User:BarryJ/Descriptive pages/Glossary

Glossary of terms used on CPDL

This is a list of words, abbreviations, and acronyms used on this website. It is not intended to be comprehensive, but rather to give assistance in usage and resolve confusion. Links (mostly to categories) are shown in blue. Many terms still need definition; perhaps categories could be added for items shown in red.

A. Acronyms and abbreviations

Links (shown in blue) to the appropriate category or template. Definitions derived from category (C) or template (T) pages, Wikipedia (W), or IMSLP (I).

A – Alto, a vocal part B – Bass, a vocal part Bar – Baritone, a vocal part BGA – Bach-Gesellschaft Ausgabe BWV – C – Counter (or Contra or Counter-Tenor) a vocal part c. – See ca. ca. – Circa (Latin for "around" or "near"). Used with dates, as "ca. 1560" Can. – Cantus, a vocal part BCP – CPDL –

DPL – D-Ju – Universitätsbibliothek, Jena, Germany IMSLP – KV – Mp3 – Ms. – Manuscript; plural Mss. MXL – PDF – S – Soprano, a vocal part St. – Stanzas; or Saint.

Sup. – Superius, a vocal part T – Tenor, a vocal part, Tr – Treble, a vocal part Vo. – Voice(s). Vol. – Volume(s) Vv. – Voices, verses, or volumes. XML –

B. Words and phrases

• Alto – One of the vocal parts, in recent times usually sung by women whose voices range just lower than Soprano; in older music this range may be sung by conuter-tenors.
• Anglican chant – A method of singing prose translations of the Psalms, canticles, and other similar texts, used primarily in Anglican churches. (C)
• Annunciation –
• Anthem – A through-composed choral work with a religious text sung in church services. The text is usually not metrical, although it may be. Set pieces usually have metrical text, but anthems usually have text of prose or free verse. (C)
• Antiphon – A short chant in Christian ritual, sung as a refrain to a Psalm text.
• Aria – A long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera, cantata, or oratorio.
• Arranger – A person who rewrites an existing composition, sometimes changing the rhythm, mode, or key in addition to the notes. Sometimes an arranger will add vocal parts or accompaniment as well. This is a Template, {{Arranger}}, a substitute for {{Composer}}.
• Art song –
• Ascension –
• Assumption –
• Ballade –
• Ballate –
• Barbershop –
• Baritone – One of the vocal parts, usually sung by men with whose voices range between Tenor and Bass.
• Baroque music –
• Bass – One of the vocal parts, sung by men with the lowest ranges.
• Burial service –
• Canon –
• Cantata – A vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir and soloists. They can be sacred (church cantatas) or secular. (C, W)
• Carol –
• Chanson –
• Chant –
• Children's song –
• Chorale –
• Christmas –
• Classical music –
• Common –
• Communion –
• Communion Service –
• Compiler –
• Composer –
• Consort song –
• Copyright –
• Counter-tenor –
• CPDL Editor –
• Descant –
• Disambiguation –
• Divine Office –
• Easter –
• Editor –
• Educational –
• Epiphany –
• Eucharistic song –
• Evening Canticle –
• Folk hymn –
• Folksong –
• Frottola – Plural Frottole.
• Funeral music –
• Glee –
• Gospel motet –
• Gradual –
• Hymn –
• Hymn setting –
• Hymn tune –
• Hymnal –
• Incidental music –
• Instrumental music –
• Intermezzo –
• Introit –
• Invitatory –
• Irregular meter –
• Lament –
• Lamentation –
• Larger work –
• Laud –
• Lauda –
• Laude –
• Lent –
• Lied –
• Litany –
• Liturgical drama –
• Liturgical music –
• Lullaby –
• Lyricist –
• Madrigal –
• Magnificat antiphon –
• Manuscript –
• Masonic music –
• Mass –
• Mass fragment –
• Mass proper –
• Matin –
• Maundy Thursday –
• MediaWiki – The software driving CPDL, Wikipedia, IMSLP, and other wiki s (Website) See Special:Version
• Medieval music –
• Meter –
• Mezzo soprano –
• Modern composer –
• Modern music –
• Morescha –
• Morning Canticle –
• Motet – A general term for a song to a sacred text, in Latin or other languages. Commonly modified by a more specific description, for example "Motet – Introit".
• Musical era –
• Musical genre –
• Ode –
• Offertory –
• Office hymn –
• Opera –
• Operetta –
• Oratorio –
• Pagan music –
• Partsong –
• Passion –
• Pastorela –
• Patriotic music –
• Preces and Response –
• Processional antiphon –
• Psalm –
• Psalm-tune –
• Requiem –
• Responsorial Psalm –
• Responsory –
• Romance –
• Romantic music –
• Rondeaux –
• Sacred –
• Sacred lament –
• Sacred song –
• Secular –
• Sequence hymn –
• Set piece –
• Shape Note –
• Sheet music –
• Soprano –
• Spiritual –
• Symphony –
• Template –
• Tenebrae music –
• Tenebrae responsory –
• Tenor –
• Tract – English for Latin tractus. In religious music, a form of versicle after the Gradual (Grove). There are also surveying and medical uses of the word
• Trope – In medieval music, a song or chant with text or music added to the original. There are other definitions (W)
• Troped Kyrie – A kyrie with text or music added to the original chant (W)
• Vernacular Mass – Setting of a mass in a language other than Latin (C)
• Verse anthem – An anthem where "the music alternates between sections for solo voice(s) and full choir. … distinct from [a] motet or full anthem." (W)
• Vespers – (always plural) a service of evening prayer (W)
• Vesper Psalm – Psalms intended to be sung at Vespers
• Villancico – Iberian musical and poetic form with several stanzas (coplas) framed by a refrain (estribillo) (C)
• Villanella – A form of secular vocal music which originated in Italy just before the middle of the 16th century (W)
• Virelai – "a form of medieval French verse … [with] three stanzas and a refrain" (W)
• Votive antiphon – an antiphon sung without a Psalm at the end of the Divine Office (C)
• Wedding song –
• WikiMedia – The foundation whose website contains the software MediaWiki used at CPDL
• Zarzuela – a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes (C)