Choir Terms List
Choir Terms List
Choir Terms List
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A
A Cappella Accelerando Accent Adagio Agitato Air Allargando Allegro Andante Aria Arranger Art songs Balance Ballad Bar line Baritone Bass Basso buffo Basso profundo Blend Bridge Cadence Cadenza Canon Cantata Carol Chanson Chant Chanty Choir Chord Coda Codetta Coloratura Common time Composer Conducting patterns Consonance Contertenor Contralto Crescendo Cut time Da Capo Dal Segno Debut Decrescendo Diaphragm Diction Diminuendo Dissonance Divisi Dolce Dominant Dynamics Elegy -
B
singing without instrumental accompaniment
gradually faster
stress or emphasis on certain notes
slowly
agitated
a melody or song
gradually slower
fast
walking tempo
a solo in an opera
person who adapts a musical work
classical songs
relationship of one section of the choir to the rest
a song that tells a story
divides music into measures
the middle range male voice
the lowest male voice
the comic role sung by the bass
sings the lowest bass notes
relationship of a voice to those around it
transitional, moving from one section to another
at the end of each phrase, the point of arrival or rest
an elaborate passage at the end of a vocal solo
a single melody begun by one part and followed in imitation by one or more voices
vocal composition that contains many movements (sections)
a traditional song for Easter or Christmas
French word for song
a spoken recitation on a pitch
a sea song
group of voices singing as one
3 or more pitches sounded at the same time
an added ending to a piece
a short ending
soprano with a light, sparkling voice
same as 4/4 (C)
person who wrote the music
hand motions used to indicate meter, tempo, and interpretation
describes qualities of agreement and stability
highest tenor, male voice
lowest female voice, sometimes referred to as an alto
to get louder
(Alla Breve) 2 beats per measure
repeat from the beginning (D.C.)
repeat from the sign (D.S.)
the first public appearance of a composition
to get softer
layer of muscle under the lungs that creates proper breath support
clear pronounciation of the text
to gradually soften
describes qualities of disagreement and restlessness
divided vocal parts
sweetly
the 5th degree of the scale and the chord built on that note (V) (Sol)
the degree of volume
a sad, mournful piece
A
Espressivo
Etude Falsetto Fermata Fine Flat Form Forte Forte piano Fortissimo Glottal stop -
B
with expression
a musical study
a false tone above the normal voice range
to hold the note longer than its normal value
the end
lowers a note a 1/2 step
the orderly arrangement of music
loud - f
loud and suddenly soft - fp
very loud - ff
holding your breath while singing/release of air that causes an attack against the larynx
Harmony Heterophonic Homphonic Hymn Improvisation In tempo Interval Intonation Introduction Keynote Largo Legato Leger lines Libretto Lieder Liturgy Lullaby Lyric soprano Madrigal Maestoso Marcato Measure Melody Meno Meno mosso Messa di voce Mezzo - soprano Mezzo forte Mezzo piano Moderato Molto Monophonic Morendo Mosso Motif Multimeter Natural Neumes Nodules Octave Opera Operetta Oratorio -
A
Ostinato Phonic Phrase Pianissimo Piano Poco a poco Polyphonic Presto Prime Programmatic Range Repeat Requiem Retrograde Retrograde canon Ritardando Rondo Rubato Scale -
B
a repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern
produces sound
the expansion of the motif, an incomplete statement
very soft - pp
soft - p
little by little
many sounds
very fast
interval of a unison
attempted to tell a story, set a mood, or describe a scene
a spectrum of notes a voice can sing, from lowest to highest
to sing again
a mass sung for the dead
to sing backwards
one voice sings from beginning to end/another voice sings from end to beginning
to slow down
ABACA
a change in tempo according to the composition's melodic line
an arrangement of pitches in succession through a certain order of whole and half steps
Score Segue Senza Serenade Sforzando Sharp Sight-singing Simile Slur Song form Soprano Sostenuto Sotto voce Spiritual Staccato Staff Subdominant Subito Syncopation Tacet Tempo Tenuto Tessitura Texture Tie Timbre Time signature Tonic Transpose Tutti Unison Vocalise -
notation of a composition
to continue on immediately
without
a romantic song
hit the note and get down in volume
raises a note a 1/2 step
the ability to sing music at first sight (solfege)
to continue in a like manner
a curved line connecting notes of different pitch
song with a verse and a chorus
the highest female singing voice
sustained
under the breath
a Negro song dealing with a religious subject
short and snappy
5 lines and 4 spaces
the 4th degree of the scale and the chord built on that note (IV) (fa)
suddenly
strong note on a weak beat
silent, not to be performed
rate of speed
to hold the note for its full value
the general "lie" of a vocal part, an average pitch level
how the music is put together
a curved line connecting notes of the same pitch
tone color of the singing voice
top number - how many beats in measure/bottom - what kind of note gets one beat
the first degree of the scale and the chord built on that note (I) (do)
to rewrite and perform in a key other than the original
all
interval where both pitches are the same/all sing the same note
a vocal exercise or etude, sung to vowels or syllables