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4 From the New Frontier to the New Millennium

GLOSSARY

A — C     D — N     O — S     T — Z

 

tempo: The speed at which a piece of music is played.

texture: The overall sensory effect created by the combined sounds of musical instruments and harmonies.

theme: The central message or melody of a composition, usually a musical phrase or idea.

timbre: The tonal quality of a voice or instrument (e.g., raspy, rough, smooth, clear, etc.).

time signature: A numeric symbol, expressed as a fraction, at the beginning of a written composition; describes the number of beats per measure and the rhythmic value of each note.

vibrato: A slight, often rapid fluctuation of pitch that enriches or dramatizes a note.

woodwind: A family of musical instruments that includes saxophones, clarinets, flutes, oboes, and bassoons.

An initiative of the National Endowment for the ArtsProduced by Jazz at Lincoln CenterSupported by the Verizon Foundation