Dictionary of Music - Birding America

Thomson, Virgil 429frets were too far apart to be fingered quickly, as thesmaller lutes could be. In addition to stopped strings(whose pitch could be altered), it had a set of openstrings (each sounding only one pitch) attached to aseparate peg box. See also LUTE.theory Today, all the technical aspects of musicalcomposition, including the study of harmony,melody, counterpoint, rhythm, orchestration, notation,and so on. Until about 1800, theory meantmainly the philosophical and scientific aspects ofmusic and musical sound, involving scales, intervals,modes, etc.—the tonal material of Westernmusic (European and American). Western musictheory begins with Pythagoras’s studies of themonochord, about 400 B.C., and continues throughthe writings of modern composers concerning thevery latest techniques of composition.theremin (ther′ə min).INSTRUMENTS.See under ELECTRONICthird Also, major third. The interval made up ofthe first and third tones (in rising order of pitches) inany major or minor scale, for example, C–E in thescale of C major (do and mi in solmization syllables).—minor third The interval one half tonesmaller than a major third, such as C–E♭ or C♯ –E.—diminished third The interval one half tonesmaller than a minor third (and one whole tonesmaller than a major third), such as C–E or C♯ –E ♭.(See also PICARDY THIRD; CHORD.)third streamSee under JAZZ; also FUSION.thirteenth The interval of an octave plus a sixth.See INTERVAL, def. 2.thirteenth chordfig. 238 p/u from p. 449See under CHORD.fig. 239 p/ufrom p. 449thirty-second note British, demisemiquaver. Anote, , equal in time value to (lasting as long as) onethirty-second of a whole note. Thirty-two thirtysecondnotes equal one whole note, sixteen thirtysecondnotes equal one half note, eight thirty-secondnotes equal one quarter note, four thirty-second notesequal one eighth note, and two thirty-second notesequal one sixteenth note. When thirty-second notes arewritten in succession, their flags are joined together bytriple crossbars, called triple beams: = .thirty-second rest A rest, , indicating a silencelasting the same length of time as a thirty-secondnote.Thompson (tom′sən), Randall, 1899–1984. AnAmerican composer who became known particularlyfor his choral music, written largely in the nineteenth-centurytonal tradition (see TONALITY). Afterstudying at Harvard University and with the composerErnest Bloch, Thompson held teaching positionsat various schools until 1948, when he returnedto Harvard. Of his instrumental works, the Symphonyno. 2 is performed most often, but far betterknown are such choral works as The Testament ofFreedom, Alleluia (his most popular work by far),The Peaceable Kingdom, and Mass of the HolySpirit, which are particularly notable for rhythmsand melodies that reflect the special qualities ofAmerican speech and song.Thomson (tom′sən), Virgil, 1896–1989. AnAmerican composer and music critic whose outstandingcompositions are operas and motionpicturescores. Residing in Paris in the 1920s,Thomson became acquainted with the leadingartists there. Among them was the writer GertrudeStein, to whose libretto he wrote one of his bestworks, the opera Four Saints in Three Acts (1934).Later he collaborated with her on another opera,The Mother of Us All (1947), about the life of SusanB. Anthony. Thomson’s best film scores are for twodocumentaries, The Plough That Broke the Plains(1936) and Louisiana Story (1949). From 1940 to1954 Thomson was music critic of the New YorkHerald Tribune, for which he wrote some highlystimulating articles about current music. He then