Dictionary of Music - Birding America

50 bridgebridge 1 In stringed instruments, such as the violin,cello, guitar, etc., a small piece of wood on theinstrument’s belly that supports the strings and carriestheir vibrations to the body of the instrument.In guitars, lutes, and other plucked stringed instruments,the bridge is glued to the belly and thestrings are attached to it. In the violins and viols thebridge is held in place by the pressure of the strings,which are attached to a tailpiece. The bridge of aviolin or viol has two feet. The right foot (the onenear the highest-pitched string) rests almost overthe soundpost, which greatly restricts its vibrations.It is the left foot, therefore, that passes most of thestring’s vibrations to the belly of the instrument.The vibrations of the left foot are amplified(strengthened) by the bass-bar, which helps transmitthem to the entire belly. The drawing below is across-section view showing the bridge and soundpostof a violin. 2 A musical passage that connectstwo themes (melodies), often including a modulation(change of key) from the key of the first themeto that of the second. The first and second themes ofa movement in SONATA FORM are commonly connectedby a bridge. 3 In popular music, the third,contrasting eight-measure section of a thirty-twomeasurechorus.fig. 37 p/u from p. 53brillante (bril län′te) Italian. A direction to performin a showy, brilliant manner.brindisi (brin′dē zē) Italian: “health, toast.” Adrinking song, usually set as a solo with a choralrefrain. It is commonly found in nineteenthcenturyopera, for example, in Mascagni’s CavalleriaRusticana and in Verdi’s Macbeth and LaTraviata.brio, con (kôn brē′ô) Italian. Also, brioso (brēô′sô) A direction to perform in a vigorous, spiritedmanner.briosoSee BRIO, CON.Britten (brit′ ə n), Benjamin, 1913–1976. AnEnglish composer who became known particularlyfor his operas and other vocal music. Britten beganhis studies in both piano and composition at anearly age. Although his earliest works are mainlyinstrumental and one of his most popular compositionsis The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,which helps the listener identify the various instruments,most of his finest works are vocal. Amongthem are the operas Peter Grimes (considered hisbest), The Rape of Lucretia, Albert Herring, BillyBudd, The Turn of the Screw, A Midsummer Night’sDream, and Death in Venice; Serenade for tenorvoice, horn, and string orchestra; Spring Symphony,for soloists, chorus, and orchestra; A War Requiem,to the text of the Roman Catholic Requiem Massand nine poems by the English poet Wilfred Owen;A Ceremony of Carols; and many settings of folksongs as well as many original songs. His instrumentalworks include a cello sonata and piano, violin,and cello concertos. Britten’s music is largelytraditional in rhythm and melody but makes free useof dissonant harmonies.broken chord A group of notes played oneafter another that would make a chord if they wereplayed simultaneously. For example, the notesC–E–G make up the tonic triad in the C-majorscale; played together, they form a chord; playedin succession (in any order) they form a brokenchord. A common kind of broken chord is thearpeggio, in which the notes are played in order,beginning with the lowest pitch. Another kindof broken chord is the ALBERTI BASS. Brokenchords appear most often in music for keyboardinstruments, especially in accompaniments. Seealso ARPEGGIO.broken consortSee under CONSORT.fig. 38 p/u from p.54