Laney Chorus Vocabulary
Week #1
Treble Clef
A symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C.
Bass Clef
A symbol indicating that the pitch of the second highest line of the staff is F below middle C.
Time Signature
A sign used in music to show meter and usually written as a fraction with the bottom number indicating the kind of note used as a unit of time and the top number indicating the number of units in each measure.
Common Time
A symbol that stands for a time signature of 4/4 time.
Key Signature
The sharps or flats placed after a clef in music to indicate the key
Staff
A set of five lines and four spaces that show pitch.
Quarter Note
A note with a value of one beat in 4/4 time.
Eighth Note
A note with a value of half a beat in 4/4 time.
Quarter Rest
A symbol which represents one beat of rest in 4/4 time.
Measure
The section of a musical staff that comes between two barlines.
Week #2
Soprano
Higher female voice part written in treble clef
Alto
Lower voice part written in treble clef
Tenor
highest changed male voice written in bass clef
Bass
lowest changed male voice written in bass clef
Voicing
the voice types that make up an ensemble or arrangement
Week #3
Composer
a person who writes music
Arranger/
Arrangement
a person who reimagines an existing composition, adapting the instruments, voices, rhythms, and tempo to create a new sound for a piece of music
Publisher
a person or company that prepares and issues books, journals, music, or other works for sale
Falsetto
a method of voice production used by male singers, singing notes in their upper range or head
Voice
Head Voice
a light, bright, high tone resonated in the head
Week #5
Fortissimo
Very Loud
Forte
Loud
Mezzo Forte
Medium Loud
Mezzo Piano
Medium Soft
Piano
Soft
Pianissimo
Very Soft
Week #6
Crescendo
Gradually getting louder
Decrescendo
Gradually getting softer
Diminuendo
Gradually getting softer; diminish
Accelerando
Getting faster
Ritardando
Getting slower
Week #7
Beat
The basic unit of time used in music; the pulse
Metronome
A device used by musicians that marks time at a selected rate by giving a regular tick
BPM
Beats Per Minute
Tempo
The speed of music
A Tempo
Return to the original speed
Week #8
Accent
an emphasis on a particular note or chord
Legato
smooth and connected
Staccato
short and separated
Marcato
performed with emphasis
Fermata
a mark over a note or rest that is to be lengthened
Week #9
Largo
Very slow
Presto
Very fast
Vivace
Lively with spirit
Maestoso
Majestically
Rubato
Literally “robbed” freedom of tempo
Week #10
Unison
Interval of the same pitch; singing the same thing at the same time
Octave
Interval of an 8th, both notes will have the same pitch names
Interval
Distance between two pitches
Harmony
Two or more pitches in combination
Melody
Succession of musical tones
Rhythm
The duration (long-short) of musical sounds
Week #11
Accidental
A symbol that indicates a pitch change; A sharp, flat or natural that appears in the music but not in the key signature.
Sharp
The symbol indicating a pitch a half step higher (to the right) than the original
Flat
The symbol indicating a pitch a half step lower (to the left) than the original
Natural
The symbol that indicates the pitch is neither flat nor sharp. Often cancels out a previous sharp or flat
Week #12
Form
The structure of a piece of music
A cappella
Choral singing without instrumental accompaniment
Accompaniment
A musical part of music that supports or partners with an instrument or voice
Tone Color
The characteristic of a voice or instrument; also called timbre
Texture
The interrelationship of the voice parts and/or instruments in a piece of music
Week #13
Fine
End, close
Segno
Sign; symbol used to indicate beginning or end of a section to be repeated
Al fine
To the end
Coda
Literally “tail” a section added to the end of a piece of music
Da capo
Literally “from the head” to repeat the music from the beginning (D.C)