Musical Terms Crossword

Accent: An emphasis or “punch” at the beginning of a musical
Accent An emphasis or “punch” at the beginning of a musical
Adagio Meaning a slow tempo or slow speed. Sometimes it is the name of a work like Mozart's Adagio for Violin and
Andante Meaning a walking tempo or walking pace; a moderate
Bar A specific number of musical sounds that are organized within a
Beat Regular pattern within a bar or
Cadenza An extended solo (played alone) for the soloist in a concerto. A cadenza can also be a solo in an orchestral work for one or a group of
Chorale Originally refers to a German Protestant hymn tune. In composition, it typically means a choral composition for voices or instruments, such as a Bach
Chord When two or more notes or pitches are sounded simultaneously a chord is
Concerto A work for one performer or a group of performers with orchestral
Crescendo Meaning growing, as in a swelling of sound, or becoming
Decrescendo Getting softer; the opposite of
Dolce Meaning to be performed sweetly or
Downbeat The first beat in a measure as conducted by the leader of an ensemble is called the
Ensemble A group of musicians playing together like an orchestra or a string
Fanfare A musical work used as an announcement, often played by the brass section of the orchestra or a single instrumentalist like a
Fermata A symbol that tells the performer to hold the note as long as s/he would like, but certainly longer than the written note
Flat: When a flat symbol ♭ is added to a note it lowers the note by a half-step. For example, if we have the note D and we add a flat to it the note now becomes D-flat or
Form The shape or organization of a musical
Forte Loud or
Fortissimo Louder than
Half-step A musical interval (as E-F or B-C) equivalent to 1⁄12 of an
Harmony The simultaneous combination of pitches, especially when blended into chords that are pleasing to the
Instrumentation This can also be called orchestration when assigned to an orchestra. It is the way a composer or arranger takes musical sounds and assigns them to specific
Key A group of pitches based on a particular tonic, and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece or section of
Larghetto Usually slightly faster than
Largo Meaning wide, broad. In music a tempo marking meaning to be performed quite
Measure A measurement of time in music that contains a specific number of pulses defined by a time signature, and that is contained within bar
Melody An identifiable succession of musical
Molto vivace Very lively, or at a very quick
Motif An identifiable succession of musical sounds, but shorter than a complete
Movement A large unit within a symphony or concerto. It usually is comprised of many themes or musical
Notes Symbols to represent sounds or pitches and duration of those
Octave The interval between two musical notes, the upper one of which has twice the pitch of the lower
Opus Meaning work. Work numbers are usually assigned by the composer. Often the opus numbers are assigned in order of composition, but at times the numbers are assigned by order of
Pianissimo Softer than
Piano Gently,
Pitch The frequency of a note determining how high or low it
Piu More. For example, piu piano would mean more
Resolution: A group of chords can create harmonic tension. When this tension is released with a calm chord, or a chord without tension, it is “resolved” and is thus called a
Scale An ordered succession of adjacent pitches, arranged in a sequence of whole steps and half
Sempre
Sempre piu Always
Sforzando Forceful, usually
Solo For one player (musician), or to be played
Step A musical interval between pitches (such as C–D or C–B♭) comprising two half
Tempo The rate of speed of a musical
Theme The most important melody at any specific time in a musical work. There can be one main theme in a work, or many
Tonality The organization of all the tones and harmonies of a piece of music in relation to a
Tonic A pitch that is the first degree of a major or minor scale and the tonal center of a piece composed in a particular
Upbeat The preparatory sign given prior to the first beat in a