NSMA · Acclaimed Musician · Music terms
Acclaimed Musician terms
Expand vocabulary for form, ensemble writing, expression, and performance practice.
Key terms
- Cadence — melodic or harmonic punctuation at the end of a phrase
- Cadenza — an unaccompanied solo display
- Chamber music — music for a small group, normally one player per part
- Chord progression — a succession of chords
- Coda — concluding measures added to a composition
- Concerto — multi-movement work featuring an instrumental soloist
- Modulation — movement from one tonal center to another
- Overture — orchestral introduction to a stage or large vocal work
- Pizzicato — plucked rather than bowed
- Rubato — flexible time
- Sonata — an extended instrumental composition, often in several movements
- Syncopation — emphasis on a normally weak beat
- Timbre — distinctive tone color
- Tonality — organization around a home key
- Virtuoso — a performer of exceptional technique and artistry