Musical Glossary For Kids
Do you want to be the next Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky? How about Leontyne Price? If you have a love or talent for music, nurture it by learning music terminology and theory! The symbols and diagrams may look hard, but with study and practice, you will come to learn how each fits into a composition. Music and theater are so powerful and it is time to unlock that power through learning. Begin your music education today!
1
Accelerando (Italian)
To gain speed gradually.
2
Accent
Emphasis or stress placed on specific notes or set of notes.
3
Adagio (Italian)
Play music in slow, stately tempo. A common example is “Adagio for Strings” by Samuel Barber.
4
Allegro (Italian)
Play it in a lively, brisk, and upbeat way. Listen to Mozart’s “Turkish March”.
5
Andante (Italian)
Between Slow and Fast. Play it at a walking tempo.
6
Ballad
A song with stories and poetry. Brahms’ “Fantasias, Op 116” comes to mind.
7
Ballet
Usually performed in a theater, it’s an elegant dance, accompanied by music.
8
Bar
Vertical line in musical notation denoting the number of beats, organized into sections.
9
Baroque
Extravagant and majestic, it’s the music during the Baroque period in Europe. The movement kicked off in the early 17th century and lasted up to the middle of the 18th century. That’s why you have Baroque literature, Baroque art, Baroque theater, and Baroque architecture. Some of the famous Baroque composers are Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, and Johann Pachelbel.
10
Beat
Standard pattern in measure or bar.
11
Cadence
A sort of “punctuation” with two chords to signify a pause or “full stop” at the end of a musical phrase.
12
Cadenza (Italian)
A part of the concerto where a soloist plays alone.
13
Chord
Playing two or more notes at the same time.
14
Clef (French)
The symbol denotes the pitch of a note in music notation. There are five types: alto, bass, tenor, soprano, and treble.
15
Concerto (Italian)
Solo play for one or more instruments, accompanied by the ensemble. Listen to Beethoven’s “Violin Concerto in D Major”.
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Conductor
The conductor instructs every musician to play the right notes at the right time, in the right pitch and forte. Some famous conductors are Nadia Boulanger, Herbert von Karajan, Frederick Martin “Fritz” Reiner, and Arturo Toscanini.
17
Crescendo (Italian)
Play louder in “rising” way, meaning gradually.
18
Da Capo (Italian)
It means to play from the beginning, once again.
19
Decrescendo (Italian)
Player softer in “shrinking” manner.
20
Duet
Musical piece for two performers.
21
Dynamics
The level of loudness and intensity of music
22
Ensemble
Assembly of musicians playing together, usually with a conductor.
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Espressivo (Italian)
To play a passage in an expressive manner.
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Fermata (Italian)
Meaning “pause”, the symbol denotes that a certain note is to be held longer than usual.
25
Forte (Italian)
To play loudly. Denoted by “f” meaning loud, the level increasing two-fold when it’s “ff” or three-fold when it’s “fff”, which is fortississimo, meaning play it as strongly as possible.
26
Gavotte (French)
A dance created by French peasants in the Baroque era.
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Grave (Italian)
Slow, sorrowful, and solemn, the feeling of loss and regrets.
28
Half-step
Also known as minor second or semitone, it’s the smallest interval in classical music.
29
Harmony
In music, it’s the perfect union of chords and pitches to produce a sound which is beautiful.
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Improvise
To play spontaneously. Be in the moment.
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Interval
Spatial difference between a duet of notes or pitches.
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Key
The standard scale and tonality of a piece of music.
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Larghetto (Italian)
Iin a tempo between adagio and largo.
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Largo (Italian)
To play regally, slowly, and widely.
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Legato (Italian)
Playing smoothly and “tied together”, like a calm river.
36
Major Scale
Comprising of seven notes, the interval sequence begins with two whole steps, one-half step, three whole steps, and one-half step. Major keys sound brighter and more positive in comparison to minor keys.
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Melody
If you are thinking of any part in a song, you are thinking of the melody. It’s the part of the song which makes it musically pleasing.
38
Minor Scale
Here, the interval sequence goes one whole step, one-half step, two whole steps, one-half step, and two whole steps.
39
Opera
A musical performance involving singers and orchestra. It’s usually held in a theater.
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Piano (Italian)
Gentle and soft.
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Pitch
Refers to the low frequency or high frequency of a note.
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Sempre (Italian)
Meaning "always".
43
Tempo (Italian)
The speed at which music is to played.
Credits: Carina Jaramillo