A stress or special emphasis on a beat to mark its position in the measure

A mark placed before a note which indicates that the previously understood pitch of the note should be raised or lowered.

A tempo marking that literally means, “fast, but not overly so”

A staff of five lines, of which the third line is middle C. This is the clef that violists read.

A marking that instructs string players to play the ensuing notes with the bow, in comparison to pizzicatto.

A staff of five lines, of which the second line is F3. This is the clef that cellists and bassists read.

A major key signature with 2 flats that begins and ends on Bb

A stylized close in music which divides the music into periods or brings it to a full conclusion

A performance style in which a voice is set in musical conversation with a second voice.

Two or more notes that sound simultaneously.

A gradual & smooth increase in volume.

A gradual & smooth decrease in volume.

A gradual & smooth decrease in volume.

A directive in ensemble music that instructs one section of instruments to divide into two or more separate sections, each performing a separate part. 

An expressive marking that literally means, “very sweet and passionate”.

A note that lasts for the duration of 3 sixteenth notes.

A motion that entails moving the bow towards the ground.

A note with the duration of one eighth of that of a whole note; a note that lasts for the duration of 2 sixteenth notes.

An ornamentation used to decorate the melody.

A notation marking that means to sustain a note for as long as the artistic interpretation of the conductor allows.

An accidental used to lower a pitch by a half step.

A directive in music to perform the indicated passage loudly.

A directive to perform the indicated passage very loudly, louder than forte.

A minor key signature with 2 flats that begins and ends on G.

Ornamentations used to decorate or embellish a melody.

A note that has half the duration of a whole note (two beats).

Two (or more notes) that are written under a slur but which sound separated.

Music played or sung between sections or movement of a composition.

A French term meaning "fixed idea", first used by Hector Berlioz in 1830 to denote the express, unvaried repetition of the ‘love theme’ in his Symphony Fantastique.

An array of sharp or flat signs placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate the tonality of a composition.

A dynamic marking that means moderately loud (quieter than forte).

A dynamic marking that means moderately quiet (louder than piano).

Any scalar system that follows a given set of rules.

The process of changing from one key to another.

A symbol signifying that a note should be played unaltered (as compared to sharp or flat). All of the notes in the key of C are natural.

A directive in ensemble music that instructs one section of instruments to not divide into two or more separate sections when it would seem natural to do so.

Another term for syncopation.

A musical unit, often a component of a melody.

The art of performing music in a way that allows each phrase to be conceived as a single unit.

A dynamic marking that means very quiet (quieter than piano).

A dynamic marking that means quiet (quieter than mezzo piano).

A practice stemming from the Baroque era in which a minor-mode composition ends with a major chord to achieve a sense of finality.

A string instrument-specific indication that the notes are to be plucked with the fingers rather than bowed. The abbreviation for this term is pizz.

The most noticeable theme in a composition.

A note with the duration of one fourth of that of a whole note.

An ordered sequence of letters or numbers, which, along with bar numbers, provide a reference point for music that has multiple players, and make the chronological sequence of the music clear.

The second most noticeable theme in a composition.

An expressive marking that literally means, “stronger and stronger”.

A note-grouping of six, which is played inside the length of four of its note-type.

An accidental used to raise a pitch by a half step.

A note with the duration of one sixteenth of that of a whole note.

A sign in musical notation consisting of a curved line drawn over or under a series of notes, indicating that those notes should be played legato. The slur may also be used to indicate phrasing.

A passage that is to be performed by a single performer.

A style of playing notes in a detached & separated manner. Staccato is indicated by a dot directly above or below the notehead.

The practice of breaking up a larger metrical pattern into smaller parts so that it may be more easily understood. 

An Italian term that means “suddenly; at once; immediately”. Often used in reference to sudden, drastic changes in dynamic.

Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse of a composition by means of a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat.

The second most noticeable theme in a composition.

The speed of a composition, measured in beats per minute. 

The musical basis upon which a composition is built. Usually a theme consists of a recognizable melody or a characteristic rhythmic pattern.

A curved line drawn over or under the heads of two notes of the same pitch indicating that there should be no break between them but they should be played as a single note.

A staff of five lines, of which the fourth line is G4. This is the clef that violinists read.

The art of rearticulating the same note over and over very quickly.

Three notes of equal length that are to be performed in the duration of two notes of equal length.

A directive to perform the indicated passage of a composition with all instruments together; the opposite of solo.

The act of two or more instruments playing exactly the same notes or the same melodic line.

A motion that entails moving the bow towards the sky.

A deviation from a theme that uses the same bass pattern or harmonic progression that the theme used, and usually having the same number of measures as the theme. 

A note that lasts for 4 beats.