Dictionary of Music - Birding America

allemande 7alborada (äl′′ bō rä′th⁄ ä) Spanish: “morningsong.” A type of Spanish music, particularly fromthe province of Galicia, played on the dulzaina, akind of simple oboe, and accompanied by the tamboril,a small drum. Originally it was morningmusic, much like the French AUBADE. Ravel’s Alboradadel gracioso (“Morning Song of a Jester”), apiece for piano composed in 1905, later (1918)rewritten for orchestra, is somewhat like the Spanishtype.Albrechtsberger (äl′breKHts bâr′′gər), JohannGeorg (yō′hän gā′ork), 1736–1809. An outstandingAustrian organist, teacher, and composer.He wrote mainly church music, keyboard music, andother instrumental works, as well as treatises oncomposition and figured bass. A teacher ofBeethoven’s, he was greatly respected by bothHaydn and Mozart but his own music remainedfirmly baroque in style.Albumblatt (äl′ boo m blät′′) German: “pagefrom an album.” Originally, a piece written for andin a friend’s album, and then a piece dedicated to aparticular friend. Eventually it became just a titleused in the nineteenth century for various short compositions,usually for piano.aleatory (ā′lē ə tôr′′ē) music Also, aleatoricmusic, chance music, music of indeterminacy.Music that involves elements of chance. Chancemay be involved in how the composer writes themusic, or in how it is performed, or in both. Incomposition, the pitches of the notes, their duration(time values), intensity (loudness or softness),and other features may be selected by a throw ofdice, by following the drawing of a design, bymathematical laws of chance, or by some similarmeans. In performance, chance operates by leavingsome elements of the music (such as the orderin which certain notes are played) up to the performer.Since different performers most likely willmake different decisions, how the music is playedbecomes a matter of chance. Aleatory music wasknown during the eighteenth century and has beenrevived by numerous composers since 1945,among them John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen,Pierre Boulez, Henri Pousseur, Iannis Xenakis,Earle Brown, Pauline Oliveros, Bruno Maderna,Cornelius Cardew, and David Bedford. InPousseur’s opera, Votre Faust (“Your Faust,”1969), the audience decides at various points, byvote, on what course the plot will take. Also seeMOBILE FORM.all′, alla For Italian musical terms beginning withall′ or alla, such as all′ottava or alla breve, seeunder the next word (OTTAVA; BREVE).allargando (äl′′ lär gän′ dô) Italian. Also,largando (lär gän′ dô). A direction to slow downand, usually, to perform with increasing loudness.allegretto (äl′′le gret′tô) Italian. 1 A tempo fasterthan andante but slower than allegro, lively butnot too fast. 2 A composition or section in thistempo. 3 A short composition in allegro tempo (seeALLEGRO, def. 2).allegro (äl leg′rô) Italian. 1 A fast tempo, fasterthan andante but not as fast as presto, ranging fromabout 120 to 168 quarter notes per minute. Originallythe term was used more in the sense of its literalmeaning in Italian (cheerful, joyful), so that asection might be marked “andante allegro,” callingfor performance in a cheerful manner at an andantetempo. The first and last movements of sonatas,symphonies, and concertos are often marked “allegro.”2 A composition or section in this tempo. Allegrobarbaro is the name of a well-known piano compositionby Bartók.Alleluia (al′′ə loo — ′yə) Latin. An expression ofpraise to God that is used in various places in theRoman Catholic rites, among them the third sectionof the Proper of the Mass (see MASS). The chantsfor this section involve the alternation of a soloistand the choir. On certain sober occasions such asLent the Alleluia is replaced by the TRACT. See alsoHALLELUJAH.allemande (Al ə mäNd′) French: “German.” 1 Adance that probably originated in Germany andcame to France shortly after 1500, and then to