Fundamentals of Music

Accent: To stress or emphasize a note.

	Type	Stressed by
	Dynamic	Volume
	Tonic	Pitch
	Agogic	Value (see Value )

Beat: Unit of measure that sets the tempo. Beats are measured by tapping one's foot, the stroke of the conductor's baton, etc.

Compass: The range of a voice or instrument.

Dynamics: The gradations of loudness or softness with which music is performed.

	Term	Meaning
	Pianissimo	very soft
	Piano	soft
	Mezzo piano	moderately soft
	Mezzo forte	moderately loud
	Forte	loud
	Fortissimo	very loud
	Forte piano	loud, then soft
	Sforzando, sforzato	sharply accented
	Forzando, forzato	sharply accented
	Crescendo	gradually louder
	Decrescendo	gradually softer
	Diminuendo	gradually softer

Form: Musical structure and how the musical elements are put together. The basic elements are individual pitches (notes), how they sound together (harmony), and how much time they take up in relation to one another (rhythm).

Frequency: Sound wave crests per second, which determines pitch.

Intonation: A performer's accuracy with respect to pitch.

Measure or bar: The base grouping of beats (usually there are 2, 3, or 4 beats per measure).

Melody: A group of musical tones in sequence making up a meaningful whole.

Meter: The number of beats per measure and the type of note that defines a beat. Common meters are 2/2 (two beats based on half notes), 2/4 (two beats based on quarter notes), 3/4 (three beats based on quarter notes), and 4/4 (four beats based on quarter notes).

Motion: The musical pattern created by successive notes. The motion might rise and fall smoothly or jump around.

Pitch: The highness or lowness of a musical tone. Pitch is determined by a note's frequency.

Range: The entire series of notes (from lowest to highest) that a voice or instrument can produce.

Rhythm: The movement of musical tones with respect to time. Rhythm combines the aspects of tempo (speed) and value (length of notes).

Style: The manner in which music is treated. A few of the numerous stylistic directives and their meanings are listed below.

	Style	Meaning
	Affabile	smoothly and graceful
	Affettuoso	tenderly with feeling
	Agilmente	lightly and smoothly
	Agitato	restlessly, in an excited manner
	Angstlich	fearfully, in an anxious manner
	Animato	lively, in a spirited manner
	Appasionato	with intense feeling
	Brillante	in a showy, brilliant manner
	Brusco	abruptly, with harsh accents

Tempo: The speed at which a piece is played or sung.

	Tempos	Order of Speed
	Adagissimo	Very slow
	Largo
	Lento
	Adagio
	Adagietto
	Andante or Moderato	Moderate
	Andantino
	Allegretto
	Allegro
	Presto	Very fast
	Changing Tempos	Meaning
	Allentando	Slow down
	Ritardando	Gradually slow down
	Rallentando	Gradually slow down
	Allargando	Slow down and play louder
	Rubato	Free tempo
	Accelerando	Gradually speed up
	Calcando	Speed up

Tone: Any sound of definite pitch. Also refers to the quality of sound.

Value: The duration of a note.

Voice Range: Range of voice. Each bard can be classified as one of the following:

	Voice	Range
	Soprano	Highest female range
	Mezzo soprano	Mid female range
	Alto	Lowest female range,
		highest male range
	Tenor	High male range
	Baritone	Mid male range
	Bass	Lowest male range

Volume: Loudness.

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