Terminology Adoptions 1907-1910
1. Tone: Specific name for a musical sound of definite pitch. Use neither sound, a general term, nor note, a term of notation. 2. Interval: The pitch relation between two tones. Not properly applicable to a single tone or... Some Principles Of Correct Notation
1. The note (from nota--Latin--a mark or sign) consists of either one, two, or three parts, (<img src=/images/notes.jpg>) these being referred to respectively as head, stem, and hook. The hook is often called tail or cross-stroke. The stem appea... Abbreviations Signs Etc
49. A dot after a note shows that the value of the note is to be half again as great as it would be without the dot, i.e., the value is to be three-halves that of the original note. <img src=/images/dot.jpg> 50. When two dots follow the note ... Acoustics
NOTE:--It is usually taken for granted that the student of music is familiar with the significance of such terms as over-tone, equal temperament, etc., and with principles such as that relating to the relation between vibration... Auxiliary Words And Endings
96. Being a list of articles, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, and endings, often utilized in compounding terms relating to musical effects. A--preposition--variously translated to, at, for, by, in, with, towards. A cappella--in church st... Chords Cadences Etc
196. A chord is a combination of several tones sounding together and bearing an harmonic relation to each other. The simplest chord is the triad, which consists of a fundamental tone called the root, with the third and fifth above it. C--E--G is a... Dynamics
120. The word dynamics (cf. dynamic--the opposite of static) as used in the nomenclature of music has to do with the various degrees of power (i.e., the comparative loudness and softness) of tones. As in the case of words referring to tempo, the... Embellishments
64. Embellishments (or graces) (Fr. agrements) are ornamental tones, either represented in full in the score or indicated by certain signs. The following are the embellishments most commonly found: Trill (or shake), mordent, inverted mordent (or p... Measure
97. From the standpoint of the eye, a measure is that portion of the staff found between two bars, (in certain cases this space may be less than a measure, as e.g., at the beginning and end of a movement); but from the standpoint of the ear a sing... Miscellaneous Terms
A battuta--with the beat; in strict rhythm. [Transcriber's Note: Corrected error battua in original.] A quatre mains--for four hands. Accompagnamento--the accompaniment. All'unisono--in unison. Alla breve--2/2 measure. The term a... Miscellaneous Terms (_continued_)
Lyric--a short, song-like poem of simple character. Also applied to instrumental pieces of like character. Maggiore--major. Marcato il canto--the melody well marked; i.e., subdue the accompaniment so that the melody may stand out strongly. ... Musical Instruments
1. Broadly speaking, musical instruments may be divided into two classes, viz.: (1) those that have a keyboard and are therefore capable of sounding several tones simultaneously; (2) those that (as a rule) sound only one tone at a time, as the vio... Rhythm Melody Harmony And Intervals
178. The four elements commonly attributed to music (in the order of their development) are: Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, and Timbre (or tone-color). 179. Rhythm is the regular recurrence of accent. In music it is more specifically the regular recu... Scales
76. A scale (from scala, a Latin word meaning ladder; Ger. Ton-leiter) is an ascending or descending series of tones, progressing according to some definite system, and all bearing (in the case of tonality scales at least) a very intimate relation... Scales (_continued_)
84. The minor diatonic scale is used in several slightly different forms, but the characteristic interval between the first and third tones (which differentiates it from the major scale) remains the same in every case. This interval between the fi...

Terms Relating To Vocal Music Dynamics Tempo (_continued_) Embellishments Scales (_continued_) Terms Relating To Forms And Styles Symbols Of Music Defined Musical Instruments

Terms Relating To Forms And Styles (_continued_) Acoustics Terminology Reform Miscellaneous Terms (_continued_) Auxiliary Words And Endings Tempo Abbreviations Signs Etc Miscellaneous Terms