Music cataloging
resources
Music cataloging
resources
air/ayre: English style of song popular
in the late 16th and early 17th centuries; usually accompanied by a lute.
aleatory music: music composed according to various principles introducing
chance or indeterminate outcomes into its actualization in performance.
anthem: a choral setting (often with solo voice parts and organ
accompaniment) of an English language religious or moral text, usually for
performance during Protestant services; c1550 to present.
antiphon: a liturgical chant sung as the response to the verses of
a Psalm; generally fairly short and simple in style.
arabesque: a short piece of music featuring various melodic, contrapuntal
or harmonic decorations.
bagatelle: a short, light instrumental piece of music of no specified
form, usually for piano.
ballade: (1) a 14th/15th century French song form which set poetry
to music; (2) an instrumental (usually piano) piece with dramatic narrative
qualities.
barcarolle: song or instrumental piece in a swaying 6/8 time (i.e.,
suggesting the lilting motion of a Venetian gondola).
berceuse: a soft instrumental piece or lullaby, usually in a moderate
6/8 tempo; a lullaby.
canon: a contrapuntal form in two or more (voice or instrumental)
parts in which the melody is introduced by one part and then repeated by
the next (and so on) before each previous part has finished (i.e., such that
overlapping of parts occurs).
cantata: term applied to a 17th and 18th century multi-movement
non-theatrical and non-liturgical vocal genre; subsequently used to describe
large-scale vocal works in the same spirit, generally for soloists, chorus
and orchestra; may also be for solo voice and accompaniment.
canzona: (1) 16th/17th century instrumental genre in the manner of
a French polyphonic chanson, characterized by the juxtaposition of short
contrasting sections; (2) term applied to any of several types of secular
vocal music.
caprice/capriccio: term describing a variety of short composition
types characterized by lightness, fancy, or improvisational manner.
carol: since the 19th century, generally a song that is in four-part
harmony, simple form, and having to do with the Virgin Mary or Christmas.
chaconne: a slow, stately dance-with-variations composition form
especially popular during the 17th and early 18th centuries.
chanson: French for song; in particular, a style of 14th-16th century
French song for voice or voices, often with backing instrumental accompaniment.
chant/plainchant: monophonic music used in Christian liturgical services.
It is sung in unison and in a free rhythm, and as a style probably dates
from the first century of the Christian era.
concertante: when used to modify another form or genre term, this
word suggests a greater than usual amount of concerto-like virtuoso display
from one or more of the players.
concerto: (1) ensemble music for voice(s) and instrument(s) (17th
century); (2) extended piece of music in which a solo instrument or instruments
is contrasted with an orchestral ensemble (post-17th century).
concerto grosso: orchestral form especially popular in the 17th and
18th centuries in which the contrasting lines of a smaller and a larger group
of instruments are featured.
credo: third item of the Ordinary of the Mass.
divertimento/divertissement: a style of light, often occasion-specific,
instrumental music arranged in several movements; especially popular in the
mid to late 18th century.
etude: a study; especially, a piece written for purposes of practicing
or displaying technique.
fantas(-ia)(-ie)(-y)/phantasie: especially, an instrumental piece
in which conventional form is suspended in favor of the application of
imaginative stylizations or improvisation (the term is also applied to several
similar concepts).
fugue: contrapuntal form in which a subject theme ("part" or "voice")
is introduced and then extended and developed through some number of successive
imitations.
galliard: a lively court dance of Italian origin, usually in triple
time, popular in 16th and 17th centuries.
gigue (jig): a quick, springy dance often used as the concluding
movement to 18th century instrumental suites.
gloria: second item of the Ordinary of the
Mass.
impromptu: a short instrumental piece of a free, casual nature suggesting
improvisation.
incidental music: music composed for the production of a predominantly
spoken play.
Lied(er): German for song(s); in particular, a style of 19th century
German song distinguished by the setting of texts from the literary tradition
and by the elaboration of the instrumental accompaniment.
madrigal: (1) a 14th century Italian style of setting secular verse
for two or three unaccompanied voices; (2) a 16th/17th century contrapuntal
setting of verse (usually secular) for several equally important voice parts,
usually unaccompanied.
magnificat: a setting of the Biblical hymn of the Virgin Mary (as
given in St. Luke) for use in Roman Catholic and Anglican services; 14th
century to present.
march: instrumental music with a repeated and regular rhythm such
as might appropriately accompany a marching group.
masque: an aristocratic 16th-17th century English theater form
integrating poetry, dance, music, and elaborate sets.
mass/messe/missa: the principal religious
service of the Catholic Church, with musical parts that either vary according
to Church calendar (the Proper) or do not (the Ordinary).
mazurka: a moderately fast Polish country dance especially popular
in Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries.
microtonal music: music which makes use of intervals smaller than
a semitone (a half step).
minuet: a graceful French dance of moderate 3/4 tempo often appearing
as a section of extended works (especially dance suites) of the 17th and
18th centuries.
motet: (1) to c1400, a piece with one or more voices, often with
different but related sacred or secular texts, singing over a fragment of
chant in longer note-values; (2) after 1400, a polyphonic setting of a short
sacred text.
nocturne: a moderately slow piece, usually for piano, of dreamy,
contemplative character and song-like melody.
ode: cantata-like musical setting of the lyric poetry form so called.
opera: theatrically staged story set to instrumental and vocal music
such that most or all of the acted parts are sung; c1600 to present.
operetta: in its modern form (c1850s onward), a light opera containing
interludes of spoken dialogue and dance.
oratorio: originally, a setting of an extended religious narrative
(and since c1800, nonreligious ones as well) for vocal soloists, chorus,
and orchestra, intended for concert or church performance without costumes
or stage settings; c1600 to present.
partita: term initially applied as a synonym for "set of variations"
(17th century), then as a synonym for "suite" (c1700 to present).
passacaglia: an instrumental dance form similar to the chaconne in
which there is continuing repetition of a theme usually played in the bass;
originated in Spain and became popular in France and Italy during the Baroque
Period.
pavan(e): a quiet, stately court dance (probably of Italian origin)
of the 16th and 17th centuries, and remaining popular in the 17th century
as an instrumental form.
polka: an energetic Bohemian dance performed in the round in 2/4
time. Originally a peasant dance, but in the mid-19th century it became popular
throughout all classes in Europe and America.
polonaise: a stately Polish processional dance in 3/4 time; especially
popular as an instrumental form in the 18th and 19th centuries.
prelude: an instrumental section or movement preceding/introducing
a larger piece or group of pieces.
quadrille: a lively 19th-century French square dance sometimes
incorporating popular tunes of the day.
requiem: generally speaking, a musical composition honoring the dead;
more specially (1) the Roman Catholic Mass for the dead; or (2) other
commemorative pieces of analogous intent.
rhapsody: term similar to "fantasia" applied to pieces inspired by
extroverted romantic notions; 19th and 20th centuries.
romance/romanze: (1) a song with a simple vocal line and a simple
accompaniment; especially popular in late 18th/19th century France and Italy;
(2) a short instrumental piece with the lyrical character of a vocal romance.
rondo: an instrumental form in which the first or main section is
repeated between subsidiary sections and to conclude the piece; usually in
lively tempo.
scherzo: term designating lively and usually lighthearted instrumental
music; most commonly used to label the fast-tempo movement of a symphony,
sonata, etc.
serenade: a light and/or intimate piece of no specific form such
as might be played in an open-air evening setting.
sinfonia: term applied in a variety of contexts in different periods;
e.g., as a near synonym for "instrumental canzona," "prelude," "overture,"
and "symphony."
sonata: an extended piece for instrumental soloist (or featured
instrument with solo instrumental accompaniment), usually in several movements;
in its modern form dating from the early 18th century.
sonatina: a short sonata, or one of modest intent; especially popular
during the Classical Period.
song cycle: a group of songs performed in an order establishing a
musical continuity related to some underlying (conceptual) theme.
Stabat Mater: a sequence in the Roman Catholic liturgy regarding
the crucifixion, and used in several Divine offices.
suite: a set of unrelated and usually short instrumental pieces,
movements or sections played as a group, and usually in a specific order.
symphonic poem/tone poem: a descriptive orchestral piece in which
the music conveys a scene or relates a story; c1850 to present
symphony: an extended piece for full orchestra, usually serious in
nature and in several movements; early 18th century to present.
tango: Argentinian dance danced by couples and marked by strong
syncopation, dotted rhythmic figures, and a 2/4 time signature.
Te Deum: (from the Latin, "We praise Thee, O God") lengthy hymn of
praise to God in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other Christian liturgies.
toccata: a piece for keyboard, usually technically demanding, intended
as a display for virtuosity.
trio sonata: a chamber music form for two featured instruments and
continuo accompaniment; especially popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.
variations: composition form in which variously modified re-statements
of an initially introduced theme are presented in sequence, one after another.
waltz/valse: a popular ballroom dance in 3/4 time dating from c1800.
Comments to Mickey Koth Yale
University Music Library