for a solo role or performance

on

to perform

performance

performing right

excited

lively

to retard

edition

to resolve a discord, to reset the tuning of a string that has been tuned sharp, to loosen, to release

natural sign

natural sign

up beat

an omitted portion, a cut

uplifted

up stroke

up beat

act of an opera of play

the lengthening of note values when recapitulating a fugal theme adding to it's dignity and weight; to increase a perfect or major interval by one…

the lengthening of note values when recapitulating a fugal theme adding to it's dignity and weight; to increase a perfect or major interval by one…

a chord that has an augmented interval between its highest and lowest notes

a chord which contains an augmented sixth above the bass, in addition to various other tones

Basque folk dance

out of, from

expression

expressively

a ripieno violinist who fills out the tone of the string line

edition

sustained, held on

to sustain, to hold on

to beat time

in addition to, out of, outer

also, as, therefore

extract, arrangement

A chord progression where the dominant chord is followed by the tonic chord In the tonality of C major, an authentic cadence would be the dominant…

a melody is written in an authentic mode when all, or almost all the notes lie above the final

a term originally used to describe an approach to the performance and understanding of music that relied on evidence from the past, especially that…

a type of zither played with fingers or a plectrum, with keys to produce chords

other

others

a variety of passing note that returns back to the note immediately before it

before

an intelligentsia that develops new or experimental concepts especially in the arts

forward

preceding

Iranian modal system, made up of twelve modes, divided into seven principal modes and five secondary modes

a prayer, in Latin, to The Virgin Mary; used in Roman Catholic liturgy; set to music by a number of composers

with

female Egyptian performers who danced, sung, played musical instruments and recited poetry

tune, tuneful song, art song accompanied by the lute or viola da gamba

action, drama