T
- tablature (TAB lah chur) musical notation system using letters
- tacet (TAH set) remain silent instruction to player
- tam-tam (Tahm Tahm) indefinite gong sound
- tarantella (tah rahn TEL ah) fast dance of southern Italy
- temperament (TEM per ah mint) system of tuning notes
- tempo (TEM poh) pace
- tenor (TEN or) highest range of normal male voice
- tenuto (ten NOO toh) sustained beyound the true value of the note
- ternary form (TER nar ee) three part composition with repetition following one contrast
- tessitura (tes seh TOO rah) average pitch level
- texture (TEX ture) combination of melody and harmony
- theme (theem) self contained basis of a set of variations
- third (third) interval between notes
- thorough-bass (ther oh bace) continuo
- tie (TYGH) curved line combining duration of two notes in same pitch
- timbre (tambr) tone-color
- time (TYm) used with measure or rhythm, simultaneously
- time signature (TYm) meter of a work, indicated by two numbers
representing number of beats (lower sign) and number of notes
making up the measure (Upper number)
- timpani (tim pah nee) kettledrums
- toccata (toh KAH tah) brillian piece of keyboard music
- tonality (TOH nal ah tee) key or tonal center of piece
- tone (tohn) quality of sound harmonics
- tone-poem (tohn poh em) symphonic poem
- tone-row (tohn roh) 12 semitones of octave arranged in
combination for a composition (Arnold Schoenberg)
- tonic (TOHN ik) first tone of a diatonic scale, or fundamental
- tounguing (tohng ing) articulation with tougue in playing wind
instruments
- transcription (tran SKRIP shun) arrangement of a composition for
a medium other than which it was intended
- transposition (trans POH zeh shun) performance of passage in a
key or pitch other than which it was intended
- trattenuto (trah ten OO toh) It, restrained or held back.
- trautonium (trah TOHN ee um) electronic instrument. Berlin 1930
- treble (treh bul) boys voice similar in pitch to a soprano
- tre corde (tray KOR day) release of left pedal of piano erasing
una corda
- tremolo (TREH moh loh) rapid alternation of two adjacent notes
- triad (TRI ad) three-note chord
- trill (tril) shake
- trio (TREE oh) three instruments or voices
- triplet (TRIP let) three notes played in normal time of two
- triple time (TREH pul) three beats to a measure
- tritone (TRY tohn) interval of augmented fourth with six semitones
- troppo (TROH poh) too much
- turca (TOOR kah) turkish style (drums, cymbals and triangle)
- turn (TURN) ornament twisting around one note
- tutti (TOO tee) combined performance by the entire force,
passage for orchestra without soloist, direction all instruments of
a string section should play
- twelve-tone, music composed on a chromatic scale of 12
as opposed to 8. Developed by Arnold Schoenberg
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