| e |
the third degree of the c scale |
|
ear training |
a part of musical education wherein the student is trained to recognize sounds, intervals and
rhythms |
|
early music |
early European music, often meaning from the middle ages until around
1700 |
|
ebollimento |
ebullience, sudden explosion of emotion |
|
echappement |
escapement (for piano) |
|
echegiatta |
echo effect |
|
echelette |
xylophone |
| echelle |
scale |
| echo |
the repetition of a subject, usually with less volume the second
time |
|
echo attachment |
a valve attached to brass instruments which gives the effect of being heard from a
distance |
|
echo organ |
a manual (keyboard) found on certain large organs, which produces echo
effects |
| eclatant |
brilliant, sparkling |
| eclecticism |
term describing a composer's use of style that is not his usual manner. can also be used negatively to refer to the composer's unoriginality in drawing from other composers'
styles |
| eclogue |
poem in which shepherds converse, precursor to
opera |
| ecossaise |
a country dance from the late 18th and early 19th-centuries. the dance has not traceable
Scottish ancestry |
|
ecphonetic notation |
very primitive musical notation inserted into
text |
|
eguale |
the same, equal |
| eighth |
an octave interval |
|
eighth note |
quaver |
|
eilend |
to hurry |
|
einfach |
simple |
|
eingang |
introduction |
|
einhalt |
pause |
|
einheit |
unity |
|
einigkeit |
harmony |
|
einklang |
unison |
|
einlage |
an insertion |
|
einleitung |
introduction |
|
einsatz |
entrance |
|
einstimmig |
monophonic |
|
eintritt |
entrance |
|
eisteddfod |
a gathering of bards |
|
elargissent |
broadening |
| electric |
when applied to a musical instrument, 'electric' signifies that electrical amplification is required, as with an electric
guitar |
|
electro-acoustic music |
the preferred term for what was known in the mid-20th century as electronic music.
This is music that has been assembled from electronically generated sounds, often produced by a synthesizer or from naturally produced sounds that have then been electronically
modified |
| electronic |
signifies that sound is generated by electronic means, as with an electronic
organ, or a synthesizer |
|
electronic instruments |
any instrument in which the tone is produced and/or amplified by electronic
circuitry |
|
electronic organ |
a term that is now applied to almost any electronic keyboard instrument, other than an electronic piano, a synthesizer, or a
sampler |
| electro pneumatic action |
organ action system wherein the keys activate motors which open the valves on the
pipes |
| elegy |
melancholy piece |
| eleventh |
the interval of eleven diatonic degrees |
|
elmuahim |
terminology, derived from Arabic, used in the 13th century to refer to semibreves |
| embellishment |
ornaments added to music to make it more
interesting |
|
embolada |
a type of rapid Brazilian folk singing that requires extreme diction
skills |
|
embouchure |
the application of the lips to the mouthpiece of a wind instrument, and the position of muscles, lips, jaws, and teeth necessary to hold that position.
In French, this also means the mouthpiece itself |
|
empfindung |
feeling |
|
empresse |
pressing on, rushing |
| emu |
emotion |
|
enchainement |
voice leading |
|
enchainez |
proceed directly |
|
enchainez |
a direction to the player of a musical instrument, or a conductor, that two sections of a piece should be linked together and played without a
break |
|
enchiriadis |
handbook, manual |
|
enclume |
anvil |
|
encore |
a call from the audience at a concert for an extra or repeated performance. the word encore is also used to describe the music played in response to this call from an enthusiastic audience.
The French should 'bis' rather than 'encore'. |
|
energia |
energy |
|
energico |
energetic |
|
engfuhrung |
stretto of fugues |
|
english flute |
end blown flute |
|
english horn |
the English horn is more generally known in
England as the cor anglais. it is the tenor oboe. |
| enharmonic |
tones that are of the same degree, but written
differently |
|
enharmonics |
notes that sound the same but are written
differently |
|
ensalada |
humorous mixture of various texts |
|
ensemble |
a group that plays together. the degree of balance and ease in working together displayed by such a
group |
|
ente |
special type of motet with the upper part consisting of new text and melody inserted between parts of a preexisting
text |
|
entr'acte |
interval, intermission. entertainment during the
interval |
|
entrada |
short introduction or prelude |
|
entrée |
overture to ballet. A section in a ballet |
|
entremes |
intermezzo |
| entry |
entrance of a fugue theme |
|
entschieden |
resolutely |
| enunciation |
term sometimes substituted for exposition in sonata
form |
|
éoliphone |
wind machine |
| epilogue |
synonym for coda |
|
epinette |
spinet, harpsichord |
|
episema |
subsidiary sign in the form of a dash attached to a neume.
Indicates a prolonged note-value |
| episode |
a digression from the major figure |
| epithalamium |
poem to be sung by a chorus at weddings |
|
epitritus |
name for the interval of the fourth |
|
éponge |
this is used, in baguettes d'éponge, to describe drum sticks with sponge
heads |
|
eqale, equali |
a piece of music written for voices or musical instruments that are 'of the same kind', or equal in
pitch |
|
equal temperament. |
any tuning system which divides the octave into equal
intervals |
|
equal voices |
voices of the same kind. for example, music written for equal voices may require two sopranos or three
tenors |
|
equale |
composition for equal voices or
instruments |
|
ergriffen |
deeply affected, touched |
|
erlöschend |
fading |
|
ermattend |
tiring |
|
ernst |
describes especially serious pieces of music, such as the ernste gesange, meaning "serious songs", by
Brahms |
| erotic |
amorous |
|
ersterbend |
fading |
|
erzähler |
narrator |
|
erzlaute |
archlute |
|
esercizio |
exercise |
|
espinette |
a special type of harpsichord |
|
espressione |
expression |
|
espressivo |
expressive |
|
espringale |
jumping, as distinct from round dance |
|
esquinazo |
serenade style originating in Chile |
|
estampe |
a medieval form involving a number of repeated sections with various
endings |
|
estilo |
Argentine song consisting of alternating slow and fast
sections |
|
estinto |
instruction to a musician to play as softly as
possible |
|
et |
and |
|
eteint |
very soft |
| ethnomusicology |
the study of various types of music in relation to their geographic, racial, and cultural
context |
|
ethos |
the "character" or cultural associations that a particular scale was said to have
possessed |
| etouffe |
damped |
|
etouffez |
instruction to a musician to dampen or deaden the tone of the instrument just after it has been played loudly. used, for example, to indicate that the resonant sound of a cymbal or harp is to be cut
short |
|
etude |
a short song, usually written for pedagogical or
instructional use |
|
etwas |
used in instructions such as etwas langsam, meaning 'somewhat
slowly' |
| euphonium |
a brass instrument similar to a baritone horn but having a larger
bore |
| eurhythmics |
a way of expressing musical rhythm by a system of bodily movements. this system was developed by
Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, who founded an institute promoting eurhythmics in
Germany in 1910. |
|
evaded cadence |
a cadence that implies one type of resolution, but goes to another
instead |
|
evangelium |
gospel |
|
even tuning |
see equal temperament |
| evensong |
sung form of evening prayer of Anglican church, corresponding to roman catholic
vespers |
|
excercise |
a short piece written to improve performance
technique |
|
exequiae |
funeral music |
| exercise |
a piece written specifically to improve a player's or singer's technique.
In the 18th-century, the word was used to describe a short composition for keyboard. an exercise can also mean a work written by a composition student (e.g., a harmony or counterpoint exercise). |
| exposition |
the first occurrence of the theme or subject in a work, where the
principal idea of the piece is stated |
| expression |
the ability to resonate with the audience's
feelings |
| expressionism |
an early 20th-century musical style, employing an abstract approach to music, unlike
impressionism |
|
expressive organ |
harmonium |
|
extemporise |
to play or sing spontaneously, alone, or against a pre-arranged background of chords and melodies. |
| extravaganza |
a musical work noted for its freedom of expression in style and
structure. also a type of stage entertainment with music |
|
eye music |
system of notation wherein the affective (in addition to acoustic) properties of the music are indicated by special symbols or methods of
notation |
