Glossary of Terms and Names
A-D
aria: A solo opera song.
Bach, Carl Philip Emanuel (1714-1788): Son of Johann Sebastian Bach, C.P.E. was one of the first composers of the "Classical" period of classical music. C.P.E. Bach was also one of the first composers to write symphonies and music for the piano.
Bach, Johann Christian (1735-1782): The youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach, J.C. can be considered the most rebellious of the Bach children. J.C. Bach traveled from his native Germany to glamorous Italy where he shunned his childhood upbringing. He left the Lutheran church that his father so devoutly served and became a Catholic. He studied how to compose wild Italian music from a guy that shared his name with an alcoholic beverage (Padre Martini) and he spent the rest of his life in England writing Italian operas. With his brothers, J.C. Bach founded the "Classical" period of classical music.
ballet: A pantomime used to tell a story through music and dance. Famous ballets include Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Swan Lake and Stravinsky’s Firebird and Rite of Spring.
Baroque: Style of music popular in the 1600’s and the first half of the 1700’s. It is famous for its florid complexity.
Beethoven, Ludwig Van (1770-1827): Using his powerful emotions combined with masterfully composed music, Beethoven founded a new era of music and is now regarded by many as the most influential composer in history. Beethoven composed music in the "Classical" period of classical music and founded the "Romantic" period of classical music.
brass instruments: Instruments made of metal in which the sound is made by forcing air through a cup-shaped mouthpiece. Examples are the French horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba.
cantata: Music for chorus and orchestra usually based on a religious topic.
Classical: Period of music composed predominantly between 1750 and 1820. It is known for its strict adherence to ridged rules of music structure. Not to be confused with the general term "classical music" which is a broad term generally applied to any kind of "art music".
clavichord: One of the first keyboard instruments to have strings that were struck instead of plucked, the clavichord is a predecessor of the piano.
concerto: A composition for orchestra and a particular instrument (or instruments) designed to show the capabilities of the instrument for which it was intended.
F-L
fantasia: Usually a type of music free from any sort of structural limits.
fanfare: A trumpet or trumpet-like festive call.
Florintine Camerata: A group of Italian artisans that wanted to combine the arts of music, painting, and literature into one gigantic artistic production. The result was the creation of the opera.
fugue: A complex composition which usually begins with a single theme that is played over and over again as it is joined by more and more successive themes. A famous example is J.S. Bach’s Toccata and Fugue.
Gabrieli, Giovanni (c. 1553-1612): Italian composer who helped develop the beginnings of the modern day orchestra, Gabrieli set many of the roots of the Baroque era. Gabrieli composed music in the "Renaissance" period of classical music.
guitar: A plucked string instrument usually with six strings.
harmony: The part of music used to “back up” or accompany the melody.
harpsichord: A keyboard instrument whose strings are plucked instead of struck. The harpsichord is a predecessor of the piano.
improvisation: The art of spontaneously creating music during a performance.
M-O
madrigals: A type of song written for three or more voices, usually unaccompanied. Madrigals reached the height of their popularity in the Renaissance and are usually secular, although there are some examples of sacred madrigals.
Mass: Music written to accompany the primary service of the Roman Catholic Church.
melody: The tune of a song.
motet: A sacred vocal composition.
movement: A section of a composition.
Mozart, Wolfgang Amedeus (1756-1791): Greatest musical phenomenon in history, Mozart began writing and playing astonishingly flawless music at the age of four. His compositions include some of the greatest operas, symphonies, and piano music ever written. He is considered to be one of the greatest composers in history. Mozart composed music in the "Classical" period of classical music.
opera: A musical drama in which the words of the characters are sung instead of spoken.
oratorio: A sacred musical drama.
orchestra: A large group of instruments used in the performance of symphonies, concertos, operas, and other large works. The modern orchestra is composed of a string section, a woodwind section, a brass section, and a percussion section.
organ: A keyboard instrument in which sound is created by air passing through pipes of various sizes.
overture: An orchestral work originally designed to be played as a curtain raiser to an opera, oratorio, or ballet. In the 19th century the term was also applied to a free form, single movement orchestral work. Famous examples include Rossini’s William Tell Overture and Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture.
P-W
Pachelbel, Johann (1653-1706): Today, the German composer, Johann Pachelbel is known for only one composition, his Canon in G. However, the Canon is such an enormously popular piece that it has made Pachelbel one of the most famous composers of the entire Baroque era.
percussion instruments: An instrument that is played by being struck. Examples are the piano, drums, tambourine, cymbals, triangles, and bells.
piano: A keyboard instrument whose strings are struck to produce a sound.
polyphony: The combination of two or more independent melodies.
recitative: A chant-like part of an opera. It is used to move the story along and connect the arias into a narrative.
Renaissance: The period in classical music between 1400 and 1600 that is characterized mainly by the development of polyphony.
Requiem: Catholic Mass for the dead.
rhythm: The beat of a piece of music.
Romantic: A period of classical music that lasted roughly between 1810 and 1910. It is characterized by unbridled emotionalism, large orchestras, and dramatic music.
Scarlatti, Alessandro (1660-1725): The father of the famous Domenico Scarlatti, Alessandro Scarlatti was one of the greatest composers of Italian operas in the 17th century. Even though Alessandro wrote over one hundred operas, their performances are rare. Alessandro’s cantatas and oratorios on the other hand still receive attention.
sonata: A composition for a solo instrument, usually in three or four separate sections.
string instruments: Instruments who make sounds by the striking, bowing, or plucking of strings. Examples are violins, violas, cellos, lutes, and guitars.
suite: A compositions consisting of a number of dance-like movements. In the 19th century the term was also used to describe a collection of musical highlights from an opera, a ballet, or (in the 20th century) a movie or musical.
symphony: An orchestral composition usually set into four movements. The term can also be applied to the group of instruments that play a symphony.
violin: A four-stringed, bowed instrument, that was developed in its modern form in the 16th century.
woodwind instruments: Instruments originally made of wood that are played by blowing. Examples are the flute, piccolo, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.
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