Descriptionary

theorbo a bass lute, popular from 1600 to 1800.

ukulele a small, four-stringed guitar of Portuguese and Hawaiian origin, used in folk songs.

vihuela a popular Spanish lute of the 16th century.

vina an Indian zither similar to a sitar.

viola a lower-pitched and slightly larger version of the violin, known for its solemn, husky tones.

zither a folk instrument consisting of a flat, wooden soundbox over which as many as 42 strings are stretched.

vocals and song

absolute pitch the ability to remember, identify, and sing tones accurately without the aid of hearing another tone. Also known as perfect pitch.

a cappella singing without instrumental accompa­niment.

alto high; a low-register voice of a female (con­tralto) or a high-register or falsetto voice of a male. A register below soprano.

answer, call and the repeating or nearly repeating of a theme sung by two or more singers in succession.

antiphonal sung by two singers or two groups in a choir alternately.

aria a long, elaborate solo vocal piece with instru­mental accompaniment, associated with operas, can­tatas, and oratorios.

ariette a short aria.

ballad a simple, narrative song, usually of a senti­mental or romantic nature.

barcarolle a type of song sung by Venetian gondoliers.

baritone midrange of a male voice, about halfway between tenor and bass.

bass the lowest male voice.

basso buffo a bass singing voice, most fitting of comic opera.

basso cantante a bass singing voice characterized as light and sweet.

basso profundo a bass singing voice characterized as especially deep and powerful.

canon a musical composition featuring echoing voice parts that overlap, for example, "row, row, row your boat."

canon, double a musical composition with two simultaneous canons or a total of four voices singing the same lines at slightly different times.

canon, free a canon in which the imitation or echo­ing portion is sung in a slightly different way than the original.

canon, mixed a canon accompanied by indepen­dent voice parts and melodies.

canon, retrograde a canon with the imitation/echo portion sung backward from the original.

canticle a chant or hymn other than a psalm with words taken directly from the Bible.

cantillation free-rhythm chanting, as in Jewish lit­urgies.

cantor in Jewish worship, the chief singer of the liturgy. Also, the leader of a choir.

carol to sing joyfully; a Christmas song, usually with several parts.

castrato a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to remain an alto or soprano in the Italian opera of the 17th and 18 th centuries.

chant a monophonic, nonrhythmic, unaccompanied form of singing.

chest voice the lowest register of the human voice, said to emanate from the chest. See head voice.

choral of, relating to, or sung by a chorus or choir.

choral symphony a symphony with choral music.

compass the complete range of a voice, from the lowest to the highest note that can possibly be attained.

contralto the lowest range of a female voice; the range between soprano and tenor.

croon to sing softly.

diction the clear and proper enunciation of song lyrics.

falsetto a method of attaining an unnaturally high pitch in a male voice, a technique notably used by such pop vocal groups as the Bee Gees and the Four Seasons.

glee club a chorus consisting of males and/or females or both that perform glees and other types of songs.

glees brief, unaccompanied songs for men's chorus, usually having three to four voice parts, popular in the 1800s.

head voice the high-pitched voicing that causes the sensation of vibrations in the singer's head.

homophony a composition with one central voice part, as opposed to polyphony or several voice parts.

lyric a light, sweet voice.

madrigal a vocal composition having two or more movements and five or six voice parts.

mezza voce Italian music notation directing the singer to sing at half his or her normal volume.

mezzo soprano a female voice with a range halfway between alto and soprano.

parlante Italian music notation directing a singer to approximate the sound of speech.

pathetique French music notation directing the singer to express deep feeling.

patter song a type of comedic opera song sung very quickly and in a speechlike style.

plainsong chanting.

polyphonic having several voice parts.

prima donna in opera, the lead female singer.

primo uomo in opera, the lead male singer.

recitative a style of operatic singing similar to speech and with few changes in pitch.