Music Theoryafter A. Danhauser

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410Alphabetical index, updated

Glossary

Every term in the course, including all the Italian words for tempo, character, dynamics and articulation.

N

32nd note (demisemiquaver)Rhythm and Meter: The 32nd note has three flags and is worth half a sixteenth note.Relative Note Values

32nd rest (demisemiquaver rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a 32nd note.Rests

T

64th note (hemidemisemiquaver)Rhythm and Meter: The 64th note has four flags and is worth half a 32nd note, which is a sixty-fourth of a whole note.Relative Note Values

64th rest (hemidemisemiquaver rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a 64th note.Rests

A

A piacereTempo: It means at pleasure, freely.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

A tempoTempo: It means in time, and it tells you to return to the tempo after a change.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

AbbreviationAbbreviations: An abbreviation is a sign that saves you from rewriting identical notes or measures. Repeat signs, the segno, tremolo slashes and the measure repeat sign are all abbreviations.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

Accelerando (accel.)Tempo: It means getting faster.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

AccentArticulation: The accent, written >, asks for a stronger attack followed at once by a decrease in sound.Accentuation and Articulation

Acciaccatura (short appoggiatura)Ornaments: An acciaccatura is a small eighth note with a slash through its stem, played very quickly before the main note. It's also called a crushed note.Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas

AccidentalNotation: An accidental is a sharp, flat, natural, double sharp or double flat written before a note during the piece. It lasts until the end of the measure, and it applies to notes of the same name at the same pitch. The sharps or flats of the key signature are not called accidentals.Accidentals

Ad libitum (ad lib.)Tempo: It means at will, so the tempo is left free.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

AdagioTempo: It means at ease, slow; according to Danhauser, it's a little less slow than lento.Tempo and the Metronome

AffettuosoCharacter: It means affectionate.Character

AgitatoCharacter: It means agitated.Character

Alla breve (cut time, ¢)Rhythm and Meter: Alla breve is 2/2 time, counted in half notes. Its sign is a C with a vertical stroke through it.Time Signatures

Allargando (allarg.), slargandoTempo: It means broadening.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Allegretto (All.tto)Tempo: It's a little less fast than allegro.Tempo and the Metronome

Allegro (All.o)Tempo: It means cheerful, fast.Tempo and the Metronome

Alto clefNotation: This is the C clef on the 3rd line, so middle C is the middle line of the staff. It's the normal clef of the viola.Clefs

AmabileCharacter: It means amiable, pleasant.Character

AmorosoCharacter: It means loving, tender.Character

Andante (And.te)Tempo: It means moderate and flowing, at the pace of a calm walk.Tempo and the Metronome

Andantino (And.no)Tempo: According to Danhauser, it's a little less slow than andante.Tempo and the Metronome

AnimatoTempo: It means animated.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

AppassionatoCharacter: It means passionate.Character

AppoggiaturaOrnaments: An appoggiatura is a small note one step above or below the main note. It's stressed and takes time from the main note, often half of it, or two thirds if the main note is dotted.Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas

ArditoCharacter: It means bold.Character

ArpeggioArticulation: An arpeggio plays the notes of a chord one after another, quickly, from lowest to highest. It's shown by a vertical wavy line before the chord.Accentuation and Articulation

Articulation (accentuation)Articulation: Articulation is the particular way certain notes are attacked, joined or separated. It's shown by signs or by Italian terms.Accentuation and Articulation

Articulation marksArticulation: The articulation marks are the slur, the staccato dot, the wedge, dots under a slur, accents and the arpeggio sign.Accentuation and Articulation

Articulation termsArticulation: These are Italian terms such as legato, staccato, marcato, sforzando and tenuto.Accentuation and Articulation

Ascending intervalIntervals: An ascending interval is measured from the lower note up. Unless stated otherwise, an interval is taken as ascending.Intervals

Ascending seriesNotation: The ascending series gives the note names in order from low to high: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C. The descending series runs the other way.The Names of the Notes

AssaiTempo: It means very, or quite.Tempo and the Metronome

Augmented (interval)Intervals: An augmented interval is one chromatic half step larger than the corresponding major or perfect interval.Interval Qualities

Augmented triadChords: An augmented triad combines a major third and an augmented fifth, as in C E G♯. You find it on degree III+ of the harmonic minor.Triads

B

Bar line (barline)Rhythm and Meter: A bar line is a vertical line drawn through the staff to separate the measures.Bar Lines

BaritoneVoices and Instruments: The baritone is the middle male voice, which Danhauser calls the first bass.Voices

BassVoices and Instruments: The bass is the low male voice, and the second bass was called basse-taille in French. The word also means the lowest part of any piece of music.Voices

Basse-taille (French)Voices and Instruments: This is the old French name for the second, or low, bass voice.Voices

BassoonVoices and Instruments: The bassoon is a low double-reed woodwind. It reads the bass clef, the tenor clef, and the treble clef in its high register.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

BeamNotation: A beam is a thick line that replaces the flags of neighboring eighth notes, sixteenth notes and shorter values. There are as many beams as there would be flags.Notes and Their Shapes

BeatRhythm and Meter: A beat is one of the equal parts, two, three or four, into which a measure is divided. It's the pulse you count or tap.Beats

BPMTempo: BPM stands for beats per minute, the tempo unit of metronomes and music software.Tempo and the Metronome

Brace (and bracket)Notation: This sign joins several staves that are played together. The curly brace joins the two staves of the piano, organ or harp, and the square bracket groups instruments in a score.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

BrillanteCharacter: It means brilliant.Character

Brioso, con brioCharacter: It means with vigor, with spirit and brilliance.Character

C

C clefNotation: The C clef sits on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line, and the note on that line is middle C (C4). On the 1st line it's the soprano clef, on the 2nd the mezzo-soprano clef, on the 3rd the alto clef used by the viola, and on the 4th the tenor clef, used by the cello, bassoon and trombone in their high register.Clefs

CadenceChords: A cadence is a chord progression that closes a phrase. The main ones are the perfect authentic cadence (PAC), from V to I, the imperfect authentic cadence (IAC), the half cadence, which ends on V, the plagal cadence, from IV to I, and the deceptive cadence, from V to vi.

CadenzaTempo: A cadenza is a virtuoso passage, often written in small notes, played freely on a fermata.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Calando (cal.)Dynamics: It means getting softer, and often slightly slower.Dynamics

CantabileCharacter: It means singing.Character

CapricciosoCharacter: It means capricious, whimsical.Character

Cello (violoncello)Voices and Instruments: The cello is a string instrument tuned an octave below the viola, to C, G, D and A. It reads the bass, tenor and treble clefs.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

CentAcoustics: A cent is one hundredth of an equal-tempered half step, so the octave has 1200 of them.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

CharacterCharacter: Character is the general color given to the expression of a piece or of one of its sections.Character

ChordChords: A chord is several different pitches sounded together. In their basic form, chords are built from stacked thirds.Chords: Structure and Inversions

Chord symbolChords: A chord symbol is a shorthand that names a chord with letters and numbers, such as C, Am, G7, Fmaj7 or D/F♯. It's common in jazz and popular music.Triads

Chromatic half step (chromatic semitone)Scales and Keys: A chromatic half step lies between two notes with the same letter name, one of them altered, as from C to C♯.Diatonic and Chromatic Half Steps

Chromatic noteScales and Keys: A chromatic note lies between two degrees a whole step apart. It's foreign to the scale, but it doesn't cause a modulation.The chromatic scale

Chromatic scaleScales and Keys: The chromatic scale is made only of diatonic and chromatic half steps. It has twelve half steps per octave, seven diatonic and five chromatic.The chromatic scale

Church modes (ecclesiastical modes)Scales and Keys: The church modes are the Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. They're the scales you play on the white keys starting from each degree. The medieval church only used four main modes, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian and Mixolydian; Glarean added the Aeolian and Ionian in 1547, and the Locrian stayed theoretical.Other Scales and the Modes

Circle of fifthsScales and Keys: The circle of fifths arranges the keys in a circle, a fifth apart. The sharp side and the flat side meet through enharmonic equivalence.Enharmonic keys

ClarinetVoices and Instruments: The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind, usually in B♭, written a major second higher than it sounds, or in A, written a minor third higher.Transposing Instruments

ClefNotation: A clef is a sign at the start of the staff that fixes the name and pitch of the notes. It comes in three shapes, G, C and F, which can sit in seven positions: G on the 2nd line, C on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th line, and F on the 3rd or 4th line. The G clef on the 1st line is now obsolete.Clefs

Closely related keysScales and Keys: Closely related keys have signatures that differ by no more than one accidental. They're the relative key, the keys of the dominant and the subdominant, and their relatives.Closely related keys

CodaAbbreviations: The coda is the concluding section, and the coda sign marks the jump to it.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

CommaAcoustics: A comma is a tiny interval, about a ninth of a whole step. It's the difference between the pure major third and the third you reach by stacking four perfect fifths, and the syntonic comma measures about 21.5 cents.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

Common time (C)Rhythm and Meter: The sign C stands for 4/4 time.Time Signatures

ComodoCharacter: It means comfortable, easy, unhurried.Character

Compound beatRhythm and Meter: A compound beat divides into three equal parts, because it's a dotted value. It forms compound meter.Beats

Compound intervalIntervals: A compound interval is larger than an octave, like the ninth or the tenth. Each added octave adds 7 to the number, so a third becomes a tenth, then a seventeenth; subtract 7 as often as needed to find the simple interval.Simple and Compound Intervals

Compound meter (compound time)Rhythm and Meter: In a compound meter, the beat is a dotted value that divides into three. Compound meters include 6/8, 9/8, 12/8 and 6/4.Compound Meters

Con allegrezzaCharacter: It means with cheerfulness.Character

Con animaCharacter: It means with soul.Character

Con bravuraCharacter: It means with boldness and virtuosity.Character

Con delicatezzaCharacter: It means with delicacy.Character

Con doloreCharacter: It means with sorrow.Character

Con espressioneCharacter: It means with expression.Character

Con fuocoCharacter: It means with fire.Character

Con graziaCharacter: It means with grace.Character

Con motoTempo: It means with motion.Tempo and the Metronome

Con spiritoCharacter: It means with spirit.Character

Con tenerezzaCharacter: It means with tenderness.Character

Conducting (beating time)Rhythm and Meter: Conducting means showing the order and length of the beats with your hand. The first beat goes down and the last beat goes up; in three, the hand goes down, right, up, and in four, down, left, right, up.Conducting Patterns

Conjunct motion (stepwise motion)Intervals: Conjunct motion moves between two neighboring notes, by step.How the Clefs Relate

ConsonanceIntervals: A consonance is an interval the ear hears as stable. The perfect consonances are the perfect octave and fifth, the imperfect ones are the major and minor thirds and sixths, and the perfect fourth is a mixed case.Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Contralto (alto)Voices and Instruments: The contralto is the low female voice.Voices

CornetVoices and Instruments: The cornet is a brass instrument close to the trumpet, with a rounder tone. It's common in wind bands and brass bands.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

Corresponding metersRhythm and Meter: Corresponding meters are a simple meter and a compound meter with the same number of beats. To go from one to the other, you multiply the upper number by 3 and the lower number by 2, so 3/4 becomes 9/8.Simple and Compound Meters Compared

CountertenorVoices and Instruments: A countertenor is a male voice that sings in the alto range, mainly in head voice. It's prominent in Baroque music.Voices

Crescendo (cresc.)Dynamics: Crescendo means gradually getting louder, and its sign is an opening hairpin.Dynamics

D

Da capo (D.C.)Abbreviations: Da capo means from the beginning, so you go back to the start. Inner repeats are then usually played only once.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

Dal segno (D.S.)Abbreviations: Dal segno means from the sign, so you go back to the segno.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

Decrescendo (decresc.)Dynamics: Decrescendo means gradually getting softer, and its sign is a closing hairpin.Dynamics

DelicatamenteCharacter: It means delicately.Character

DelicatoCharacter: It means delicate.Character

Descending intervalIntervals: A descending interval is measured from the upper note down.Intervals

Dessus (French)Voices and Instruments: This is the old French name for the high voices: the premier dessus was the soprano and the second dessus was the mezzo-soprano.Voices

Diatonic half step (diatonic semitone)Scales and Keys: A diatonic half step lies between two notes with different letter names, as from E to F or from C♯ to D.Diatonic and Chromatic Half Steps

Diatonic notesScales and Keys: Diatonic notes are the notes that belong to a given diatonic scale.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

Diatonic scaleScales and Keys: A diatonic scale has seven notes, plus the octave, made of whole steps and diatonic half steps.The Diatonic Scale: Whole Steps and Half Steps

Diminished (interval)Intervals: A diminished interval is one chromatic half step smaller than the corresponding minor or perfect interval.Interval Qualities

Diminished seventh chordChords: This chord is a diminished triad plus a diminished seventh, as in G♯ B D F. It sits on the 7th degree of the harmonic minor, written vii°7.Seventh Chords

Diminished triadChords: A diminished triad combines a minor third and a diminished fifth, as in B D F. You find it on degree vii° in major, and on ii° and vii° in harmonic minor.Triads

Diminuendo (dim.)Dynamics: It means getting softer.Dynamics

Disjunct motion (motion by leap)Intervals: Disjunct motion moves between two notes that aren't neighbors, by skip or leap.How the Clefs Relate

DisperatoCharacter: It means desperate.Character

DissonanceIntervals: A dissonance is an interval that sounds unstable and tends to resolve to a consonance. Seconds, sevenths, and augmented and diminished intervals are dissonances.Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

DolceCharacter: It means sweet, gentle.Character

DolcissimoCharacter: It means very sweet.Character

DolorosoCharacter: It means sorrowful.Character

DominantScales and Keys: The dominant is the 5th degree, the most important after the tonic, and it's a tonal degree.The Names of the Scale Degrees

Dominant seventh chordChords: This chord is a major triad plus a minor seventh, as in G B D F. It sits on the 5th degree in both modes, written V7.Seventh Chords

Doppio movimentoTempo: It means twice as fast.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Dot (augmentation dot)Rhythm and Meter: A dot placed after a note or rest lengthens it by half its value.The Dot and the Double Dot

Dotted value (compound value)Rhythm and Meter: A dotted value is a note value shown by a dotted note.The Dot and the Double Dot

Double appoggiaturaOrnaments: A double appoggiatura uses two small notes, one above and one below the main note.Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas

Double bar lineRhythm and Meter: A double bar line is made of two vertical lines that mark the end of a section, or a change of key or meter. It may stand in the middle of a measure without counting as a bar line. The final bar line, a thin line followed by a thick one, marks the end of the piece.Bar Lines

Double bass (contrabass)Voices and Instruments: The double bass is the lowest string instrument, and it's written an octave above its sounding pitch.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

Double dotRhythm and Meter: When two dots follow a note or rest, the first adds half its value and the second adds half of what the first added. The note then lasts seven quarters of its plain value.The Dot and the Double Dot

Double flatNotation: The double flat (𝄫) is the accidental that lowers a note by two chromatic half steps, which makes a whole step on a tempered instrument.Accidentals

Double sharpNotation: The double sharp (𝄪) is the accidental that raises a note by two chromatic half steps, which makes a whole step on a tempered instrument.Accidentals

Double whole note (breve)Rhythm and Meter: The double whole note is worth two whole notes. It's drawn as a square or as an oval between vertical strokes, and its rest is the double whole rest, or breve rest.Relative Note Values

Doubly augmentedIntervals: A doubly augmented interval is one chromatic half step larger than the augmented interval.How Intervals Are Built

Doubly diminishedIntervals: A doubly diminished interval is one chromatic half step smaller than the diminished interval.How Intervals Are Built

DownbeatRhythm and Meter: The downbeat is the first beat of the measure, shown by the conductor's downward stroke. It's the strongest beat.Conducting Patterns

DrammaticoCharacter: It means dramatic.Character

Duple divisionRhythm and Meter: This is the division of a duration into two equal parts.Triplets and Irregular Groups

DupletRhythm and Meter: A duplet divides a dotted value into two: two notes are played in the time of three, and they're marked with a 2.Triplets and Irregular Groups

DurationAcoustics: Duration is how long a sound lasts, and the note value shows it.Musical Sound

DynamicsDynamics: Dynamics are the different degrees of loudness through which a sound, a passage or a piece moves. They're shown by signs and Italian terms.Dynamics

E

Eighth note (quaver)Rhythm and Meter: The eighth note has one flag and is worth half a quarter note.Relative Note Values

Eighth rest (quaver rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth an eighth note.Rests

Eleven-line staff (great staff)Notation: This is an imaginary staff of eleven lines, and our five-line staves are fragments of it. The two piano staves represent it, minus the middle line, which is middle C.Clefs

EnergicoCharacter: It means energetic.Character

English horn (cor anglais)Voices and Instruments: The English horn is an alto oboe in F, written a perfect fifth above its sounding pitch.Transposing Instruments

Enharmonic equivalentsScales and Keys: These are two notes with different names that sound the same in equal temperament, like C♯ and D♭. Danhauser also calls them synonymous notes.Enharmonic Equivalents

Enharmonic keys (enharmonic scales)Scales and Keys: These are two scales whose corresponding degrees are enharmonic, like C♯ major and D♭ major. Their key signatures add up to 12 sharps and flats.Enharmonic keys

Enharmonic transpositionScales and Keys: This means replacing a key that has too many accidentals with its enharmonic equivalent, so E𝄫 major becomes D major.Transposition

Equal temperamentAcoustics: Equal temperament is the tuning of keyboard instruments that divides the octave into twelve equal half steps of 100 cents each. It makes enharmonic notes identical.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

Espressivo (espr.)Character: It means expressive.Character

ExpressionCharacter: Expression is what the performer adds to the written notes: phrasing, articulation, dynamics and character.Phrasing

F

F clef (bass clef)Notation: The F clef sits on the 3rd line, where it's called the baritone clef, or on the 4th line, where it's the bass clef, and the note on that line is F. The bass clef is used for low sounds, and the F below middle C, F3, sits on its 4th line.Clefs

Fermata (UK: pause)Tempo: A fermata is an arc with a dot, placed above or below a note or rest. It tells you to hold that note or rest as long as you like, suspending the beat; on a rest, it simply asks for a silence of free length, which French calls a point d'arrêt.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

FifthIntervals: A fifth spans five letter names. The perfect fifth has 7 half steps, and a fifth can also be diminished or augmented.Intervals

Figured bass (chord figures)Chords: Figured bass uses numbers to show the intervals above the bass, such as 6, 6/4, 7, 6/5, 4/3 and 4/2. Today we also use Roman numerals for the degrees (I, ii, IV, V) and chord symbols.Chords: Structure and Inversions

FineAbbreviations: Fine means end, and it shows where you stop after a da capo or a dal segno.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

First and second endings (UK: first and second time bars)Abbreviations: These are different measures played at the end of a repeat, depending on whether it's the first or the second time through. They're marked with brackets numbered 1 and 2.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

Flag (UK: tail)Notation: The flag is the small curved stroke attached to the stem of eighth notes and shorter values. Each flag halves the value of the note.Notes and Their Shapes

FlatNotation: The flat (♭) is the accidental that lowers a note by a chromatic half step.Accidentals

FluteVoices and Instruments: The flute is a woodwind instrument without a reed. It reads the treble clef and sounds as written.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

Forte (f)Dynamics: It means loud.Dynamics

Forte piano (fp)Articulation: It asks for a loud attack followed immediately by soft.Accentuation and Articulation

Fortissimo (ff)Dynamics: It means very loud.Dynamics

FourthIntervals: A fourth spans four letter names. The perfect fourth has 5 half steps and the augmented fourth has 6, and a fourth can also be diminished.Intervals

FrequencyAcoustics: Frequency is the number of vibrations per second, measured in hertz. When you double the frequency, the pitch rises by an octave.Musical Sound

Fundamental (generating tone)Acoustics: The fundamental is the basic tone of a sounding body, and its harmonics derive from it.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

FuriosoCharacter: It means furious.Character

G

G clef (treble clef)Notation: The G clef sits on the 2nd line, where it's the treble clef, and it was formerly also placed on the 1st line as the French violin clef. The note on that line is G, which is G4 for the treble clef. It's the most widely used clef.Clefs

Generation of the scaleScales and Keys: This is the French theory that explains the major scale by three major triads, on the tonic, the dominant and the subdominant, derived from the resonance of a vibrating body.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

GiocosoCharacter: It means playful, merry.Character

Grand staff (UK: great stave)Notation: The grand staff is a treble staff and a bass staff joined by a brace, used for piano, harp and organ. Middle C lies on a ledger line between them.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

GraveTempo: It means grave, slow and solemn.Tempo and the Metronome

GraziosoCharacter: It means graceful.Character

Gruppetto (turn)Ornaments: A turn is a group of three or four notes turning around the main note, and its sign is a sideways S. If the first curl points up, you start on the upper note; if it points down, you start on the lower note.Ornaments (2): Turn, Trill, Mordent

GuitarVoices and Instruments: The guitar is a plucked string instrument written in the octave treble clef, an octave above its sounding pitch.Transposing Instruments

H

HairpinDynamics: A hairpin is an angle-shaped sign, opening or closing, that shows a crescendo or a decrescendo.Dynamics

Half note (minim)Rhythm and Meter: The half note is worth half a whole note, or two quarter notes.Relative Note Values

Half rest (minim rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a half note, and it sits on top of the 3rd line.Rests

Half step (UK: semitone)Scales and Keys: The half step is the smallest distance between two degrees of the diatonic scale. In equal temperament it's one twelfth of an octave, as from E to F, from B to C, or between any two adjacent piano keys.The Diatonic Scale: Whole Steps and Half Steps

Half-diminished seventh chordChords: This chord is a diminished triad plus a minor seventh, as in B D F A, written Bø7 or Bm7♭5; Danhauser calls it the chord of the minor seventh and diminished fifth. It sits on the 7th degree of major and the 2nd degree of minor.Seventh Chords

Harmonic intervalIntervals: In a harmonic interval, the two notes are heard at the same time.Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Harmonic minor scaleScales and Keys: The harmonic minor scale has a leading tone and a minor sixth, which creates an augmented second between degrees 6 and 7. It's the form Danhauser studies.How the minor scale is generated

Harmonics (overtones, partials)Acoustics: Harmonics are the secondary sounds a sounding body produces along with its fundamental. The most audible are the octave, the twelfth and the seventeenth.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

HarmonyChords: Harmony is different pitches sounded together, and it's also the study of chords and how they connect.Chords: Structure and Inversions

HarpVoices and Instruments: The harp is a plucked string instrument written on two staves, one in treble clef and one in bass clef.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

Horn (French horn)Voices and Instruments: The horn is a brass instrument, usually in F, written a perfect fifth above its sounding pitch.Transposing Instruments

Hymn to St. John (Ut queant laxis)Notation: This Latin hymn has lines that begin on ut, re, mi, fa, sol and la, and it's the origin of the syllable names of the notes.Music Notation Around the World

I

ImperiosoCharacter: It means imperious.Character

In one (one-beat measure)Rhythm and Meter: This is a fast measure in two or three in which only the first beat is conducted.Conducting Patterns

Intensity (loudness)Acoustics: Intensity is the strength of a sound, and it depends on the amplitude of the vibrations.Musical Sound

Interpretive genius (génie d'exécution)Character: According to Baillot, quoted by Danhauser, it's the performer's gift for grasping the character of a work and conveying the composer's feeling to the listener.Character

IntervalIntervals: An interval is the distance between two pitches. You measure it by the number of letter names, or degrees, it spans, counting both the lower and the upper note.Intervals

Interval contentIntervals: This is the count of whole steps and half steps, diatonic and chromatic, within an interval. For example, a perfect fifth contains 3 whole steps and 1 diatonic half step.How Intervals Are Built

Inversion (of a chord)Chords: A chord is inverted when the bass isn't the root. With the third in the bass it's in first inversion, with the fifth in second inversion, and with the seventh in third inversion.Chords: Structure and Inversions

Inversion (of an interval)Intervals: To invert an interval, you move one of its two notes by an octave so the lower note becomes the upper one. The two numbers add up to 9; major becomes minor, augmented becomes diminished, and perfect stays perfect.Inverting Intervals

Irregular meter (asymmetric meter)Rhythm and Meter: An irregular meter has 5, 7 or 9 beats, or it's an asymmetric meter such as 5/8 or 7/8, made of unequal groups of two and three.Meters of Five Beats and More

Irregular syncopationRhythm and Meter: This is a syncopation whose two parts are not of equal length.Rhythm, Syncopation, Offbeat Notes

K

KeyScales and Keys: A key is the set of pitches of a diatonic scale, heard in any order, by step or by leap, as in the key of G major. Don't confuse it with the key of an instrument or with the key signature.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

Key signatureScales and Keys: The key signature is the set of sharps or flats placed after the clef, in a fixed order. It tells you the key, which is a major key or its relative minor, and it applies to the whole piece.Key Signatures with Sharps

L

LagrimosoCharacter: It means tearful.Character

LarghettoTempo: It's a little less slow than largo.Tempo and the Metronome

LargoTempo: It means broad and slow, and Danhauser lists it as the slowest of the usual tempos, though grave is often taken even slower.Tempo and the Metronome

Leading tone (leading note)Scales and Keys: The leading tone is the 7th degree when it lies a diatonic half step below the tonic, which it pulls toward.The Names of the Scale Degrees

Ledger line (leger line)Notation: A ledger line is a short line added above or below the staff so you can write notes that lie outside it. There's no limit to how many you can add.Placing Notes on the Staff

LegatissimoArticulation: It means as smoothly connected as possible.Accentuation and Articulation

LegatoArticulation: Legato means smoothly connected. It goes with the slur or replaces it.Accentuation and Articulation

LeggieroArticulation: It means light.Accentuation and Articulation

LentoTempo: It means slow.Tempo and the Metronome

Linking of scalesScales and Keys: Scales link from one to the next by reusing one of their tetrachords. You move by ascending fifths for the sharps, or by descending fifths for the flats.Linking Scales: The Order of Sharps

Lo stesso tempoTempo: It means the same tempo.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Lower number (of a time signature)Rhythm and Meter: The lower number shows the note value used as the unit, as a fraction of the whole note. A 2 stands for the half note, a 4 for the quarter note and an 8 for the eighth note.Time Signatures

M

MaTempo: It means but, as in allegro ma non troppo.Tempo and the Metronome

MaestosoCharacter: It means majestic.Character

Main note (principal note)Ornaments: The main note is the real note of the piece to which an ornament is attached.Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas

Major (interval)Intervals: Major is the quality of the larger form of the second, third, sixth and seventh in the diatonic scale.Interval Qualities

Major scaleScales and Keys: The major scale is a diatonic scale of 5 whole steps and 2 half steps. Its half steps fall between degrees 3 and 4 and between degrees 7 and 8.The Diatonic Scale: Whole Steps and Half Steps

Major seventh chordChords: This chord is a major triad plus a major seventh, as in C E G B, written Cmaj7.Seventh Chords

Major triadChords: A major triad stacks a major third and a perfect fifth above a root, as in C E G. You find it on degrees I, IV and V in major, and on V and VI in harmonic minor.Triads

MalinconicoCharacter: It means melancholy.Character

MarcatoArticulation: Marcato means marked. Its sign, a chevron (^) above the note, sometimes called a housetop accent, calls for a stronger accent than on the neighboring notes.Accentuation and Articulation

Measure (bar)Rhythm and Meter: A measure is one of the equal units of time into which a piece is divided, marked off by bar lines.Bar Lines

MediantScales and Keys: The mediant is the 3rd degree, halfway between the tonic and the dominant, and it determines the mode.The Names of the Scale Degrees

Melodic figure (motive)Character: A melodic figure is a small melodic idea, the basic cell of a phrase member.Phrasing

Melodic intervalIntervals: In a melodic interval, the two notes are heard one after the other.Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Melodic minor scaleScales and Keys: The melodic minor scale raises its sixth and seventh degrees going up. Going down, it's traditionally left unaltered, as in natural minor.How the minor scale is generated

Melodic motionIntervals: Melodic motion is any succession of different notes, whether conjunct or disjunct.How the Clefs Relate

MelodyChords: A melody is different pitches sounded one after another.Consonant and Dissonant Intervals

Meno mossoTempo: It means with less motion, so slower.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Messa di voceDynamics: Messa di voce means starting a note very softly, swelling it to the middle of its length, then softening it in the same proportion. In French, this is called filer un son.Dynamics

MestoCharacter: It means sad.Character

Meter (UK: metre)Rhythm and Meter: Meter is the regular grouping of beats into measures, with their pattern of strong and weak beats. It can be duple, triple or quadruple, and simple or compound.Bar Lines

MetronomeTempo: The metronome is a pendulum device, perfected by Maelzel, that clicks an adjustable number of beats per minute. The marking ♩ = 60 means 60 quarter notes per minute.Tempo and the Metronome

Mezza voceDynamics: It means at half voice.Dynamics

Mezzo forte (mf)Dynamics: It means moderately loud.Dynamics

Mezzo piano (mp)Dynamics: It means moderately soft.Dynamics

Mezzo-sopranoVoices and Instruments: The mezzo-soprano is the middle female voice, also called second soprano.Voices

Middle CNotation: Middle C is the C nearest the center of the piano keyboard, C4, at about 261.6 hertz. It lies on the ledger line between the treble and bass staves.Clefs

MIDI note numberAcoustics: Electronic instruments give each half step a number. Middle C is 60, and the A at 440 hertz is 69.Music Notation Around the World

Minor (interval)Intervals: A minor interval is one chromatic half step smaller than the corresponding major interval.Interval Qualities

Minor scaleScales and Keys: In a minor scale, the mediant and submediant form a minor third and a minor sixth above the tonic. It comes in three forms: natural, harmonic and melodic.How the minor scale is generated

Minor triadChords: A minor triad stacks a minor third and a perfect fifth above a root, as in A C E. You find it on degrees ii, iii and vi in major, and on i and iv in harmonic minor.Triads

Modal degreesScales and Keys: The modal degrees are the 3rd and 6th, which distinguish major from minor.The modes: major and minor

ModeScales and Keys: The mode is the character of a diatonic scale, set by where its whole and half steps fall. There's the major mode, the minor mode, and the old modes.The modes: major and minor

ModeratoTempo: It means moderate.Tempo and the Metronome

ModulationScales and Keys: A modulation is a change of key, and also the passage that brings it about. It's usually signaled by the new leading tone or the new subdominant.Modulation

MoltoTempo: It means very, or much.Tempo and the Metronome

Molto piùTempo: It means much more.Tempo and the Metronome

MordentOrnaments: A mordent is a very quick alternation of the main note with the note above or below it. The upper mordent's sign has no stroke, and the lower mordent's sign has a vertical stroke through it.Ornaments (2): Turn, Trill, Mordent

Morendo (mor.)Dynamics: It means dying away.Dynamics

MossoTempo: It means animated.Tempo and the Metronome

Multimeasure rest (multirest)Rhythm and Meter: This is a rest that lasts several measures. Danhauser uses a block for two measures, the breve rest, and a longer one for four; beyond that, you'll see a thick horizontal bar with the number of measures written above it.Notation Particulars

N

NaturalNotation: The natural (♮) is the accidental that cancels a sharp or flat and brings the note back to its natural pitch.Accidentals

Natural minor scaleScales and Keys: The natural minor scale is a minor scale without a leading tone. It's the Aeolian mode, also called pure minor or descending melodic minor.How the minor scale is generated

Neighbor tone (UK: auxiliary note)Ornaments: A neighbor tone is a nonchord tone that leaves a note by step, above or below, and then returns to it.Ornaments (2): Turn, Trill, Mordent

NinthIntervals: A ninth is a compound interval spanning nine letter names, which makes a second plus an octave.Simple and Compound Intervals

NobileCharacter: It means noble.Character

NoiseAcoustics: A noise is a sound whose pitch can't be precisely identified.Musical Sound

Non moltoTempo: It means not very.Tempo and the Metronome

Non tantoTempo: It means not so much.Tempo and the Metronome

Non troppoTempo: It means not too much; allegro ma non troppo, for example, means fast, but not too fast.Tempo and the Metronome

NoteNotation: A note is a sign that shows both a pitch, by its position on the staff, and a duration, by its shape.Notes and Their Shapes

Note namesNotation: The seven letter names C, D, E, F, G, A and B repeat in every octave. In fixed-do countries such as France, the notes are called do (or ut), re, mi, fa, sol, la and si (ti).The Names of the Notes

Note valueNotation: The note value is the shape of a note, and it shows how long the note lasts. The values are the whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth, 32nd and 64th note.Notes and Their Shapes

O

OboeVoices and Instruments: The oboe is a double-reed woodwind. It reads the treble clef and sounds as written.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

OctaveIntervals: An octave spans eight letter names, between two notes of the same name. The perfect octave contains 5 whole steps and 2 diatonic half steps.Intervals

Octave numbering (scientific pitch notation)Notation: Each octave is numbered starting from C, so middle C is C4 and the tuning A is A4, at 440 hertz. French practice calls these notes do3 and la3.Music Notation Around the World

Octave treble clef (tenor G clef)Notation: This is a treble clef with a small 8 below it, which tells you the music sounds an octave lower than written. It's used for the tenor voice and the guitar.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

Offbeat (contretemps)Rhythm and Meter: An offbeat is a note attacked on a weak beat, or on the weak part of a beat, and not held, so the strong beat is taken by a rest.Rhythm, Syncopation, Offbeat Notes

Order of flatsScales and Keys: Flats appear in the order B, E, A, D, G, C, F. It's the exact reverse of the order of sharps, and each flat is a perfect fifth below the previous one.Linking Scales: The Order of Flats

Order of sharpsScales and Keys: Sharps always appear in the order F, C, G, D, A, E, B, and each sharp is a perfect fifth above the previous one.Linking Scales: The Order of Sharps

OrganVoices and Instruments: The organ is a keyboard instrument with pipes, written on two staves, plus a third for the pedals.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

Origin of the note namesNotation: The note names are syllables taken from the hymn to Saint John the Baptist, Ut queant laxis, and the system is attributed to Guido of Arezzo in the 11th century. Si was added later, and do replaced ut.Music Notation Around the World

Ornament (embellishment)Ornaments: An ornament is a group of decorative notes, written in small notes called grace notes or shown by signs. These notes don't count in the measure and borrow their time from a main note.Ornaments (1): Appoggiaturas

Ottava (8va)Abbreviations: It tells you to play what's under the line an octave higher (8va) or lower (8vb). The word loco cancels it.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

P

Parallel keys (UK: tonic major and minor)Scales and Keys: Parallel keys are a major and a minor key on the same tonic, like C major and C minor. Their key signatures differ by three accidentals.Relative keys

PateticoCharacter: It means full of pathos, moving.Character

Pentatonic scaleScales and Keys: A pentatonic scale has five notes. In its most common form, with no half steps, C D E G A is the major form, and A C D E G is the minor form.Other Scales and the Modes

Perdendosi (perd.)Dynamics: It means letting the sound fade away.Dynamics

Perfect (interval)Intervals: Perfect is the quality of the fourth, fifth and octave as they occur between the notes of the major scale. The exceptions are the augmented fourth from F to B and the diminished fifth from B to F.Interval Qualities

PeriodCharacter: A period is a large musical sentence, made of a group of phrases.Phrasing

PesanteArticulation: It means heavy, weighty.Accentuation and Articulation

PhraseCharacter: A phrase is several phrase members forming a complete musical thought, like a sentence in speech.Phrasing

Phrase member (subphrase)Character: A phrase member is a part of a musical phrase, made of one or more melodic figures.Phrasing

PhrasingCharacter: Phrasing means carefully observing musical punctuation, so that the beginning, growth and end of each phrase are clear.Phrasing

Pianissimo (pp)Dynamics: It means very soft.Dynamics

PianoVoices and Instruments: The piano is a keyboard instrument written on a grand staff joined by a brace, with the treble clef for the right hand and the bass clef for the left.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

Piano (p)Dynamics: It means soft.Dynamics

PiccoloVoices and Instruments: The piccolo is the small flute, and it sounds an octave above the written note.Transposing Instruments

Pickup (anacrusis)Rhythm and Meter: A pickup is a note or group of notes that comes before the first downbeat of a piece. The incomplete opening measure isn't filled out with rests, and the final measure often makes up the missing beats.Notation Particulars

PitchAcoustics: Pitch is the quality of a sound set by its number of vibrations per second, its frequency, measured in hertz. The more vibrations there are, the higher the sound.Musical Sound

Pitch range (gamut)Notation: This is the whole set of pitches the ear can tell apart, from lowest to highest. It's divided into three registers: low, middle and high.Clefs

PiùTempo: It means more.Tempo and the Metronome

Più mossoTempo: It means with more motion, so faster.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

PocoTempo: It means a little.Tempo and the Metronome

Poco a pocoTempo: It means little by little.Tempo and the Metronome

Poco forte (poco f)Dynamics: It means rather loud.Dynamics

Poco piano (poco p)Dynamics: It means rather soft.Dynamics

PomposoCharacter: It means pompous, stately.Character

Portato (mezzo-staccato, louré)Articulation: Portato is shown by dots under a slur. The notes are slightly separated and gently weighted, and on strings they're played in one bow stroke.Accentuation and Articulation

PrestissimoTempo: It means extremely fast.Tempo and the Metronome

PrestoTempo: It means very fast.Tempo and the Metronome

Principal signsNotation: Danhauser names four basic signs of notation: notes, clefs, rests and accidentals.The Staff

Q

Quadruplet (quartolet)Rhythm and Meter: A quadruplet joins two duplets together: four notes are played in the time of six of the same kind.Triplets and Irregular Groups

Quarter note (crotchet)Rhythm and Meter: The quarter note is worth half a half note, which is a quarter of a whole note.Relative Note Values

Quarter rest (crotchet rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a quarter note.Rests

QuasiTempo: It means almost.Tempo and the Metronome

Quintuple meterRhythm and Meter: A quintuple meter has five beats, usually a group of three plus a group of two, or the reverse. You'll find it written as 5/4 or 5/8.Meters of Five Beats and More

R

Rallentando (rall.)Tempo: It means gradually slowing down.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Range (compass)Voices and Instruments: The range covers all the pitches a voice or instrument can produce, from lowest to highest.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

RegisterNotation: A register is one part of the pitch range: low, middle or high. The word also means a zone within the range of a voice or instrument.Clefs

Relative keysScales and Keys: Relative keys are a major and a minor key that share the same key signature, like A minor and C major. The relative minor lies a minor third below its relative major.Relative keys

ReligiosoCharacter: It means devout, religious.Character

Repeat signAbbreviations: A passage to be played twice is enclosed between double bar lines with two dots. At the start of the piece, the first sign is left out.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

ResonanceAcoustics: Resonance is the way harmonics prolong and enrich a sound. It's the basis of the French theory of the generation of the scale.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

RestRhythm and Meter: A rest is a sign for a silence that lasts a given duration. There are whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, 32nd and 64th rests.Rests

RhythmRhythm and Meter: Rhythm is the more or less regular and characteristic order in which durations follow one another.Rhythm, Syncopation, Offbeat Notes

Rinforzando (rinf., rfz)Articulation: It means reinforcing the sound.Accentuation and Articulation

RisolutoCharacter: It means resolute.Character

Ritardando (ritard.)Tempo: It means gradually holding back.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Ritenuto (rit.)Tempo: It means held back, and the slowing is often more immediate.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

RootChords: The root is the lowest note of a chord arranged in thirds, and it gives the chord its name.Chords: Structure and Inversions

Root positionChords: A chord is in root position when its root is in the bass.Chords: Structure and Inversions

RubatoTempo: It means without strict time: time is taken and then given back.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

RusticoCharacter: It means rustic, pastoral.Character

S

SaxhornVoices and Instruments: The saxhorns are a family of valved brass instruments created by Adolphe Sax. The bass saxhorn is close to the euphonium.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

SaxophoneVoices and Instruments: The saxophone is a single-reed instrument with a metal body, invented by Adolphe Sax. It's a transposing instrument: the alto is in E♭ and the tenor in B♭.Transposing Instruments

ScaleScales and Keys: A scale is a series of pitches arranged by step according to the laws of tonality.The Diatonic Scale: Whole Steps and Half Steps

Scale degreeScales and Keys: A scale degree is each note of a scale, named by its number and by a function name such as tonic or supertonic.The Names of the Scale Degrees

ScherzandoCharacter: It means playfully, jokingly.Character

ScherzoCharacter: It means a joke, and it's also the name of a fast, light piece or movement.Character

ScoreNotation: A score gathers all the parts of a work for several voices or instruments, written one below the other and aligned measure by measure.Clefs for Voices and Instruments

SecondIntervals: A second spans two letter names. A minor second is one half step and a major second is one whole step, and a second can also be augmented.Intervals

Secondary signsRhythm and Meter: These are the signs that complete the note values: the dot, the double dot, the triplet and the tie.The Dot and the Double Dot

Segno (sign)Abbreviations: The segno is a sign that sends the player back to where it first appeared, once the music reaches its second occurrence or a dal segno marking.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

SempliceCharacter: It means simple.Character

Senza tempoTempo: It means without strict meter.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

SeventhIntervals: A seventh spans seven letter names, and it can be minor, major or diminished.Intervals

Sextuplet (sextolet)Rhythm and Meter: A sextuplet is a double triplet: six notes under a 6, played in the time of four of the same kind.Triplets and Irregular Groups

Sforzando (sf, sfz)Articulation: It means suddenly giving more force to a note or chord.Accentuation and Articulation

SharpNotation: The sharp (♯) is the accidental that raises a note by a chromatic half step.Accidentals

SimileAbbreviations: It means in the same way, so you keep playing in the same manner.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

Simple beatRhythm and Meter: A simple beat divides into two equal parts, and it forms simple meter.Beats

Simple intervalIntervals: A simple interval is no larger than an octave, so it ranges from the second to the octave.Simple and Compound Intervals

Simple meter (simple time)Rhythm and Meter: In a simple meter, the beat is an undotted value that divides into two. Simple meters include 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 2/2 and 3/8.Simple Meters

Simple valueRhythm and Meter: A simple value is a note value that is neither dotted nor part of a tuplet.The Dot and the Double Dot

Sixteenth note (semiquaver)Rhythm and Meter: The sixteenth note has two flags and is worth half an eighth note.Relative Note Values

Sixteenth rest (semiquaver rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a sixteenth note.Rests

SixthIntervals: A sixth spans six letter names, and it can be minor, major, augmented or diminished.Intervals

SlurArticulation: A slur is a curved line over different notes, and it asks you to play them smoothly connected, in one bow stroke or in one breath. Over two unequal notes, you lean on the first and let the second fade.Accentuation and Articulation

Smorzando (smorz.)Dynamics: It means letting the sound die out.Dynamics

Solfège (solfeggio)Notation: Solfège is the study of the elements of music. It has a practical side, reading and singing while naming the notes, and a theoretical side, which is music theory.Musical Sound

SopranoVoices and Instruments: The soprano is the high voice of a woman or child; in old French terms, it was the premier dessus.Voices

Sostenuto (sost.)Articulation: It means sustained.Accentuation and Articulation

Sotto voceDynamics: It means in an undertone, under the breath.Dynamics

SoundAcoustics: Sound is the sensation that the vibrations of a sounding body produce in the ear. A musical sound has a definite pitch, and a noise doesn't.Musical Sound

SpaceNotation: A space is the gap between two lines of the staff. There are four of them, counted from bottom to top.The Staff

Staccatissimo (wedge)Articulation: Staccatissimo is shown by a small vertical wedge above or below the note. The note is very short, crisply detached and sharply attacked.Accentuation and Articulation

Staccato (stacc.)Articulation: Staccato means detached, and it's shown by a dot above or below the note.Accentuation and Articulation

Staff (UK: stave)Notation: The staff is a set of five horizontal, parallel and equally spaced lines on which music is written. Its lines are counted from bottom to top.The Staff

StemNotation: The stem is the vertical line attached to the notehead of the half note, the quarter note, the eighth note and shorter values. The whole note has no stem.Notes and Their Shapes

StrettoTempo: It means pressing forward, hurrying.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

Strong beatRhythm and Meter: A strong beat is an accented beat. The 1st beat of every measure is strong, and so is the 3rd beat in quadruple meter.Beats

SubdominantScales and Keys: The subdominant is the 4th degree of the scale, and it's a tonal degree.The Names of the Scale Degrees

SubitoDynamics: It means suddenly; piano subito, for example, asks you to drop suddenly to soft.Dynamics

SubmediantScales and Keys: The submediant is the 6th degree of the scale, and it's a modal degree.The Names of the Scale Degrees

SubtonicScales and Keys: The subtonic is the 7th degree when it lies a whole step below the tonic, as in natural minor or the Mixolydian mode. It no longer acts as a leading tone.How the minor scale is generated

SupertonicScales and Keys: The supertonic is the 2nd degree of the scale.The Names of the Scale Degrees

SyncopationRhythm and Meter: A syncopation is a note attacked on a weak beat, or on the weak part of a beat, and held through the following strong beat or strong part.Rhythm, Syncopation, Offbeat Notes

T

Tablature (tab)Notation: Tablature is a notation for fretted string instruments that shows which string and fret to play rather than the pitch.Music Notation Around the World

TempoTempo: Tempo is the speed of a piece, from slow to fast. It fixes how long the note values actually last.Tempo and the Metronome

Tempo giustoTempo: It means in strict, exact time.Tempo and the Metronome

Tempo I (tempo primo)Tempo: It tells you to return to the first tempo.Changing and Suspending the Tempo

TeneramenteCharacter: It means tenderly.Character

TenorVoices and Instruments: The tenor is the high male voice, divided into first and second tenor. Today it's written in the octave treble clef.Voices

Tenor clefNotation: This is the C clef on the 4th line, so middle C is the 4th line. It's used for the high register of the cello, bassoon and trombone.Clefs

Tenuto (ten.)Articulation: It means held for its full value.Accentuation and Articulation

TessituraVoices and Instruments: The tessitura is the range of pitches a voice or instrument produces comfortably. According to Danhauser, that's about twelve or thirteen notes for a voice.Voices

TetrachordScales and Keys: A tetrachord is a series of four notes by step. The major scale contains two identical ones, each made of a whole step, a whole step and a half step, separated by a whole step.The Tetrachord

ThirdIntervals: A third spans three letter names. A minor third has 3 half steps and a major third has 4.Intervals

TieRhythm and Meter: A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch. The second value is added to the first, and the note isn't struck again.The Tie

Timbre (tone color)Acoustics: Timbre is the particular quality that lets you tell two instruments apart when they play the same note at the same loudness.Musical Sound

Time signatureRhythm and Meter: The time signature is a pair of numbers, written like a fraction, placed after the key signature. The upper number tells you how many values there are per measure, and the lower number tells you which kind of value, as a fraction of the whole note.Time Signatures

Timpani (kettledrums)Voices and Instruments: Timpani are percussion instruments tuned to definite pitches, and they're written in the bass clef.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

Tonal degreesScales and Keys: The tonal degrees are the 1st, 4th and 5th. They're the three generating notes of the scale, and they're the same in both modes.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

TonalityScales and Keys: Tonality is the system of laws that governs how scales and keys are built. In a narrower sense, it's a synonym of key.Tonality and the Origin of the Major Scale

TonicScales and Keys: The tonic is the 1st degree, the main note that gives its name to the scale and the key.The Names of the Scale Degrees

TranquilloCharacter: It means calm.Character

Transposing instrumentVoices and Instruments: A transposing instrument sounds a different pitch from the written note. Examples include the B♭ clarinet, the horn in F and the E♭ alto saxophone.Transposing Instruments

TranspositionScales and Keys: Transposing means playing or writing a piece in a different key from the original, either by moving the notes or by reading in another clef.Transposition

TremoloAbbreviations: A tremolo is the rapid repetition of one note, or the alternation of two, written in shorthand with slashes on the stem.Abbreviations and Repeat Signs

TriadChords: A triad is a three-note chord made of a root, a third and a fifth. It can be major, minor, diminished or augmented.Triads

TrillOrnaments: A trill is a rapid alternation of the written note and the note above it, marked with the letters tr. It has a preparation, the alternations themselves and an ending.Ornaments (2): Turn, Trill, Mordent

Triple divisionRhythm and Meter: This is the division of a duration into three equal parts.Triplets and Irregular Groups

TripletRhythm and Meter: A triplet divides a note value into three: three notes are played in the time of two of the same kind, and they're marked with a 3.Triplets and Irregular Groups

TristamenteCharacter: It means sadly.Character

TritoneIntervals: The tritone is the augmented fourth, three whole steps, as from F to B. It inverts to the diminished fifth.How Intervals Are Built

TromboneVoices and Instruments: The trombone is a brass instrument with a slide. Tenor and bass trombones use the bass and tenor clefs, and the alto trombone uses the alto clef.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

TrumpetVoices and Instruments: The trumpet is a high brass instrument, either in C, where it sounds as written, or in B♭, where it's written a major second higher.Transposing Instruments

TubaVoices and Instruments: The tuba is the lowest brass instrument of the orchestra, and it reads the bass clef.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

Tuning fork (concert pitch)Acoustics: A tuning fork is a device that gives a fixed reference pitch, A4, which the French call la3; the French word for it is diapason. The French standard pitch of 1859 was 435 hertz, today's standard is 440 hertz, and orchestras often tune to 442 hertz.Musical Sound

Tuplet (irregular division)Rhythm and Meter: A tuplet is a group of 5, 7, 9 or more notes dividing a value. It's written with the nearest note value and marked with a number, as in the quintuplet or the septuplet.Triplets and Irregular Groups

U

Un poco piùTempo: It means a little more.Tempo and the Metronome

UnisonIntervals: Unison is the same pitch sounded by several voices or instruments. Danhauser doesn't count it as an interval, but it inverts to an octave.Intervals

Unit of valueRhythm and Meter: The unit of value is the whole note, and all the other note values are fractions of it: halves, quarters, eighths and smaller.Relative Note Values

UpbeatRhythm and Meter: The upbeat is the last beat of the measure, shown by the conductor's upward stroke. By extension, the word also means the note or notes that lead into a downbeat (see Pickup).Conducting Patterns

Upper number (of a time signature)Rhythm and Meter: The upper number tells you how many values there are per measure: 2, 3 or 4 in simple meter, and 6, 9 or 12 in compound meter.Time Signatures

Ut (French)Notation: Ut is the original name of do, our C. French still uses it for the C clef, the clé d'ut, and in key names, so ut majeur means C major.The Names of the Notes

V

ViolaVoices and Instruments: The viola is a string instrument tuned a fifth below the violin, to C, G, D and A. It reads the alto clef.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

ViolinVoices and Instruments: The violin is the highest bowed string instrument. It reads the treble clef, and its strings are G, D, A and E.Orchestral Instrument Ranges

VivaceTempo: It means lively.Tempo and the Metronome

VivacissimoTempo: It means very lively.Tempo and the Metronome

VivoTempo: It also means lively.Tempo and the Metronome

VoiceVoices and Instruments: Voices come in two kinds: men's voices, and women's or children's voices, which sound an octave higher. Each kind is divided into high and low voices.Voices

W

Weak beatRhythm and Meter: A weak beat is an unaccented beat: the 2nd beat in duple meter, the 2nd and 3rd in triple meter, and the 2nd and 4th in quadruple meter.Beats

Whole note (semibreve)Rhythm and Meter: The whole note is the longest note value in common use, and it's the unit of value. It's worth two half notes or four quarter notes.Relative Note Values

Whole rest (semibreve rest)Rhythm and Meter: This rest is worth a whole note, and it hangs below the 4th line. It also marks a whole measure of silence in almost any meter, though 4/2 traditionally uses the breve rest.Rests

Whole step (whole tone; UK: tone)Scales and Keys: The whole step is the larger of the two distances between neighboring degrees of the diatonic scale, and it equals two half steps. It divides into one diatonic and one chromatic half step.The Diatonic Scale: Whole Steps and Half Steps