Dictionary of Music - Birding America

106 Delta bluesDelta bluesSee under BLUES.demisemiquaver (dem′′ē sem′ē kwā′′vər).British term for THIRTY-SECOND NOTE.déploration (dā plô rä syôN′).for LAMENT.derb (derp) German.rough, bold manner.TheThe French termA direction to perform in adescant (des′kant). 1 In polyphonic music (musicwith more than one voice-part), an upper part.Today, a descant is often a melody added to analready familiar hymn, carol, or folk song, the familiarpart being sung by the congregation or one sectionof a group, and the higher melody being sungby a choir or simply another section of a group. (Seealso DISCANTUS.) 2 Also, discant. In the seventeenthcentury, particularly in England, the highest-pitchedinstrument of a family of instruments, for example,descant viol or descant recorder. 3 For Englishdescant, see under MEDIEVAL.descending motion See under MOTION, def. 1.descending valvedescort (de kôr′) Provençal.descriptive musicMUSIC.See under VALVE.See under LAI.Another term for PROGRAMdesk In the orchestra, a music stand used for astringed instrument (violin, viola, cello, or doublebass). In practice each desk is shared by a pair ofperformers, so by extension the term refers to eachpair of violinists, violists, etc. The term first deskrefers to the leader and assistant leader of a stringsection, in the case of the first violins, the concertmasterand assistant concertmaster.Des Prez, JosquinSee JOSQUIN DES PREZ.destra (des′ trä) Italian: “right.” Also, colladestra (kôl′ lä des′ trä). A direction to play a note orpassage with the right hand.détaché (dā tA shā′) French: “detached.” A directionto perform a series of notes slightly separatedfrom one another. On the violin, this effect is producedby short, vigorous strokes of the bow, alternatingthe direction of each stroke (up, down, up, down,etc.). The effect is indicated in written music by placingdashes over or under the notes to be treated inthis way. —grand détaché A direction to use long,vigorous bow strokes in alternating directions.A direction to per-deutlich (doit′liKH) German.form clearly and distinctly.Deutsch (doich). Abbreviation for the thematiccatalog of Schubert’s works in chronological orderof composition, compiled in 1928 by the Austrianmusicologist Otto Erich Deutsch (1883–1967) andsubsequently revised several times.deutscher Tanz (doi′chər tänts) German: “Germandance.” A dance in 3/4 meter (waltz time) of thelate eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.Mozart, Beethoven, and Schubert all wrote dancesof this kind. Some of those by Schubert (DeutscheTänze, op. 33) are like slow waltzes (for example,no. 10) and others are brisk and lively (nos. 1, 6, and9). See also ALLEMANDE, def. 2.deux, à (A dŒ′) French: “for two.” 1 An indicationthat a part is to be played by two instruments ortwo groups of instruments together, for example, thefirst and second violins playing in unison. 2 An indicationthat a composition or section is written fortwo voice-parts.development 1 The process of changing a musicaltheme or musical idea. A theme may be brokenup into smaller sections, or it may have its notesgrouped differently (rephrased), or its harmonychanged, or its rhythm altered. Moreover, suchchanges may be made singly or in combination,resulting in an enormous variety of possibilities.Development is a basic procedure of composition,particularly in longer works. 2 The second section ofa movement in SONATA FORM, in which the themespresented in the first section (called the EXPOSITION,def. 2) are reworked.