| nabla |
stringed instrument found in ancient Greek writings, probably the same of the
Hebrew nevel |
|
nacchera |
kettledrum, when used plural, nacchere, castanets |
|
nachamung |
imitation |
|
nachdrucklich |
emphatic |
|
nachlassend |
slackening the pace. |
|
nachschlag |
an ornament consisting of an unaccented note or notes at the end of the main note, or at the end of a
trill |
|
nachspiel |
postlude |
|
nachtmusik |
"night music", a serenade |
|
nachtstuck |
nocturne |
|
nagarah |
percussion instrument |
|
nagelschrift |
type of neumes so named because of their resemblance to a horseshoe
nail |
|
nail violin |
instrument having a wooden soundboard, and nails in the rim. the nails are sounded by drawing a bow across
them |
|
naked fifth |
open fifth |
| narrator |
he who tells the story, in prose or recitative |
| natural |
a note that has not been raised or lowered from its named pitch.
On a piano, naturals are the white keys. Sharps or flats may be used to alter a natural pitch up or down a half step, respectively. |
|
natural horn |
a brass instrument with no valves |
|
neben |
auxiliary |
| neck |
the part of a violin, guitar, etc. underneath the
fingerboard |
|
neighbor tone |
auxiliary tone |
| neo |
prefix used to indicate the revival or adaptation of an older musical style, as in
neoclassical |
| neoclassical |
in music indicates a 20th century eclectic return by some composers to various styles and forms of earlier periods, whether classical or baroque.
The style is exemplified in the score for the ballet Pulcinella by
Stravinsky or by the same composer's opera the rake's progress. |
| neoclassicism |
a 20th century revival of 17th and 18th century forms and
styles |
|
neomodal |
of or pertaining to modes in modern music |
|
neopolitan |
any chord built upon the flat second degree of the tonic
key |
|
neopolitan sixth chord |
an augmented sixth chord built upon the flat second degree of the tonic
key |
|
neue musik |
20th century music |
|
neuma |
neumes |
|
neumes |
early forms of notation used to write down plainsong |
|
niente |
dying away |
| ninth |
interval of octave plus a second |
|
ninth chord |
all the odd intervals up to and including the ninth, in a
chord |
|
nobilemente |
nobly |
|
nocturn |
one of three parts of matins |
| nocturne |
a short composition, generally with three sections, often slightly melancholic in mood.
The first nocturnes were written for piano by John Field in the early
19th-century |
| nodes |
the points of inflection of a vibrating string |
| |
in a vibrating air column, the place where the air does not
move |
|
noeane |
words of unknown meanings that are arranged to portray the characteristics of the
modes |
| noel |
Christmas carol or hymn |
|
noh |
genre of Japanese theatre performed by soloists, chorus, and ensemble of three or four
instrumentalists |
|
nomos |
traditional melodies used by singer in reciting classical
epics |
| non |
not |
|
none |
ninth. also, the sixth canonical hour |
|
non-essential notes |
non-harmonic tones |
|
nonet |
a grouping of nine solo instruments, or a work written to be played by such a
group |
|
nonharmonic tones |
tones that are not part of the current harmony occurring as an
ornament |
|
nonnengeige |
tromba marina |
| notation |
the system of symbols used to write down a musical
composition |
| note |
a note in English is either a single sound or its representation in notation.
American English refers to a single sound as a tone, following German
practice |
|
note sensible |
leading tone |
|
notturno |
term used mainly in the 18th-century for a serenade or divertimento intended for outdoor performance late in the
evening |
|
nourri |
with rich sound |
|
nowell |
old spelling of Noel |
|
nuances |
subtleties |
|
number opera |
opera consisting of separate pieces interrupted by recitative or dialog sections, as opposed to "continuous"
music |
| nut |
the lower part of the violin bow. small piece near the peg box of a guitar which hold the strings away from the end of the fingerboard before inserting into the
pegs |
