A6 GLOSSARY
harmonic. The resulting sound when a string instru-
ment is plucked or bowed while the performer
lightly touches the string at any of several points
that mute the fundamental and emphasize an
upper partial.
Harmoniemusik. A German term sometimes translated
as “band of music”; military music performed by
pairs of wind instruments (oboes, horns, bassoons,
occasionally fl utes or clarinets).
harmony. A collection of tones sounded simultane-
ously; the art of connecting chords into chord
progressions.
Hawaiian guitar. See steel guitar.
head. In jazz performance, a statement of the tune’s
composed melody.
head arrangement. An unwritten arrangement
assembled from the ideas of band members.
heav y metal. A popular genre characterized by
extremely loud volume levels, guitar virtuosity, a
heav y beat, and lyrics that focus on dark imagery.
heterophony. A musical texture in which multiple
voices simultaneously vary the same melody.
hi-hat. A pair of pole-mounted cymbals that can be
opened and closed with a foot pedal.
hillbilly record. A phonograph record marketed pri-
marily to rural southern white buyers.
hip-hop. Black and Latino popular music rooted in
the performance practices of 1970s Bronx DJs and
MCs.
homophony. Either of two musical textures: block
chords or melody and accompaniment.
honky-tonk. 1. A nightclub featuring beer and danc-
ing. 2. A postwar country music style associated
with honky-tonks.
honor beats, In powwow music, a series of emphatic
drumbeats separated by weaker beats, showing
respect for the dancers or sometimes memorializ-
ing a person mentioned in the song.
hornpipe. A country dance tune, like the reel, in sim-
ple duple meter.
hymn. Sacred verse written in the style of a metrical
psalm, or the musical setting for such text.
hymn texture. See block chords.
hymnal. A tunebook with multi-stanza hymn texts
printed in full with the music.
hymnody. The practice of writing and singing hymns.
impresario. A manager who organizes concerts and
operatic performances, books tours, and handles
an artist’s business affairs.
indie label. Any small, independent record company.
industrial rock. A 1990s style emphasizing heav-
ily distorted guitars, pounding drums, electronicsounds, and processed vocals to express a morbid
worldview.
integral serialism. The technique of serializing both
pitch and nonpitch elements such as rhythm,
dynamics, timbre, and register.
integrated musical. A musical comedy in which the
songs grow out of and further the dramatic situa-
tion, working with other elements such as dance,
acting, costumes, set design, and lighting to create a
unifi ed artistic effect.
interlocutor. Master of ceremonies for a minstrel
show.
interpolation. In musical comedy and operetta, a song
added to a show’s original score, not necessarily by
the original show’s principal composer and lyricist.
interval. The distance between two pitches.
intonation. The quality of being in tune.
inversion. Reversing the direction of intervals in a
melody, thus playing or singing it “upside down.”
iterative form. A musical form in which stanzas repeat
with same words and music.
jam band. Any rock group that focuses on live per-
formance featuring long instrumental solos more
than on recording.
Janissary instruments. Triangle, cymbals, and bass
drum.
jazz. An American music originating in the early
twentieth century, with roots in the traditional
sphere (folk music), chiefl y African; developed fur-
ther in the popular sphere as a blend of improvisa-
tion and composition (performers’ music); and over
time also recognized, with the help of recordings,
as a classical art form (composers’ music).
jazz repertory movement. A trend since the 1980s to
recreate outstanding jazz performances of the past,
using phonograph recordings as primary sources.
jazz-rock fusion. A style, arising in the late 1960s, that
combines elements of jazz and rock.
jig. A country dance tune in compound duple meter.
jug band. An instrumental ensemble that mixes string
instruments with homemade or toy instruments
like kazoo, washtub bass, spoons, washboard, and
ceramic jug, the last played as a wind instrument.
jukebox. A coin-operated phonograph, typically found
in a public place.
jump band. A scaled-back version of a Swing Era big
band that plays rhythm and blues.
just intonation. The tuning of intervals in simple
numerical ratios, as they appear in the overtone
series.
keeping time. Marking the pulse, part of the drum-
mer’s job in jazz and popular styles.172028_99a_A1-A13_GLO_r1_ka.indd A6 23/01/13 11:22 AM