atonality
atonality
/eɪtoʊnˈælɪɾi/
noun
the quality that marks the absence of a key in a musical composition
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B
B
/ˈbi/
noun
the 7th note in the C-major scale
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bar
bar
/ˈbɑɹ/
noun
any of the short sections of equal length consisting of musical beats located between two consecutive lines
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bar line
bar line
/bˈɑːɹ lˈaɪn/
noun
an upright line that separates the bars in written music
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bass
bass
/ˈbæs/, /ˈbeɪs/
noun
the lower half of the musical range
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beat
beat
/ˈbit/
noun
a piece of music or a poem's main rhythm
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C
C
/ˈsi/
noun
the first note in the C-major scale
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chord
chord
/ˈkɔɹd/
noun
three or more musical notes that form a harmony when played together
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chorus
chorus
/ˈkɔɹəs/
noun
a section of a song or poem that follows each verse
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clef
clef
/ˈkɫɛf/
noun
any of the signs written on the left-hand end of a staff indicating the pitch of the notes
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climax
climax
/ˈkɫaɪˌmæks/
noun
the most significant moment in a story, play, movie, etc. with a high dramatic suspense
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coda
coda
/ˈkoʊdə/
noun
the final passage of an extended musical composition
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counterpoint
counterpoint
/ˈkaʊntɝˌpɔɪnt/
noun
a musical technique that consists of mixing two or more separate melodies into one harmony
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crescendo
crescendo
/kɹɪˈʃɛndoʊ/
noun
a slow and constant increase in the loudness of a musical piece
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crotchet
crotchet
/kɹˈɑːtʃɪt/
noun
a musical note that lasts ¹/₄ of a whole note
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D
D
/dˈiː/
noun
the second note of the C-major scale
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diminuendo
diminuendo
/dɪmˌɪnjuːˈɛndoʊ/
noun
a slow and constant decrease in the volume of a musical piece
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discord
discord
/ˈdɪskɔɹd/
noun
an unusual combination of musical notes that sound strange when played
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dissonance
dissonance
/ˈdɪsənəns/
noun
a combination of musical notes that sound harshly because they do not form a harmony
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dot
dot
/ˈdɑt/
noun
a small round symbol in written music indicating augmentation of time by one half or staccato
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double bar
double bar
/dˈʌbəl bˈɑːɹ/
noun
a pair of upright lines in written music marking the end of a composition or a main passage
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dynamics
dynamics
/daɪˈnæmɪks/
noun
the variation or contrast in volume or intensity of a musical performance
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E
E
/ˈiː/
noun
the third note in the C-major scale
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F
F
/ˈɛf/
noun
the fourth note in the C-major scale
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G
G
/dʒˈiː/
noun
the fifth note in the C-major scale
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groove
groove
/ˈɡɹuv/
noun
a pronounced musical rhythm that people enjoy
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harmony
harmony
/ˈhɑɹməni/
noun
notes of music played or sung in a combination that produces a pleasing effect
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interval
interval
/ˈɪntɝvəɫ/
noun
a short break between different parts of a theatrical or musical performance
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key
key
/ˈki/
noun
a set of notes based on a particular note that form the tonal basis of a musical passage
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key signature
key signature
/kˈiː sˈɪɡnɪtʃɚ/
noun
the set of marks at the beginning of a printed piece of music, indicating the key in which the piece is played
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libretto
libretto
/ɫəˈbɹɛtoʊ/, /ɫɪˈbɹɛtoʊ/
noun
the text of a musical play, an opera or other extended vocal works
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lyric
lyric
/ˈɫɪɹɪk/
noun
(plural) a song's words
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measure
measure
/ˈmɛʒɝ/
noun
any of the short sections consisting of musical beats located between two consecutive lines
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melody
melody
/ˈmɛɫədi/
noun
the arrangement or succession of single musical notes in a tune or piece of music
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minim
minim
/mˈɪnɪm/
noun
a musical note that lasts half of a whole note
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motif
motif
/moʊˈtif/
noun
a recurring theme of melodic or rhythmic arrangement of notes in a musical piece
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notation
notation
/noʊˈteɪʃən/
noun
a system of written signs or symbols that are used in music or mathematics
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note
note
/ˈnoʊt/
noun
a written sign or symbol indicating a single tone of particular pitch and length made by a vocal or musical instrument
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octave
octave
/ˈɑktɪv/
noun
the interval between the first and the last notes in eight diatonic degrees
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pitch
pitch
/ˈpɪtʃ/
noun
the degree of highness or lowness of a tone that is determined by the frequency of waves producing it
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quaver
quaver
/ˈkweɪvɝ/
noun
a musical note that lasts ¹/₈ of a whole note
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register
register
/ˈɹɛdʒɪstɝ/
noun
the range or the part of a range that a voice or an instrument can produce
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rest
rest
/ˈɹɛst/
noun
a period of silence or the sign that indicates a silence between musical notes
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rhythm
rhythm
/ˈɹɪðəm/
noun
a strong repeated pattern of musical notes or sounds
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scale
scale
/ˈskeɪɫ/
noun
an arrangement of a series of musical notes with specified intervals, in ascending or descending pitch order
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score
score
/ˈskɔɹ/
noun
a written or printed version of a musical composition consisting of all the vocal and instrumental sections
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semibreve
semibreve
/sˈɛmɪbɹˌiːv/
noun
a musical note that lasts twice as long as a half note
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staff
staff
/ˈstæf/
noun
a set of five horizontal lines and the blank space between them on which a musical composition is written according to a pitch
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strain
strain
/ˈstɹeɪn/
noun
the tune or sound of a musical piece or song
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tempo
tempo
/ˈtɛmˌpoʊ/
noun
the speed that a piece of music is or should be played at
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tie
tie
/ˈtaɪ/
noun
a curved line written over a pair of notes of the same pitch indicating that they should be played as one note
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timber
timber
/ˈtɪmbɝ/
noun
the quality of a sound that is distinct from pitch, intensity and loudness
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time signature
time signature
/tˈaɪm sˈɪɡnɪtʃɚ/
noun
a sign written at the beginning of a musical composition in the form of a fraction showing the number of beats in each bar
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tone
tone
/ˈtoʊn/
noun
a vocal or musical sound with a particular pitch, intensity, and quality
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treble
treble
/ˈtɹɛbəɫ/
noun
the part in harmonic music or the voice with the highest pitch that belongs to a boy or female vocalist
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tunefulness
tunefulness
/tˈuːnfəlnəs/
noun
the quality of having a pleasant tune or being melodious
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verse
verse
/ˈvɝs/
noun
a series of lines forming a unit in a song or poem
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voice
voice
/ˈvɔɪs/
noun
the quality of sound or tone of a person
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