| Chorus Vocabulary 2011-2012 |
| 1. a tempo – return to the original tempo 2. accidentals – symbol used to raise or lower a given pitch 3. adagio – slow, leisurely tempo 4. al fine – to the end 5. alla breve – a tempo marking indicating quick double time 6. allargando – slowing of tempo 7. allegretto – slightly slower than allegro 8. allegro – fast 9. allegro con spirito – fast tempo with spirit 10. amabile – sweet, loveable |
| 11. ancora meno mosso – once more, but a little slower 12. andante – rather slow, at a moderate walking pace 13. aria – a song for solo voice (within the context of an opera) 14. arpeggio – the notes of a chord played in succession to one another 15. art song – a song in which the text, melody, and accompaniment, are interrelated to create a unified effect. 16. atonal – music that lacks a tonal center; absence of key 17. augmented –raising of a pitch by one half-step 18. bel canto – a style of singing characterized by lyricism, legato, and pure vowels. 19. cadenza – an ornamental passage performed by a soloist usually near the final cadence 20. cantabile – singable; singing |
| 21. catch breath – a short or partial breath to renew lung supply quickly 22. chorale – hymn of the German Protestant Church, 23. chord – 3 or more pitches sounded simultaneously 24. chromatic – motion by half steps 25. common time – 4/4 meter, denoted C 26. D.C. or Da Capo – repeat from the beginning of the composition 27. D.S. or dal segno – repeat from the sign 28. diminished – lowered by one half step 29. divisi – performers singing the same part are divided to sing different parts. 30. dolce – sweetly, usually also softly |
| 31. dynamics – the degrees of loudness in a musical work 32. embellishment – ornamentation added to music 33. fermata – a pause or hold 34. forward tone – focused tone 35. grave – grave, solemn 36. grazioso – graceful 37. gruppo ad lib – a group of notes played or sung at the will or pleasure of the performer 38. half-step – a semi-tone. 39. harmony –pitches as they sound simultaneously 40. head voice – the higher register of the singing voice |
| 41. interval –the distance between two pitches 42. key – the pitch relationships that establish a tonal center 43. key signature – sharps or flats at the beginning of each staff 44. largo – very slow 45. leading tone – the seventh degree of the scale (solfegge ti ) 46. leap – melodic motion from one pitch to another that is more than a step 47. ledger lines – lines written above or below the staff / a continuation of the staff, 48. legato e pesante – smooth and heavy 49. leggiero – light / soft 50. lunga – a long pause that is determined by the performer / director |
| 51. major scale – in singing: do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do 52. marcato – marked, stressed 53. misterioso – play or sing in a mysterious manner 54. motif – a short musical idea or melodic theme, usually shorter than a musical phrase 55. natural – a note that is not affected by either a sharp or a flat. 56. niente – nothing 57. notation – any means of writing down music. 58. octave – an interval eight scale degrees above or below. 59. phrase – a single musical idea 60. portamento –the voice glides from one tone to the next |
61. Prestissimo - as fast as possible 62. Presto - very fast, faster than allegro |