Composer Profile - Activefolio

Glossary 149
country western Type of American commercial music, directly descended from
American folk music.
courante Baroque dance in moderate triple meter.
Credo Third section of the Ordinary of the Mass.
crescendo Gradually getting louder.
cut time 2/2 time, meaning two beats to every measure and a half note receiving
one beat, also called alla breve.
cymbal Percussion instrument that is a large metallic disc, either struck with a stick
or another cymbal of the same size.
da capo A term meaning to return to the beginning of the piece.
decrescendo Gradually getting softer.
development In sonata allegro form the middle section in which a theme or themes
are manipulated by means of modulations and other alterations.
diatonic Stepwise movement along the eight notes of a major or minor scale.
Dies irae Gregorian chant from the Requiem Mass concerning the Day of Wrath or
Judgment Day.
diminuendo Gradually getting softer (see decrescendo).
dissonance Discordant or strident sounds.
divertimento Instrumental chamber form from the Classical period. Composed for
a variable number of movements, and used for less serious entertainment
purposes than other chamber forms such as the string quartet.
divided air column Technique used to produce the sound in all woodwind
instruments, it is air being forced through a mouthpiece or reed assembly.
Dixieland A jazz style associated with New Orleans and other cities in the 1920s,
which featured improvised jazz solos and ensembles.
dodecaphonic 12-tone.
dolce Sweetly.
dominant Relating to the fifth degree of a major or minor scale.
double bass Lowest pitched member of the violin family, see also string bass.
double exposition A unique type of the sonata allegro form, used in a concerto, in
which the themes are first stated by the orchestra, and then by the soloist.
double reed Used by oboes and bassoons, it is a reed with wood at both the top
and bottom of the device and no mouthpiece.
double-stop Two pitches sounded simultaneously on a string instrument.
downbeat First beat of a measure.
duple meter Metric pattern with regular emphasis every two or four beats.
duration The length of time that a musical sound lasts.
dynamics The loudness or softness of a sound.