Guest Author - Michelle Taylor

It is definitely not necessary for someone to study music to be able to enjoy it. However, sometimes it does come in handy to know what different musical terms are talking about. Here is a short list of some of the more common musical terms used.

Accidentals: sharp, flat, or natural added to a musical piece, not already in the key signature
Alto: medium range voice, can refer to contralto for women or countertenor for men. The difference can be told by whether the part is written in the bass clef (men) or treble clef (women). It is also used in reference to some instruments.
Baritone: the male voice between tenor and bass
Bass: the lowest male voice or the bottom clef in written music, signified by this sign:
, also a stringed instrument.
Castrati: boys who were castrated before puberty to maintain a high, pure voice. This practice was banned in the late 1800s.
Composer: the artist who writes a piece of music, vocal or instrumental
Conductor: The person responsible for directing the music. The conductor keeps musicians together and directs the sound quality of a piece (such as volume, speed, and intensity)
Contralto: the lowest female voice
Countertenor: the highest male voice, sometimes referred to as 1st tenor
Falsetto: high-pitched, unnatural tones in the male voice.
Flat: changes a note’s pitch by one half step down
Harmony: the music written to accent the melody or main tune.
Heldentenor: translated from German meaning “heroic tenor”, It combines the top register of a tenor with the lower reaches of a baritone. It is also characterized by vocal stamina and strength
Key signature: the arrangement of flats or sharps in the beginning of written music that lets the musician know what key music is to be played in. For example: A major (3 sharps)
Melody: the main tune in a piece of music.
Mezzo Soprano: the female voice range between soprano and alto, sometimes referred to as 2nd soprano
Natural: returns a note to its original pitch
Sharp: changes a note’s pitch by one half step up
Soprano: The highest female voice or the highest voice written in an arrangement
Tenor: high male voice
Treble: a high child’s voice or the upper clef in written music, signified by this sign:
Vibrato: the slight vibration in sound on either vocal or instrumental music. A vibrato should not extend beyond the variation of a half pitch, else the note sounds out of tune.