Glossary

E
A note of the scale
Eisteddford
The Welsh name for a music festival
Elegy
A piece of music for voice or instrument written for a dead person
Embellishment
See 'Ornament'
Embouchure
A French term meaning the correct shape that a brass instrument player has to make with his lips in order to make a good sound
Encore
French for 'again', an Encore is an extra piece performed at the end of a concert in response to the audience's applause
Enharmonic
Refers to an alternative notation or 'spelling' of a note which sounds the same (for example G-sharp is the same as A-flat)
Ensemble
French for 'together', this simply means a group of musicians, although it usually refers to a smaller group such as a String Quartet or a Chamber Orchestra
Entr'acte
The French name for an interval in a play or Opera, or the music played directly after such an interval (or even during it)
Entry
The point at which the theme in a Fugue enters or re-enters. Also an orchestral term for when a player must begin to play after a period of rest in the music
Episode
A section of music in a Rondo which contrasts with recurrences of the main theme. In a Fugue, sections of music performed between entries of the main subject
Espressivo
Italian for 'with expression'
Etude
The French for 'study', a piece of music which is intended to exercise and improve a particular aspect of performance, often a technical technique of the instrument in question. Unlike an Exercise, a Study is often of great musical value in itself
Exercise
A piece of music intended solely for practising particular aspects of technique on the instrument in question. Also often used of a keyboard suite during the 18th century
Exposition
The initial statement of a main theme or idea in a piece of music. In a Fugue, this would apply to the opening section where all the voices perform the main subject, or in Sonata Form, the first section of the music, upon which the Development and Recapitulation are based
Expression Marks
The indications in a musical score which direct the performer(s) as to how to perform the piece. This includes such aspects as dynamics, tempo and mood
Extemporisation
See 'Improvisation'