Globibo Blog

A Short Glossary of Musical Terms (Part I)

Music, like every subject, has certain words and phrases unique to it. Anyone keen on learning music or about music would do well to make themselves aware of the following music-related terms –
• A cappella – Vocalists performing without any accompanying instrumentation
• Adagio – A slow and restful tempo
• Allegro – Lively and fast music
• Beat – A unit of music measurement
• Cadence – An arrangement of chords that signals the end to a musical piece or movement
• Choir – Group of singers singing together
• Chord progression – A sequence of chord i.e. to be played successively
• Clef – Usually found at the beginning of sheet music detailing the pitch at which the notes are to be played
• Concerto – A musical piece written for a singular instrument
• Contralto – Lowest singing female voice
• Duet – Music written for two vocalists or musicalists
• Dynamics – The volume of the musical composition
• Encore – Impromptu and reactionary musical performance to greet audience applause and request for more
• Ensemble – A performance of all instrument or vocalists singing in an orchestra
• Falsetto – Usage of a male voice in a manner as to resemble a female voice

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