C: The
key of C.
Cabalistic Numerological
Symbolism: A method of imbedding hidden messages in
music, by using a
code of numbers based on which notes are used, their durations,
arrangement,
subdivision, etc--whereby the composer made symbolic reference to specific
persons, places, or things and/or events in some way associated with the
music.
Cacophony: A
discordant or dissonant sound.
Cadence: The
melodic
or harmonic ending of a piece, or the
sections or phrases
within a piece. A
chord progression that gives a feeling of
resolution, or
conclusion.
Cadenza: An extended
solo passage, usually near the end of a piece, improvised by the performer, or
sometimes written out by the composer.
Caesura: A sudden silencing of the sound;
a pause or break, indicated by the following symbol: //
Calmo, calmato:
(Ita) Calm.
Calliope: A type of
organ. This was a
steam organ whereby a set of
whistles sounded as steam flowed through creating
loud sounds, sometimes described as raucous and associated with the circus.
Cambia: A direction found in
scores to change tuning or
instruments.
Cambiata: In
counterpoint,
a Nonharmonic tone inserted between a
dissonance
and its resolution.
Camera: Secular
chamber
music, as opposed to church music, or
chiesa.
Camerata: Small art
or music schools dating from the 16th century.
Camminando: Following easily and gently
Cancel: A
natural
sign, used to remove a previously applied
accidental.
Cannon:
"Rule". In counterpoint, a
melody that is repeated exactly by a different voice,
entering a short interval
after the original voice.
Canonic: A term used to describe a
polyphonic style of music in which all the parts have the same
melody but which start at different times.
Cantabile: In singing style
Cantata: "Sung". A multi-movement
baroque sacred or
secular choral composition for concert or church performance
by a choir, sometimes soloists, and an instrumental
ensemble.
Canticle: A
non-metrical hymn
or song.
Canto Fermo: A
cantus
firmus.
Cantor: The soloist or leader of the
musical
portion of religious liturgy. In the Jewish
service, the soloist who sings the cantillation.

Cantus Firmus:
"Fixed Song". A pre-existing
melody, used as the foundation for a
polyphonic work. Used in
counterpoint, Canti Firmus were
usually based on ecclesiastical chant.
Canzona: A song, or
ballad,
or "in the style of a song".
Capellmeister:
Kapellmeister.
Cappella: See
a
cappella.
Carillon: A stationary set of
bells
usually for churches and mounted or suspended in the
belfry.
Carol: The term was derived from a
medieval
French word, carole, a circle dance. In England it was first
associated with pagan songs celebrating the winter solstice. It then developed
into a song of praise and celebration, usually for Christmas.
Castanets:
A small
rhythm
instrument made of shells, ivory or wood, slightly concave,
held by a connecting cord over the thumb and forefinger and clapped together in
time with the music.
Castrato: An adult male singer with an
alto or
soprano voice. In the 16th century, young male singers were castrated in puberty to
prevent voice change from sexual gland maturation. Famous castratos were
Senesino, Nicolini and Carlo Broscni.

Cavaquinho:
Means "little splinter" in Portuguese, from the small wooden
pick
musicians use to
pluck its
4
strings.
The cavaquinho is a
tiny guitar
from Portugal and Brazil with a high
tone and plays an important role for
rhythm playing in
samba music.
It's also played solo in
morna and coladeira
music. When Portuguese sailors took this small, four stringed
instrument
to Hawaii it
became known as the ukulele.
More Info....
C clef: A
clef
usually centered on the first line (soprano
clef), third line (alto
clef), fourth line (tenor
clef), or third space (vocal
tenor clef) of the
staff. Wherever it
is centered, that line or space becomes
middle C. A
clef
that indicates which line represents C on a
staff, as opposed to a
G
clef, or an
F clef.
Celesta: A
musical
instrument
with a
keyboard built like a
Glockenspiel whereby keys
activate a hammer to strike a metal plate producing
bell-like
tones. Augueste
Mustel patented it in Paris in 1886 after his father constructed it.
Cello: A four stringed
tenor
instrument of the
violin
family, played while held between the knees also called the Violoncello. The
bow
is shorter and thicker than one used to play violin. It was developed in the
1500's and plays an octave
below the
Viola.
Cello Piccolo: A small 18th century
version of the full size cello.
Celtic Harp: Also referred to as an
ancient small clarsach. It is different from the usual orchestral
harp because of its brass strings vs. gut or nylon. Its
sound is similar to bell
tones.
Ceterone: A large
bass
Cittern
with an extended peg box and a number of additional unstopped
bass
strings made of wire.
Chalumeau: The chalumeau was an early
version of the clarinetto, and later, the
Clarinet. It uses a single reed and is
cylindrical in shape, hollow inside and, initially was without keys. A family of
instrument makers in Nuremberg added keys (three) in 1700 and the hole by the
mouthpiece to allow over-blowing.
Chamber Music:
Music for small
ensemble.

Chamber Organ: An
organ small meant for
use in small rooms. It has a single
keyboard and four to seven stops.
Chance music: Aleatoric
music.
Changgo: Wooden
drum, made in an hour
glass shape. The heads are 16 inches diameter and held horizontally to play. A
different skin covers each drum, cowhide on the left and horsehide on the right.
The latter is played with a bamboo striker.
Chanson: A song,
usually secular. This term is usually applied to works composed during the
medieval and
Renaissance periods, though many
twentieth-century composers have also applied the term to their own works.
Cheng: Also spelled zheng and is originally from China. It is a half tube
Zither
stringed
instrument. Updated versions have 14 to 24 strings divided by moveable
bridges. It is much like the Japanese Koto in playing technique.
Chiesa:
"Church". Church music, as opposed to
chamber
music, or camera.
Chimes: A set of
bells tuned to
scale and
hit with a hammer. Sometimes the
bells are the same size but of differing
thickness.
Chitarra Battente: An Italian form of
Guitar from the 17th and 18th centuries. It was plucked with a plectrum over its
five courses of strings in medieval
fashion. This
Guitar
had a deep body and
vaulted back.
Chittarrone: This
instrument is similar to
the lute but is large and tuned for
bass range. It is from
16th century Italy. According to documents it was tuned with the first two
courses an octave lower than
lute
pitch and with seven or
eight contrabasses tuned diatonically.
Chorale: A German
Lutheran hymn -like song/tune characterized by blocked
chords.
Chord: A set of
notes,
usually three or four, played simultaneously--usually containing a
root,
and other
tones which have a
tonal relationship to that
root.
Chordal: A form of
music in which a single
melody is accompanied by sets of
chords, rather than a
competing counter melody.
Chromatic: Motion
by half steps; or pitches used outside of the
diatonic
scale in which they normally occur.
Chromatic scale: A
scale composed of 12
half steps.
Cimbalom: This is a Hungarian
Dulcimer
built in two sizes. The smaller size is similar to a
Santur of the Middle East.
The larger has a trapeze-like sound box with strings stretched across it and
played with a pair of hammers.
Circle of fifths: The succession of
keys
or
chords proceeding by
fifths.
Citol: An
instrument dating to
Middle Ages and related to the
fiddle. Some believe it evolved from the
Cittern.
The citole comes in various shapes made of wood and is plucked.
Cittern : The
Cittern is strung with wire, has a flat back and a pear shaped body and comes in
many sizes. It was most popular in the
Renaissance period and often played
solo. It was played by plucking strings with a quill.
Clappers: Any two or more
instruments
in varied forms; marine shells, wood bone and ivory
that when struck together produce a sound. It has been traced to prehistoric
times.
Clarinet:
A family of
woodwind instruments using a single reed and is tubular shaped.
Developed in 1690 by J.C. Demer, of the famous
instrument maker of Nuremberg,
after adding two more keys to the popular
chalumeau. The
soprano Clarinet in B
flat, with the Boehm system of key work and fingering are what we associate most
with the Clarinet today.
Clarino: A 12th century term whereby the highest register of the
Trumpet is played. This
term is also used to describe that style of play.
Classical Era: The
musical
period from the late 1700s to the mid 1820s,
characterized by more rigidly defined musical
forms, increased attention to instrumental
music, and
the evolution of the symphony.
Claves: Claves are in the
percussion
family, originating in Cuba. Simply two cylindrical hardwood sticks largely used
in Latin America.
Clavichord: A
stringed keyboard
instrument
popular from the 15th through the 18th centuries. Its rectangular shape has a
keyboard projecting into the longest side. When the player depresses a key, the
tangent, with a small brass blade driven into its end, strikes the string. The
pitch and loudness is based on how much pressure is applied to the key.
Clavicytherium: An upright
Harpsichord
thus making the strings and soundboard vertical.
Claviorgan: Since the 15th century, this
term has applied to a keyboard
with strings and pipes. A
keyboard
instrument
combining Harpsichord
or Piano and
Organ.
Clef: The symbol used
at the beginning of a staff to indicate which lines and spaces represent which
notes. In
modern practice, only three clefs are commonly used, the
G
clef or treble clef, the
F clef
or bass clef, and the
C clef,
when used as an alto clef.
Close Harmony:
A harmonic
voicing technique in which all the parts
involved remain as close together as the
chords
allow, often within a single
octave.
Clusters: Groups of
notes
that are the interval of a
second apart from one another.
Coda: Closing
section
of a composition. An added ending.
Col, coll', colla: With or
"with the."
Colascione: A plucked
instrument strung
over a long narrow neck and a lute shaped body. Dates back to the 17th century.
Coladeira:
Music formed in the "cook
pot" of the European and African influences of the Cape Verde Islands.
Coloratura:
"Coloring". Elaborate coloration of the
melodic line, usually by a
vocalist.
Comic Opera: An
opera
with light-natured music, comedy, and a happy ending. In contrast to
grand opera.
Common Chord: A
chords composed of a
root, third, and
fifth.
Common Time: 4/4
meter.
Common Tone: A
note that remains the same between two different
chords.
Complete cadence: I-IV-V-I progression.
Composer: A person
who creates (composes) music.
Composition: Any
musical work.
Compound Interval:
An interval
greater than an octave, such as a
ninth, or
eleventh.
Con: (Ita) With.
Con brio: (Ita) With spirit;
vigorously.
Con calore: (Ita) With
warmth.
Con Forza:
(Ita) With force. An instruction to play a
passage with vigour.
Concert : A public
performance of music.
Concert grand piano: The largest of the
Grand
Pianos, usually about nine feet long.
Concertante : A
piece for two or more instruments with orchestral
accompaniment.
Concertina: Similar to the
accordion but
hexagonal in shape and a button
keyboard for each hand. It is a free reed,
bellows operated instrument
that is fully
chromatic.
Concertino : A short
concerto. The group of
soloists in a concerto
grosso.
Concert master: First chair violinist in
an orchestra
Concerto: A piece
for soloist(s) and orchestra.
Concert pitch: The international tuning
pitch -- currently A 440 or 442. The
pitch for
non-transposing (C) instruments.
Conducting: The directing of a group of
musicians.
Conductor: The person who directs a group
of musicians.
Con intensita: With intensity.
Conjunct:
Pitches on
successive degrees of the
scale; opposite of
disjunct.
Con moto: With
motion.
Consequent: The
second
phrase in a
musical
period, in a
fugue,
the answer.
Consonance:
Sounds that are in agreement in terms of physical generation of sound; i.e.
sounds found in the harmonic series of a
pitch
being harmonized, in contrast to dissonance.
Consort: A
17th-century
Renaissance term for instrumental
chamber ensembles and for the compositions written for these
ensembles.
Con spirito: With spirit.
Continuo:
Basso
continuo.
Contra: The
octave
below normal.
Contralto: A female singer who has the lowest tessitura of all the female voices typically in the range between the F below middle C (F3) to two F's above middle C (F5). For an example of a contralto role listen to Angiolina in La Cenerentola by Rossini.
Contrabassoon: Double
bassoon with a basic
pitch one
octave below the normal
bassoon.
Contrabass-Clarinet: Plays an
octave lower
than the bass clarinets. It places a tremendous demand on the
player's lungs to
produce its powerful sonorous
tone.
Cornemuse: French version of
bagpipes
using a double reed, conical bore chanter with one or more single reed,
cylindrical bore drones.
Cornet: A
brass
instrument in B flat
with a range from
f sharp to
C. With
valves it plays similar to a Trumpet, but its
tone
is softer and less brilliant. The mellow sound is achieved through the
use of a wider conical bore and a deeper mouthpiece than the Trumpets
cylindrical bore.
Cornett: A wooden
instrument, lip vibrated
with finger holes and cup shaped mouthpiece. It has a wide conical bore and side
holes for a thumb and six fingers. Three sizes were made: small
treble (corn eltino),
treble and
tenor (cornone). It was used to play elaborate parts in
church music of 1550-1700.
Countermelody: A vocal part which
contrasts with the principal melody.
Counterpoint: The combination of two or more melodic lines played against one another. A
horizontal structure built upon competing
melodic lines, rather than a
Chordal setting.
Countertenor:
"Against the tenor". The highest male singing voice, (alto
pitch) above
tenor.
Cowbells: Large metal
bells with a heavy
clapper, usually with straight rather than flared sides, and nearly rectangular
shape. The type without a clapper is played with a drumstick.
Crab Cannon: A
contrapuntal piece in which one part is identical to another, but backwards.
Crescendo: A gradual
increase in volume.
Credo: "I
believe". In the Mass, the third part of the
ordinary. The Creed.
Crotales: Antique cymbals that are small
and thick.
Crumhorn: Developed in Northern
Italy in the late 15th century and spread to Germany. It became a very important
instrument
of the 16th and early 17th century. It is a double reed, wind-cap
instrument with a cylindrical bore. The crumhorn looks like a hockey stick with
finger holes. Made in different sizes: soprano,
alto,
tenor, extended
tenor,
bass, extended
bass and extended great
bass.
Cue: Indication by the
Conductor or a
spoken word or gesture for a performer to make an entry. Small
notes that
indicate another performer's part. Music occurrence in a film.
Curtal: See
Dulcimer
Cut time: 2/2
meter.
Cyclical forms:
Musical
forms made up of complete
movements placed in
contrast to each other. eg:
symphony, sonata
, suite, etc.
Cycle of fifths:
Chain of
perfect fifths
which will lead us back to... the original
note but at a different
octave. See also
key signature.
Please
send me any additional words together with the
definition.
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