Tonality System of major and
minor scales and keys; forms the
basis of all Western music from the
17th century until Schoenberg in
the early 20th century. Tonal music
adheres to the principles of tonality.Tone Two half steps; equal to
the interval of a major second,
comprising two adjacent positions
on a staff. See also semitone.Tone poem Extended single-
movement symphonic work, usually
programmatic, often describing
landscape or literary works; also
called a “symphonic poem.”Tonic The first note, or degree, of
any diatonic (major or minor) scale;
most important note of the scale,
providing the focus for the melody
and harmony of a piece of music;
also describes the main key of a
piece of music.Treble The highest unchanged
male voice, or the highest
instrument or part in a piece of
music; also the name for the symbol
(clef) used to indicate notes above
middle C on the piano.Triad A three-note chord that
consists of a root note plus the
intervals of a third and a fifth.
There are four types: major (e.g.
C–E–G), minor (e.g. C–E-flat–G),
augmented (e.g. C–E–G-sharp), and
diminished (e.g. C–E-flat–G-flat).Vibrato The rapid, regular
variation of pitch around a single
note for expressive effect.12-tone music Works in which
each degree of the chromatic scale
is ascribed the same degree of
importance, eliminating any
concept of key or tonality.in which fixed sequences of music
are used as a foundation to create
a more complex whole work.Sharp A note that has been raised
by a half step—for example, F
raised by a half step is F-sharp; also
describes an instrument or voice
that is out of tune by being higher
than the intended pitch.Singspiel Literally “song play” in
German, a type of comic opera
with spoken dialogue rather than
recitative; typified in Mozart’s
The Magic Flute.Sonata Popular instrumental piece
for one or more players; originated
in the Baroque period, when the
term referred to a short piece for a
solo or small group of instruments
accompanied by a basso continuo.Sonata da camera “Chamber
sonata” in Italian; a type of
chamber piece—usually for two
violins with basso continuo—from
the late 17th and early 18th century.Sonata da chiesa “Church sonata”;
a multi-instrumental piece similar
to the sonata da camera, usually
comprising four movements: a slow
introduction, a fugal movement, a
slow movement, and a quick finale.Sonata principle A musical form
made up of the exposition (two
subjects linked by a bridge section,
the second of which is in a different
key), the development (expounding
upon the exposition), and the
recapitulation, an altered restating
of the exposition in the tonic key.Song cycle A group of songs that
tells a story or shares a common
theme; designed to be performed
in a sequence as a single entity.Soprano The highest of the four
standard singing voices—above
alto, tenor, and bass; term for a
female or a young boy singing in
this vocal range.Staff The grid of five horizontal
lines on which music is written;
also called a “stave.”Suite Multimovement work—
generally instrumental—made up
of a series of contrasting dance
movements, usually all in one key.Symphony Large-scale work
for full orchestra; Classical and
Romantic symphonies both contain
four movements—traditionally an
allegro, a slower second movement,
a scherzo, and a lively finale. Later
symphonies can contain more or
fewer—the first movement is often
in sonata form, and the slow
movement and finale may follow
a similar structure.Temperament Tuning an
instrument by adjusting intervals
between notes to enable it to play
in different keys. Most keyboard
instruments are tuned using “equal
temperament” based on an octave
of 12 equal half steps.Tempo The pace of a work;
indicated on sheet music with
terms such as allegro (“quickly”)
or adagio (“slowly”).Tenor The highest natural adult
male voice; also a term describing
an instrument in this range.Timbre The particular quality
(literally “stamp”), or character,
of a sound that enables a listener
to distinguish one instrument (or
voice) from another; synonymous
with “tone color.”GLOSSARY 343
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