Dictionary: Q - R

Q
@566 quadrille\ A French square dance popular in the 19th century. It was in five

sections alternating between 6/8 and 2/4 time and performed by two or four

couples.

@567 quadruple counterpoint\Counterpoint in which four melodies can exchange

position.

@568 quadruple fugue\A fugue with four different subjects.

@569 quadruple stop\A chord of four notes played on a bowed string instrument.

@570 quadruplet\A group of four notes to be played in the time of 3.

@571 quadruple time\ Same as common time consisting of four quarter notes to

the bar, written 4/4 or C.

@572 quarter note\In 4/4 time, the equivalent of one beat.

@573 quartet\A composition for four performers.

@574 quasi (It.)\As if, almost.

@575 quest opera\ An opera in which the principal character undergoes a test or a

difficult journey, or experiences hardships before reaching his goal (e.g .

Mozart's Magic Flute).

@576 quickstep\A modern ballroom dance with quick steps.

@577 quintet\A composition for five performers.

@578 quintuplet\A group of five notes to be performed in the time of 4.

@579 quintuple time\Time with five beats, usually quarter notes, to the bar (e.g.

5/4 time). Not common before the 20th century.

@580 quodlibet (Lat., 'what you will')\ A piece containing several popular tunes.

The composition may be improvised or notated and was especially practised

by German composers (e.g. Bach) in the 17th and 18th centuries.

R
@581 r\Abbreviation of(l) Ray in the tonic sol-fa; (2) Respond.

@582 rabbia (It.)\Rage.

@583 raddoppiamento (It.)\Doubling. Usually indicates doubling of the bass at

an octave below.

@584 rall\Abbreviation of rallentando.

@585 rallentando (It.)\Getting slower.

@586 rant\Describes a wide range of 17th century English dances.

@587 rasch (Ger.)\Quick.

@588 ratsche (Ger.)\Rattle.

@589 real answer\A responding musical phrase (e.g. in a fugue) which exactly

reproduces the subject or entry of a theme at the fifth.

@590 realisation\The completion of 17th and 18th century harmony by adding a

keyboard accompaniment indicated by figured bass.

@591 recapitulation\Particularly used in sonata form, this term describes a

section of a composition which repeats or approximates themes originally

presented in a previous section, which have since been developed.

@592 recit\Abbreviation of recitative.

@593 recital\A performance by one or two performers.

@594 recitative\Generally, this is a style of singing used in opera and oratorio for

dialogue and some narrative which is more closely related to dramatic speech

in pitch and rhythm than to song. Two main types exist: (1) recitative

accompagnato or stromentato which is expressive and accompanied by the

orchestra and (2) recitative secco which has only an occasional broken chord

from the harpsichord or 'cellos (sometimes with the bass line reinforced by the

double bass) and this was the accepted style in 18th and l9th century operas.

@595 recueilli (Fr. )\Meditative, collected.

@596 redundant entry\In a fugue, this term describes an extra voice in the initial

entries or exposition.

@597 reel\A fast dance for two or more couples in 2/4 or 4/4 time, found mainly

in Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and North America.

@598 refrain\A recurring section of a song (both words and music) at the end of

each stanza.

@599 register\(1) The division of compass of a singer's voice (e.g. chest register

and head register). Also applied to the compass of an instrument (e.g. the

chalumeau register of the clarinet); (2) A set of organ pipes controlled by one

particular stop.

@600 rejouissance (Fr., 'enjoyment')\This title is sometimes found in spirited

movements in suites of the baroque period.

@601 related\Describes the harmonic relationships of keys (e.g. G major is

closely related to D major (its dominant) since there is only the difference of

one sharp. See also relative.

@602 relative\This term refers to each key signature being shared by two keys

(e.g. A minor is the 'relative' minor of C major since they both have no sharps

or flats in the key signature. D major is the relative major of B minor since

both keys have two sharps in the key signature.

@603 repeat\A restatement of a section of a composition usually indicated by

repeat marks which consist of a pair of dots and a double bar. When the

performer reaches these repeat marks, he then plays from the previous pair of

dots, or if there are none, from the beginning.

@604 repetiteur (Fr.)\The coach, usually in an opera house, who teaches singers

their parts. The repetiteur may also give them cues during the performance.

@605 replica (It.)\Repeat.

@606 repetition (Fr.) Rehearsal. Repetition General is the dress rehearsal, often

given before a full, but invited audience, in continental opera houses.

@607 replica (It.)\Repeat.

@608 reprise (Fr.)\(1) Repeat; (2) The recapitulation in sonata form; (3) The

return to the first section after contrasting music in the second section in

binary form.

@609 resolution\In harmony this is the progression from a discord to a concord.

@610 respond, responsory\A plainsong chant sung by a chorus alternating with

solo verse(s).

@611 rest\A silence in a performer's part indicated by symbols corresponding to

certain beats.

@612 retardation\In harmony this is a suspension which resolves upwards not

downwards.

@613 retenu (Fr.)\Held back.

@614 retrograde motion\A theme which is played backwards. This device was

prominent in the Middle Ages in fugues and in 20th century serial music.

Retrograde inversion describes a theme played backwards and upside-down.

@615 rezitativ (Ger.)\Recitative.

@616 rf, rfz\Abbreviations of rinforzando.

@617 rh\Abbreviation for right hand.

@618 rhapsody\A title given by l9th and 20th century composers to describe

works generally in one continuous movement suggestive of neroic, national or

other romantic inspiration.

@619 riddle canon\A canon in which the cornposer leaves the performer to

decide where and at what pitch the following voices make their entries.

@620 rigadoon (Eng.), rigaudon (Fr.)\A lively old French dance in 2/4 or 4/4

time.

@621 rin\Abbreviation of rinforzando.

@622 rinforzando (It.)\Reinforcing. A sudden strong accent on notes or chords.

Similar to sforzando.

@623 ripieno (It.)\In the old concerto grosso, the ripieno indicates the full body

of performers as opposed to the solo group (concertino). Scnza ripieni

indicates that the first desks only of the accompanying orchestra are to play.

@624 risoluto (It.)\In a resolute manner.

@625 risvegliato (It.)\Animated .

@626 rit\Abbreviation of ritardando.

@627 ritardando (It.)\Becoming slower. Abbreviation is rit.

@628 ritenuto (It.)\Held back (tempo). Sometimes used as an equivalent of

ritardando.

@629 ritmo (It.)\Rhythm.

@630 Ritmo di tre battute\The music is to be performed in three bar groupings,

implying that the music is so fast there is only one beat to the bar.

@631 ritornello (It. 'a little return')\Many meanings, but the following are the

most common. (I) In a concerto, it is a passage for the full orchestra without

the soloist; (2) In the 14th century Italian madrigal, the ritornello is the

closing section; (3) In early opera, it was an instrumental piece.

@632 rococo\This term was taken from French culture in the early 18th century,

but musically the title for rococo is the style galant used by composers

throughout Europe until the late 18th century.

@633 roll\A rapid succession of notes on a drum approximating to a continuous

sound.

@634 romance (Eng. and Fr.), romanze (Ger.), romanza (It.)\The term has been

used widely, but it often implies an intimate and Iyrical piece for voice or

instrument.

@635 romanesca\Evident in the mid-16th and early 17th century, this was a

harmonic bass line used for variations.

@636 romantic music\A l9th century style expressed by writers, painters and by

musicians like Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Rossini and Paganini. Characteristics

are Iyricism, chromatic harmony, an interest in literature, nationalism,

programme music, miniature or character pieces and generally emotional

aspects governing the traditional, formal musical structures.

@637 rondeau (Fr.)\A type of French medieval song of the 13th to15th centuries

with a choral refrain. This French spelling was used in instrumental works of

the baroque period to describe rondo.

@638 rondo (It.)\Generally, an instrumental composition in which one section

recurs at certain times. By the 18th century, a standard pattern had developed

as A B A C A D A, etc. appearing as the last movement of a sonata or

concerto. The recurring theme A is called the rondo theme and B C D, etc.

represent the contrasting sections known as episodes. However, A can be

varied. The combination of sonata form and rondo resulted in sonata rondo

which was much used by Mozart and Beethoven.

@639 root\The lowest or fundamental note of a chord. In the chord C E G, C is

the root and the chord is said to be in root position. If the notes are arranged E

G C, C is still the root, but the chord would be described as being in first

inversion .

@640 rota (Lat., 'wheel')\Occasionally this term is used for the round (e.g. of

Sumer is Icumen In).

@641 round\A short vocal perpetual canon in which voices enter in turn to sing a

melody at the octave or at the same pitch (e.g. Row, row, row your boat).

@642 rubato (It., 'robbed')\An indication to play notes with a controlled

flexibility of time by getting slightly quicker or slower. Much used in l9th

century music.

@643 rumba\A fast, syncopated and suggestive Afro-Cuban dance in 2/4 time,

divided into eight beats. Became popular in the ballroom and jazz in the

1930s.