Glossary

C
A note of the scale
Cadence
A progression of chords in a piece of music which produce an 'ending' effect, often occurring at the end of a section of music and at the end of a piece. There are several different types of cadence, including Perfect, Imperfect, Plagal and Interrupted
Cadenza
A passage, usually during a Concerto or Sonata, in which the soloist plays without accompaniment. The Cadenza was originally improvised, but written-out Cadenzas became the norm in Mozart's time. The Cadenza is usually very virtuosic, and is based on the main themes of the piece
Canon
A type of composition in which one melody is performed by several different voices or instruments simultaneously, but 'staggered'. Famous popular examples are 'London's Burning' and 'Frere Jacques'
Cantabile
Italian term meaning 'in a singing style'
Cantata
A large-scale composition generally for chorus, solo voices and either orchestra and organ, consisting of a mixture of choruses, arias and recitatives, as well as the occasional instrumental interlude. Cantatas usually have a liturgical theme, such as those by Bach, although there are some secular ones
Canzona
From the Italian for 'song', a short polyphonic instrumental piece popular in the 16th and 17th centuries
Capriccio
An Italian term meaning a short, lively, lightweight piece, often for piano. The French term is 'Caprice'
Cedez
A French term meaning 'slow down'
Chaconne
A French term for a vocal or instrumental piece in a slow, stately triple-time. A Chaconne would have a ground bass and was common in 17th century keyboard music and Opera
Chamber Music
A general term for instrumental music written on a small scale, often for limited instruments and commonly suitable for performance with only one player per part. Usually intended for performance in smaller spaces such as private homes or small concert halls
Chamber Sonata
A type of suite common in the 17th and 18th centuries. Often written for two or more string instruments and a keyboard, the Chamber Sonata would take the form of several short dance movements
Chanson
From the French for 'song', a piece of music for voice or instrument with a song-like quality
Chorale
A type of metrical hymn tune from the Lutheran church, often reharmonised for use in Cantatas and Oratorios by such composers as Bach
Chorale Prelude
An instrumental piece, usually for organ, based on a Chorale
Chord
A collection of notes played at the same time, usually within the harmonic structure of the music. A chord progression is a series of chords which 'flow' from one to the next
Chromatic
A term describing any music which uses many notes that are not part of the key prevalent in the music. In extreme cases, the use of such 'foreign' notes is so heavy that the key is no longer obvious
Classical
The period of music covering approximately the latter half of the 18th century, and encompassing such composers as Mozart and Haydn
Clef
The symbol at the left-hand end of a stave of music, which defines the relative position of notes on that particular stave. Most high-pitched instruments use the 'treble clef', whilst most low-pitched instruments use the 'bass clef'
Close Harmony
Music in which the notes of the chord are written very closely together, such as in Barbershop Songs
Coda
Italian for 'tail', the end section of a piece of music, common in some large-scale orchestral music
Coloratura
An Italian term for a very florid style of singing
Common time
Four crotchets (or quarter-notes) to a bar, written as 4/4 or a 'C' symbol
Compound Time
A type of musical metre where the beats are divisible into three, such as 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. This is the opposite of Simple Time
Con Fuoco
Italian for 'with fire'
Concertante
A piece written for two or more instruments (or, more commonly, an orchestra) with prominent solo instruments. See also 'Sinfonia Concertante'
Concertino
A small Concerto, sometimes with more than one solo instrument. Also the name of the group of soloists in a Concerto Grosso
Concerto
A piece of music, generally in three movements (fast, slow, fast) for orchestra and one or more solo instruments
Concerto Grosso
Similar to a Concerto, a Concerto Grosso involves a group of soloists referred to as the 'Concertino', and the rest of the orchestra (the 'Ripieno'). The most famous examples are Bach's Brandenberg Concertos
Concord
The opposite of a Discord, Concord is where a group of notes sound 'right' harmonically rather than 'clashing' with each other. The term is used very loosely
Concrete Music
Music formed using pre-recorded sounds (musical or otherwise) played back together. This, the earliest form of electronic music, was invented by Pierre Schaeffer in 1948
Conductor
The director of a performance, who usually stands at the front of the musicians and often uses a wooden stick called a Baton. The Conductor attempts to unify the musicians as to tempo, dynamics, phrasing and other aspects of the performance
Consonance
See 'Concord'
Continuo
See 'Basso Continuo'
Contralto
The lowest type of female voice
Contrapuntal
The adjective of 'Counterpoint'
Counterpoint
When two or more separate parts which are melodically and rhythmically independent sound harmonically together. A common method of composition during the Renaissance
Countertenor
The highest range of male voice, which uses falsetto rather than the "natural", lower range of voice used in speech
Courante
The French name for a lively dance in triple time, often found in Baroque Dance Suites
Crescendo
The Italian for 'get louder'
Csardas
A Hungarian dance in contrasting slow and fast sections
Cycle
A set of works, particularly songs, intended to be performed together and usually having a common theme
Cycle of Fifths
The 'chain' of perfect fifths which lead back to the original note. Going through all the notes of the chromatic scale, it is useful for learning key signatures