Terminology Reform
A recent writer[43] on vocal terminology makes the following statement
as an introduction to certain remarks advocating a more definite use of
terms relating to tone production by the human voice:--The correct use
of words is the most potent factor in the development of the thinker.
If this statement has any basis of fact whatsoever to support it then it
must be evident to the merest novice in musical work that the popular
clear and logical thought in a field that needs accurate thinkers very
badly! However this may be, it must be patent to all that our present
terminology is in many respects neither correct nor logical, and the
movement inaugurated by the Music Section of the National Education
Association some years ago to secure greater uniformity in the use and
definition of certain expressions should therefore not only command the
respect and commendation, but the active support of all progressive
teachers of music.
[Footnote 43: Floyd S. Muckey--Vocal Terminology, The Musician, May,
1912, p. 337.]
Let it be noted at the outset that such reforms as are advocated by the
committee will never come into general use while the rank and file of
teachers throughout the country merely approve the reports so
carefully compiled and submitted each year: these reforms will become
effective only as individual teachers make up their minds that the end
to be attained is worth the trouble of being careful to use only
correct terminology every day for a month, or three months, or a
year--whatever length of time may be necessary in order to get the new
habits fixed in mind and muscle.
The Terminology Committee was appointed by the Department of Music of
the N.E.A. in 1906 and made its first report at Los Angeles in 1907.
Since then the indefatigable chairman of the committee (Mr. Chas. I.
Rice, of Worcester, Mass.) has contributed generously of both time and
strength, and has by his annual reports to the Department set many of us
to thinking along certain new lines, and has caused some of us at any
rate to adopt in our own teaching certain changes of terminology which
have enabled us to make our work more effective.
In his first report Mr. Rice says:
Any one who has observed the teaching of school music in any
considerable number of places in this country cannot fail to have
remarked the great diversity of statement employed by different teachers
regarding the facts which we are engaged in teaching, and the equal
diversity of terminology used in teaching the symbols by which musicians
seek to record these facts. To the teacher of exact sciences our
picturesque use of the same term to describe two or more entirely
different things never ceases to be a marvel.... Thoughtful men and
women will become impressed with the untruthfulness of certain
statements and little by little change their practice. Others will
follow, influenced by example. The revolutionists will deride us for not
moving faster while the conservatives will be suspicious of any change.
At this meeting in Los Angeles a list of thirteen points was recommended
by the committee and adopted by the Music Department. These points are
given in the N.E.A. Volume of Proceedings for 1907, p. 875.
Since 1907 the committee (consisting of Chas. I. Rice, P.C. Hayden, W.B.
Kinnear, Leo R. Lewis, and Constance Barlow-Smith) have each year
selected a number of topics for discussion, and have submitted valuable
reports recommending the adoption of certain reforms. Some of the points
recommended have usually been rejected by the Department, but many of
them have been adopted and the reports of the committee have set many
teachers thinking and have made us all more careful in the use and
definition of common terms. A complete list of all points adopted by the
Department since 1907 has been made by Mr. Rice for School Music, and
this list is here reprinted from the January, 1913, number of that
magazine.
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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... Symbols Of Music Defined
12. A staff is a collection of parallel lines, together with the spaces belonging to them. The modern staff has five lines and six spaces, these being ordinarily referred to as first line, second line, third line, fourth line, and fifth line (be... Symbols Of Music Defined Part Two
21. The natural[8] (sometimes called cancel) annuls the effect of previous sharps, flats, double-sharps, and double-flats, within the measure in which it occurs. After a double-sharp or double-flat the combination of a natural with a sharp, or a n... Tempo
104. The word time in musical nomenclature has been greatly abused, having been used to indicate: (1) Rhythm; as the time was wrong. (2) Variety of measure-signature; as two-four time. (3) Rate of speed; as the time was too s... Tempo (_continued_)
110. Innumerable combinations of the words defined in Sec. 109 with one another and with other words occur. Some of these combinations with their approximate meanings follow. The meaning of any such expression not found in the list may usually be ... Terminology Reform
A recent writer[43] on vocal terminology makes the following statement as an introduction to certain remarks advocating a more definite use of terms relating to tone production by the human voice:--The correct use of words is the most potent facto... Terms Relating To Forms And Styles
132. A form in music is a specific arrangement of the various parts of a composition resulting in a structure so characteristic that it is easily recognized by the ear. Thus e.g., although every fugue is different from all other fugues in actual m... Terms Relating To Forms And Styles (_continued_)
(Sections 144 to 160 relate particularly to terms used in descriptions of monophonic music[33].) [Footnote 33: There is a very pronounced disagreement among theorists as to what terms are to be used in referring to certain forms and pa... Terms Relating To Vocal Music
161. An anthem is a sacred choral composition, usually based on Biblical or liturgical[34] words. It may or may not have an instrumental accompaniment, and is usually written in four parts, but may have five, six, eight, or more. [Footnote 34: ... The History Of Music Notation
Many conflicting statements have been made regarding the history and development of music writing, and the student who is seeking light on this subject is often at a loss to determine what actually did happen in the rise of our modern system of wr...