| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | accelerando | gradually speeding up |
| 2. | accent | stress on a note |
| 3. | adagio | slow and expressive |
| 4. | allegro | fast and lively |
| 5. | andante | moderately walking pace |
| 6. | arpeggio | chord tones played separately |
| 7. | articulation | manner of playing notes |
| 8. | atonality | absence of tonal center |
| 9. | bass clef | clef for lower pitches |
| 10. | beat | basic pulse of music |
| 11. | cadence | harmonic close of a phrase |
| 12. | chord | three or more notes together |
| 13. | chorus | repeated main song section |
| 14. | clef | symbol showing pitch range |
| 15. | coda | closing section |
| 16. | composition | the act or work composed |
| 17. | counterpoint | independent melodic lines combined |
| 18. | crescendo | gradually getting louder |
| 19. | diminuendo | gradually getting softer |
| 20. | dissonance | tense unstable note combination |
| 21. | dominant | fifth scale degree |
| 22. | downbeat | first beat of a measure |
| 23. | drone | sustained repeated pitch |
| 24. | dynamics | degrees of loudness and softness |
| 25. | episode | contrasting passage between entries |
| 26. | fermata | hold a note longer |
| 27. | form | overall musical structure |
| 28. | forte | loud |
| 29. | fortissimo | very loud |
| 30. | fugue | contrapuntal work with subject |
| 31. | glissando | slide between pitches |
| 32. | harmony | simultaneous combination of notes |
| 33. | hemiola | temporary shift in beat grouping |
| 34. | imitation | one voice echoes another |
| 35. | instrumentation | choice of instruments used |
| 36. | interval | distance between two pitches |
| 37. | introduction | opening section before main music |
| 38. | inversion | reordered chord or interval |
| 39. | key | central tonal framework |
| 40. | largo | very slow and broad |
| 41. | leading tone | note below the tonic |
| 42. | legato | smoothly connected notes |
| 43. | leitmotif | recurring theme for a character |
| 44. | libretto | text of an opera |
| 45. | measure | group of beats between bars |
| 46. | melody | a sequence of musical notes |
| 47. | meter | recurring pattern of beats |
| 48. | mezzo forte | moderately loud |
| 49. | mezzo piano | moderately soft |
| 50. | mode | type of scale pattern |
| 51. | modulation | change from one key to another |
| 52. | motif | short recurring musical idea |
| 53. | note | written sign for a pitch |
| 54. | octave | interval spanning eight notes |
| 55. | orchestration | arranging music for instruments |
| 56. | ornament | decorative musical embellishment |
| 57. | ostinato | repeated musical pattern |
| 58. | overture | introductory orchestral piece |
| 59. | part | music for one performer |
| 60. | pedal point | held note under changing harmony |
| 61. | phrase | musical sentence-like unit |
| 62. | pianissimo | very soft |
| 63. | piano | soft |
| 64. | pitch | how high or low a note |
| 65. | presto | very fast |
| 66. | pulse | steady underlying beat |
| 67. | refrain | repeated section of a song |
| 68. | register | range area of pitches |
| 69. | resolution | movement from tension to rest |
| 70. | rest | symbol for silence |
| 71. | rhythm | pattern of beats in time |
| 72. | riff | short repeated figure |
| 73. | ritardando | gradually slowing down |
| 74. | rubato | flexible expressive timing |
| 75. | scale | ordered series of notes |
| 76. | score | written music for all parts |
| 77. | sequence | repeated pattern at new pitches |
| 78. | slur | mark for smooth connection |
| 79. | staccato | short detached notes |
| 80. | staff | set of five lines |
| 81. | subdivision | division of beats into parts |
| 82. | swing | uneven rhythmic feel in jazz |
| 83. | syncopation | accenting weak beats unexpectedly |
| 84. | tempo | speed of the music |
| 85. | texture | how musical lines are layered |
| 86. | theme | main musical idea |
| 87. | tie | joins equal notes in duration |
| 88. | timbre | distinctive tone color |
| 89. | tonality | system of organized pitches |
| 90. | transition | passage linking musical ideas |
| 91. | triplet | three notes in one beat |
| 92. | tuplet | irregular rhythmic grouping |
| 93. | unison | same pitch together |
| 94. | upbeat | pickup before the downbeat |
| 95. | variation | altered restatement of material |
| 96. | verse | stanza section of a song |
| 97. | vibrato | slight regular pitch fluctuation |
| 98. | vivace | lively and brisk |
| 99. | voice-leading | smooth movement between chords |
| 100. | voicing | arrangement of chord tones |