Vocabulaire essentiel pour le GRE - Le monde de la musique

the art or the act of writing pieces of music, poetry, etc.

composition

a tale that is narrated in the form of a song or poem

ballade

a movement or composition intended to be played at a slow tempo

adagio

(of music) made only by instruments and without vocals

instrumental

(of a musical instrument) making a sound that is natural, not amplified

acoustique

having blended sounds or tones that combine in a pleasing way

harmonieux

having a tuneful, harmonious quality or arrangement of sounds

mélodique

relating to the type of music that emphasizes on tone and atmosphere rather than traditional structure

ambiante

innovative, experimental, or unconventional in style or approach, especially in the arts

avant-gardiste

(of a musical band) not associated with major labels or companies

indépendant

a musical piece written for one singer or instrument

solo

a piece of music written for two performers

duo

a male singing voice that is classified between bass and tenor, characterized by a lower and richer tone

baryton

an upright line that separates the bars in written music

barre

one of the main parts that a long musical work is divided into, having its own structure

mouvement

three or more musical notes that form a harmony when played together

accord

any of the short sections consisting of musical beats located between two consecutive lines

mesure

an arrangement of a series of musical notes with specified intervals, in ascending or descending pitch order

gamme

an additional or repeated piece that is performed at the end of a concert, because the audience has asked for it

bis

an unusual combination of musical notes that sound strange when played

désaccord

a combination of notes or chords that sounds harsh or unstable

dissonance

the final passage of an extended musical composition

coda

any of the signs written on the left-hand end of a staff indicating the pitch of the notes

clé de sol

a musical composition that is written for one or more solo instruments and accompanied by an orchestra with three movements

concerto

a musical piece or collection that is written by a famous composer followed by the date in which it was created

opus

all of the records or a list of the records that have been created by a particular singer, composer or musical band

discographie

something such as a book, record, etc. that consists of different pieces taken from several sources

compilation

an instrumental composition that is usually short and is intended for practice or demonstration of a skill

étude

a narrow flat part on the neck of a string instrument where the fingers press the strings to play various notes

touche

to be the star performer in a concert or performance

être la tête d'affiche

to create and perform words of a play, music, etc. on impulse and without preparation, particularly because one is forced to do so

improviser

based on a scale in which the interval between the third and the fourth notes and the seventh and the eighth notes is a half step

majeur

based on a scale in which the interval between the second and the third notes, the fifth and the sixth notes and the seventh and eighth notes is a half step

mineur

a dissimilarity in pitch between two notes

intervalle

the degree of highness or lowness of a tone that is determined by the frequency of waves producing it

hauteur

the speed that a piece of music is or should be played at

tempo

the interval between the first and the last notes in eight diatonic degrees

octave

to play a string instrument, such as a guitar, using the fingers or a plectrum

pincer

describing sound transmission, recording or reproduction that is transferred through a single channel

monophonique

a repeated line or phrase in a poem or song, typically at the end of each stanza or verse

refrain