How to Listen to and Appreciate
Classical Music

Terminology

• B. - A catalog of Antonín Dvorák's works, created by Jarmil Burghauser. For example, Dvorák's "From the New World" is listed as B. 178.
• BB - A catalog of Béla Bartók's works. For example, Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra" is listed as BB 123.
• Bia - A catalog of Ludwig van Beethoven's works, created by Giovanni Biamonti. For example, Beethoven's "Für Elise" is listed as Bia 515. The WoO catalog is usually used instead of the Bia catalog when identifying Beethoven's pieces.
• BWV or Bach-Werke-Verzeichnis - A catalog of Johann Sebastian Bach's works. For example, Bach's "Brandenburg Concertos" are listed as BWV 1046-1051.
• D. - A catalog of Franz Schubert's works, created by Otto Erich Deutsch. For example, Schubert's "Symphony No. 7 in E major" is listed as D. 729.
• Hob. or Hoboken-Verzeichnis - A catalog of Joseph Haydn's works, created by Anthony van Hoboken. For example, Haydn's "Keyboard Concerto No. 11 in D major" is listed as Hob. XVIII/11.
• HWV or Händel-Werke-Verzeichnis - A catalog of George Frideric Handel's works, created by Bernd Baselt. For example, Handel's "Messiah" is listed as HWV 56.
• K. or KV. or Köchel-Verzeichnis - A catalog of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's works, created by Ludwig von Köchel. For example, Mozart's "Jupiter Symphony" is listed as K. 551.
• Op. or opus - Composers sometimes assign an opus number ("opus" means "work or labor") to a piece or to a collection of pieces, which uniquely identifies the piece or collection. For example, Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" is listed as Op. 67, and his "Moonlight Sonata" is listed as Op. 27, No. 2 (the second piece in the opus 27 collection). Usually the opus numbers will be in chronological order, but composers aren't always consistent in the way they assign numbers to their pieces.
• S. - A catalog of Franz Liszt's works, created by Humphrey Searle. For example, Liszt's "Piano Sonata in B minor" is listed as S. 178.
• Sz. - A catalog of Béla Bartók's works. For example, Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra" is listed as Sz. 116.
• TWV or Telemann-Werke-Verzeichnis - A catalog of Georg Philipp Telemann's works. For example, Telemann's "Viola Concerto in G major" is listed as TWV 51:G9 (the "G" is the key that the piece is in).
• WoO or "Works without opus number" - A catalog of Ludwig van Beethoven's works which didn't originally have an opus number, created by Hans Halm and Georg Kinsky. For example, Beethoven's "Für Elise" is listed as WoO 59. Works by other composers are sometimes given a WoO number if they don't have an opus number.

• allemande - A stately and dignified and ceremonious German dance in 4/4 time.
• bourrée - A somewhat carefree and relaxed French dance in 4/4 time.
• corrente - A fast and lively Italian dance in 3/4 time.
• courante - The slowest of all French court dances, grave and majestic, in 3/2 time.
• gavotte - A French folk dance of moderate speed in 4/4 time.
• gigue - A fast and lively French dance in 6/8 time, imported from the British jig.
• minuet - A stately and dignified French dance in 3/4 time.
• passepied - A fast French court dance in 3/8 time.
• polonaise - A Polish dance in 3/4 time.
• sarabande - A slow and stately French court dance in 3/4 time, imported from Spain.
• siciliana - A slow and somewhat somber dance in 6/8 time.

• bagatelle - A short, light piece which is typically written for the piano. For an example, see Für Elise.
• cadence - A short musical passage which creates a sense of finality, used at the end of a section or piece of music. A harmonic cadence is a progression of two or more chords which create the sense of closure. A rhythmic cadence is a rhythmic pattern which creates the sense of closure.
• cadenza - A solo (whether improvised or not) which allows the performer to display his or her skills. For an example, see sonata form.
• canon - A specific type of fugue. When a piece contains two or more voices playing or singing the same melody (imitating the first voice but starting at different times) throughout the entire piece as in "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," this is referred to as a "canon." For an example, see fugal form.
• chamber music - Music which is intended for a small group of instruments (such as a string quartet), usually with one instrument per part and no solo performances.
• coda - A musical passage which brings a movement or piece to an end. Essentially a coda is a longer cadence. For an example, see sonata form.
• concertino - See concerto grosso.
• concerto - A piece of music, usually consisting of three movements, in which a soloist plays the melody line accompanied by other instruments. The soloist and the orchestra might sometimes cooperate with each other, and sometimes oppose each other, and sometimes play independently. At some point there will be a cadenza where the other instruments stop playing, allowing the soloist to display his or her skills. For some examples, see the Classical period.
• concerto grosso - A form of music from the Baroque period (usually consisting of three movements) which is performed by a small group of soloists referred to as the "concertino" and a larger body of instruments (often a full orchestra) referred to as the "ripieno" or "tutti." The two groups of instruments are contrasted with each other, usually playing different themes. The term "concertino" can also refer to a short concerto. For some examples, see the Baroque period.
• counterpoint, contrapuntal - "Counterpoint" is often used interchangeably with "polyphony." However, counterpoint is a narrower term than polyphony because counterpoint has certain rules concerning the relationships between the voices. Counterpoint is always polyphonic, but polyphony is not always contrapuntal. In general, polyphony refers to multiple voices playing independent melodies, and counterpoint refers to a type of polyphony in which the separate voices sound good together. For example, if three instruments are playing different songs at the same time, this would be polyphonic but not contrapuntal because the three instruments are not coordinated with each other and probably don't sound good together. For some examples, see fugal form.
• couplet - See rondo form.
• development section - See sonata form.
• digression - See rondo form.
• episode - See rondo form.
• exposition section - See sonata form.
• fantasia - Fantasias are pieces which don't have a rigid structure, allowing composers to let their imaginations run wild. Many (but not all) fantasias contain a solo in which the performer plays at dizzying speeds. For an example, see fantasias.
• figure - A short (usually repeated) set of notes which form a complete idea, such as the famous "da-da-da-DAAAH" at the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In rock/blues/pop/country songs, a figure is called a "riff" or a "lick." According to some authors, the difference between a figure and a motif is that a figure is used as part of the background or accompaniment or connective material, while a motif is used as part of the foreground material, as a significant part of the piece. So the same set of notes can be a figure or a motif, depending on how the notes are being used.
• fugue, fugal, fugato - A fugue is a piece in which there are several "voices" that we must try to follow. The first voice will play a melody, and at some point the second voice will begin playing the same melody (possibly in a higher or lower key), and at some point the third voice will begin playing the same melody (possibly in a higher or lower key), and so on. For example, when children sing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" as a round (each person singing the same song but starting at different times), they're performing a fugue. In other words, they're performing a piece in fugal form. If a piece contains a short fugue at some point, this short fugue is referred to as a "fugato." For some examples, see fugal form.
• homophony - A piece is homophonic when it features a melody plus an accompanying harmony. For some examples, see The Classical Period.
• madrigal - Madrigals are non-religious polyphonic songs without any instruments (sung in a language other than Latin), which were popular during the Renaissance and early Baroque periods. For an example, see the Renaissance period.
• motet - During the Medieval and Renaissance periods, motets were religious polyphonic songs (based on sacred Latin texts) without any instruments. Essentially, motets were religious madrigals. During the Baroque period, motets began to be accompanied by choirs and instruments. For some examples, see the Medieval period and the Renaissance period.
• motif, motive - A short (usually repeated) set of notes which form a complete idea, such as the famous "da-da-da-DAAAH" at the beginning of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In rock/blues/pop/country songs, a motif is called a "riff" or a "lick." According to some authors, the difference between a figure and a motif is that a figure is used as part of the background or accompaniment or connective material, while a motif is used as part of the foreground material, as a significant part of the piece. So the same set of notes can be a figure or a motif, depending on how the notes are being used.
• movement - A large section of a classical music piece. Symphonies tend to consist of 3 or 4 movements, just as a fiction novel might be divided into Book 1, Book 2, Book 3, and Book 4.
• orchestra - A large group of musicians (typically 80 to 100 or more) made up of a string section, a brass section, a woodwind section, and a percussion section. The terms "orchestra" and "symphony orchestra" and "philharmonic orchestra" are interchangeable.
• overture - An instrumental piece which introduces an opera, a ballet, etc.
• polyphony - A piece is polyphonic when it has several voices (instruments) playing different things at the same time. For some examples, see fugal form.
• prelude - A short piece which introduces a larger piece (as in the Baroque period) or which could be a stand-alone piece (as in the Classical period). During the Renaissance period, preludes were used for warming up the musicians' fingers and for testing that the instruments were in tune.
• program music - See tone poem.
• recapitulation section - See sonata form.
• refrain - See rondo form.
• ripieno - See concerto grosso.
• rondo form - Refers to the structure of a piece or movement which has several sections using a pattern such as A-B-A-C-A, or A-B-A-C-A-D-A, or A-B-A-C-A-B-A, and so on. The A theme is the main theme (sometimes called the "refrain"), and the B, C, D, etc., themes are called "digressions" or "episodes" or "couplets." There can be any number of digressions, and the digressions can be of any length, but their purpose is to provide some contrast and balance to the A theme. For more information, see rondo form.
• scherzo - A fast and light-hearted composition, often used as the third movement in a symphony. For an example, see three-part form.
• sonata - During the Baroque period, "sonata" referred to a piece that was played using instruments, as opposed to a "cantata" which was a piece that was sung. By the early 1800's, "sonata" began to take on the meaning that it has today, which refers to the structure and layout of pieces in which there are multiple movements. During the Classical period, four movements became common for string quartets and symphonies, in which the first movement is an allegro (fast tempo) in sonata form, and the second movement is usually slower, and the third movement is a minuet or a scherzo, and the fourth movement is usually in rondo form or sonata form (or a combination of the two, called "sonata-rondo form"). A three-movement piece will typically follow the same layout but without the minuet or scherzo. A symphony is a sonata for orchestra, and a string quartet is a sonata for four stringed instruments, and so on.
• sonata form - Refers to the structure of a piece or movement which has three sections using the A-B-A pattern. The first A section is called the "exposition," and the B section is called the "development," and the final A section is called the "recapitulation." The first movement of a symphony is frequently in sonata form. Also called "sonata-allegro form" or "first-movement form." For more information, see sonata form.
• stretto - Near the end of a fugue, sometimes the voices will play the melody one after the other in quick succession, and this is called a "stretto." For an example, see fugal form.
• strophic - A strophic song uses the same melody for each verse, such as "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" or "The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round" or "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel or "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan. This is the opposite of a through-composed song.
• symphonic poem - See tone poem.
• symphony, sinfonia - A musical piece performed by an orchestra, in which there are usually three or four movements (see sonata). The Italian word for "symphony" is "sinfonia."
• three-part form - Refers to the structure of a piece or movement which has three sections, often called the A section and the B section and the A section (again). These sections can be repeated, so a piece or movement might be written and performed as A-A-B-A, or A-A-B-B-A, and so on. This form has been in continual use from the mid-1700's up to today. Also called "ternary form" or "song form." For more information, see three-part form.
• through-composed - A through-composed song uses different music for each verse, such as "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen or "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" by the Beatles. This is the opposite of a strophic song.
• toccata - A section of music which is designed to display the musician's dexterity and skill, emphasizing how fast he or she can play the instrument.
• tone poem - Refers to a piece which is intended to depict a non-musical subject. For example, a tone poem might illustrate a poem, or a story, or a painting, or an experience that the composer had, and so on. Also called a "symphonic poem." A tone poem or symphonic poem usually consists of a single movement. If it's a longer piece, it's often referred to as "program music." For an example, see tone poems.
• trio - The B section in the A-B-A pattern of three-part form.
• tutti - See concerto grosso.
• two-part form - Refers to the structure of a piece or movement which has two sections, often called the A section and the B section. These sections can be repeated, so a piece or movement might be written and performed as A-A-B, or A-A-B-B, and so on. Mostly used during the Baroque period. Also called "binary form." For more information, see two-part form.

• adagio - Indicates a slow and stately tempo.
• adagio non tanto or adagio ma non tanto - These essentially mean "slow, but not so much."
• adagio non troppo or adagio ma non troppo - These essentially mean "slow, but not too much."
• affettuoso - Indicates that the piece should be played with feeling and emotion.
• allegro - Indicates a fast tempo, usually implying a joyful mood.
• allegro assai - This essentially means "quite fast."
• allegro maestoso - This essentially means something like "fast, with majesty."
• allegro moderato - This essentially means "moderately fast."
• allegro moderato e grandioso - This essentially means "moderately fast and magnificently/grandly."
• andante - Indicates a "walking pace" tempo, referring to the rate of heartbeats at an average walking pace.
• andante sostenuto - This essentially means a "walking pace" tempo which is sustained or prolonged.
• andantino con moto - "Andante" indicates a "walking pace" tempo, and "andantino" is slightly slower than andante. "Con moto" means "with motion."
• grave - Indicates a slow and solemn tempo.
• larghetto - Indicates a tempo between largo and adagio.
• largo - Indicates a slightly slower tempo than adagio.
• menuetto - Indicates the same tempo which would be used for a minuet.
• moderato - Indicates a moderate tempo.
• molto adagio - This essentially means "very slowly."
• molto allegro - This essentially means "very fast."
• poco adagio - This essentially means "slightly slowly."
• poco allegro - This essentially means "slightly fast."
• presto - Indicates an extremely fast tempo.
• vivace - Indicates a lively and fast tempo.

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