Dictionary: S - T

S
@644 saltarello or salterello (It.)\A quick Italian dance in 6/8 time similar to the

tarantella with a characteristic jumping feel to the rhythm. Examples date from

the 14th century.

@645 samba\A quick, highly syncopated Brazilian carnival song danced usually

in 2/4 time in a circle with a standard call and response between lead singer

and chorus. The ballroom version is danced in couples and is more sedate.

@646 sarabande\A slow and stately dance in 3/2 or 3/4 time, usually in binary

form and one of the standard elements of the suite.

@647 sardana (Sp.)\A Catalonian national dance performed to pipes and drums,

often in sections. Similar to the farandole.

@648 satz (Ger.)\A setting. (1) A musical setting; (2) A movement in a

composition; (3) Style (e.g. freier satz, free style; (4) A theme or subject.

@649 scale\A progression of single notes in ascending or descending order. A

scale may be described as major, minor, chromatic, diatonic, pentatonic,

twelve-note or a mode.

@650 scena (It., 'stage' or 'scene')\(1) A scene in an opera consisting of an

extended aria of dramatic nature; (2) A dramatic concert piece for solo voice

with accompaniment.

@651 scherzando (It.)\Playfully, light-hearted.

@652 scherzetto or scherzino (It.)\A short scherzo.

@653 scherzo (It., 'joke')\Generally this is a lively movement, but chiefly

developed by Haydn, Mozart and particularly Beethoven from the symphonic

minuet. Usually it is in 3/4 time in the form A A B A with the B section being

called trio.

@654 schlag (Ger.)\Beat.

@655 schleppen (Ger.)\To drag. Schleppend, dragging.

@656 schluss (Ger.)\End.

@657 schlussel (Ger.)\Clef.

@658 schnell (Ger.)\Fast. Schneller, quicker.

@659 schottische (Ger. plural, 'Scottish')\A popular l9th century ballroom dance

similar to the polka.

@660 schmetternd (Ger., 'blaring' )\An indication to horn players to use a harsh

brassy tone.

@661 schrittmassig or schrittweise (Ger.)\Stepwise, at a walking pace and

equivalent of andante.

@662 schwach (Ger.)\Weak, soft.

@663 schwindend (Ger.)\Dying away, fading.

@664 schwung (Ger.)\Swing. Schwungvol, spirited.

@665 scoop\To slide up to a note in singing instead of hitting it accurately.

@666 score\Notated music of all performers' parts combined in an ordered form

in which each part appears vertically above another. A piano score is one in

which all orchestral or even vocal parts are reduced to a piano part. A

miniaturce or pocket score reproduces all parts and details of the full score

but is of a size more suitable for study.

@667 scorrevole (It.)\Scurrying, rapid.

@668 Scotch snap\A rhythmic figure consisting of a short note on the beat

followed by a longer one held until the next beat. Found in Scottish music but

also in other folk music.

@669 Scriabin,Aleksandr\Russian Composer (1872-1915)

@670 sec (Fr., 'dry')\An indication that a note or chord is to be played sharply.

@671 secco \This word is associated with recitative.

@672 secondary dominant\This describes the dominant of the dominant .

@673 segno (It.)\Sign. Dal segno, from the sign. This means the performer must

repeat the passage from the appropriate sign.

@674 segue (It., 'it follows')\An indication that the performer should go straight

on to the next section without a break.

@675 seguidilla (Sp.)\A quick Spanish dance with singing in 3/4 time often with

castanets and similar to the bolero.

@676 sehr (Ger.)\Very.

@677 semitone\The smallest interval commonly used in European music. On the

piano this is represented by the interval between any note and the next note

which may be higher or lower.

@678 semplice (It.)\Simple, simply.

@679 sempre (It.)\Always. Sempre piu mosso, always getting faster.

@680 senza (It.)\Without.

@681 septet\(1) A group of seven performers which may consist of

instrumentalists or singers; (2) A composition for seven performers which, if

for instrumentalists, will have the character of a sonata in several movements.

@682 septuplet\A group of seven notes to be played in the time of 4 or 6.

@683 sequence\Generally, this is a phrase repeated at a higher or lower interval.

A real sequence is one in which the repeated phrase intervals are unaltered. A

tonal sequcnce is one in which the repeated phrase is modified to prevent a

key change.

@684 serenade\A vague term with two main meanings: (1) A romantic love song,

properly performed in the night air accompanied by mandolin or guitar in

order to woo a girl; (2) Evening entertainment (especially 18th century)

comprising a set of instrumental movements for chamber orchestra or wind

group similar to the divertimento. The German equivalent is nachtmusik.

@685 serial music\Also known as twelve-tone music, twelve-note music and

dodecaphonic music. This is a 20th century concept mostly developed by

Schonberg. A twelve-note theme is fixed upon, with each note being used

once. This is known as the tone row or series. Thereafter it can appear in four

main ways: forwards, backwards (retrograde), upside down (inversion), and

upside down and backwards (retrograde inversion). The series can appear and

begin on any one of the twelve pitches and more than one note of the series

can be used simultaneously to form a chord. Serialism mostly forms the basis

of a work, however, and other composers include Berg and Webern. Serialism

is a feature of expressionism.

@686 sextolet\A group of six notes to be peformed in the time of 4.

@687 sfogato(It., 'evaporated')\Light and airy playing. The term was used by

Chopin.

@688 sforzando, sforzato (It.)\With a forced manner (of a note or chord).

Abbreviation is sf.

@689 shake\Alternative name for trill.

@690 shanty\A sailors' work song with solo verses (often of an extemporised

nature) and chorus matching certain rhythmical movements (e.g. pulling a rope

together).

@691 sharp\A rise in pitch which may be a semitone, or a description of someone

singing or playing sharp unintentionally. A double sharp indicates a rising of

the pitch by two semitones.

@692 sight-reading or sight-singing\The reading or singing of music at sight(e.g.

music which has not been seen before). A traditional element in music

examinations.

@693 signature\See key signature and time signature. A signature tune is played

by a dance band or orchestra as a means of identification of a television or

radio programme, etc.

@694 similar motion\Two melodies moving together in the same direction.

@695 simile (It., 'similar')\Indicates that a phrase, etc. is to be performed in the

same manner as the previous one.

@696 simple time\Time in which each beat is divisible by two (e.g. 2/4, 4/4, 3/4

and in which each beat is a quarter note).

@697 sinfonia\Small orchestras currently perform under this name. Originally the

title described an instrumental piece in the baroque era such as the prelude,

overture to an opera, cantata or suite.

@698 sinfonia concertante (It.)\Haydn and Mozart's preferred title to concerto for

an orchestral work with more than one solo parts.

@699 sinfonie or symphonie (Ger.)\Symphony.

@700 sinfonietta (It.)\A shorter, lighter symphony. Also sometimes used as a

performing name for small orchestras.

@701 singspiel (Ger., 'play with singing')\Generally the singspiel is a comic opera

with spoken dialogue in the local dialect instead of recitative. An example is

Mozart's The Magic Flute (1791). In the early l9th century the style combined

with German romantic opera and later came to be known simply as 'German

musical comedy'.

@702 sinistra (It.)\Left hand.

@703 sitz-probe (Ger.)\An opera term for a 'sitting rehearsal' when all performers

sing through the roles while sitting down, with the accompaniments played by

the orchestra.

@704 six-four chord\The chord containing the sixth and fourth intervals from the

bass note. Also known as the second inversion (e.g. the 6/4 chord G C E is the

second inversion of C E G.

@705 sixteenth note\one fourth of a quarter note.

@706 six-three chord\The chord containing the sixth and third intervals from the

bass note. Same as first inversion of a triad.

@707 slentando (It.)\Becoming slower.

@708 slide\Device on some brass instruments, used principally on the trombone,

for altering the length of the tube, and therefore the notes produced.

@709 slur\A curved line grouping notes together, indicating that they be joined

smoothly in performance (eg. sung in one breath or played with one stroke of

the bow, etc.).

@710 smorzando (It.)\Dying away.

@711 soave (It.)\Sweetly, tenderly.

@712 soft pedal\The left foot pedal on a piano lessening the volume.

@713 sol-fa\An English system of notation and sight reading mainly devised by

J.S. Curwen in the 1840s. The notes of the major scale are named in

ascending order: doh, ray, me, fah, soh, lah, te, doh. Doh is the tonic, or

keynote, but is not at any fixed pitch.

@714 solfeggio (It.), solfege (Fr.)\Ear-training by singing exercises to sol-fa

syllables. More advanced forms are sung to vowels known as vocalizzi (lt.) or

vocalises (Fr.).

@715 solo (It., 'alone')\A piece or passage for one performer. A solo concerto is a

concerto for one main performer with the others merely accompanving.

@716 soltanto (It.)\Solely .

@717 sonata\(1) Before 1750 this described any composition for a solo

instrument or for one or more instruments accompanied by continuo and not

in any strict form; (2) Since 1750 (e.g. the classical period onwards) the

sonata became a three or four movement work for solo instrument or for solo

instrument with piano accompaniment. A similar work for three performers

(often two violins and 'cello) is called a trio sonata. A violin sonata or 'cello

sonata, etc. implies a piano accompaniment. The form of the first movement of

the sonata was a feature and it became known as sonata form.

@718 sonata da camera or chamber sonata\The term was applied to a work (e.g.

by Corelli) from the 17th century, written usually for strings and keyboard

background in several contrasting movements resembling dances from a suite

preceded by a prelude.

@719 sonata da chiesa (It., 'church sonata')\Similar to sonata da camera and in

several movements but of a graver nature avoiding dance movements. Mostly

trio sonatas, Corelli's examples have four contrasting movements, slow-fast-

slow-fast .

@720 sonata form\Also called first movement form and compound binary form.

This structure is most used since 1750 for the first movements and sometimes

slow and final movements of a sonata, quartet, symphony or overture. The

form is divided into three distinct sections (sometimes after a slow

introduction). (1) The exposition presents the first main subject in the home

key, and a contrasting second subject in another key, which is generally the

dominant if in a major key, or relative major if in a minor key. A closing

theme is then heard related to the first subject, and brought to an end with a

codetta. (2) The development consists of material already presented but

expanded and developed upon. (3) The recapitulation presents a varied

repetition of the exposition, now influenced by the development section and

ending in the tonic key. The codetta now develops into a coda.

@721 sonata rondo\A combination of sonata form and rondo form. In a rondo the

five sections are A B A C A. In sonata rondo these become A B A C A B plus

coda in which A becomes the first subject, B becomes the second subject and

C becomes the development section. This form was rnuch used by Beethoven.

@722 sonatina (It.), sonatine (Fr.)\A little sonata. Shorter, lighter and generally

easier to play than a sonata.

@723 song cycle\A set of songs performed in its entirety and set to words by a

single poet. Beethoven wrote the first example in 1816. In the romantic era,

however, Schumann and Schubert used traditional German popular song

combined with more imaginative accompaniment to illuminate and interpret

words in a romantic way. An example is Die Winterreisce ('Winter Journey')

composed in 1828 by Schubert.

@724 song form\A title given to the basic A B A form or ternary form as used in

an instrumental slow movement. However, this is rather vague and is best

avoided since not every song is in this form.

@725 sonore (Fr.), sonoro (It.)\With full tone.

@726 sons bouches (Fr.)\Stopped notes on the horn.

@727 sons etouffes (Fr.)\Damped sound. Mostly found in harp music indicating

that the performer should dampen vibrations immediately after plucking, to

produce a 'dry' sound.

@728 sopra (It., 'above')\Usually found in piano music indicating that one hand

has to pass over the other.

@729 soprano\Highest female voice with range approximately extending from

middle C to two octaves above that. Boy trebles can also achieve this range.

The term is also applied to some instruments (e.g. soprano saxophone).

@730 sordino (It.)\Mute. (1) Of a string or wind instrument, con sordino or con

sordini means with mute(s). Senza sordino or senza sordini means without

mutes; (2) In piano playing scnza sordini indicates that dampers are to be

raised and the performer is to use the sustaining, or right pedal. Alternative

and more common term is ped.

@731 sostenuto (It.)\Sustained, in a smooth manner. The sostenuto pedal on the

piano is the middle pedal, only fitted on more expensive instruments. This

enables the performer to select notes he wishes to be sustained.

@732 sotto voce (It.)\Whispered, barely audible. This term is applicable to both

instrumental and vocal music.

@733 soubrette(Fr., 'cunning')\In opera or operetta, this often describes a soprano

singing the role of a shrewd, rather pert servant girl.

@734 soutenu (Fr.)\Sustained and flowing.

@735 speech-song\See sprechgesang.

@736 spianato (It.)\Smooth.

@737 splccato (It.)\Clearly articulated. This term is used in string playing for a

light, staccato touch created by playing with the middle of the bow and a

loose wrist.

@738 spieltenor (Ger.)\A light tenor voice in opera.

@739 spinto (It.)\Urged on, pushed.

@740 spirito, spiritoso (It.)\Spirit, spirited.

@741 spiritual\A type of rcligious Arnerican Negro folksong with a call and

response pattern.

@742 sprechgesang (Ger. )\Speechsong. Voice delivery midway between song

and speech, used mostly by Schonberg although he preferred the terms

sprechstimme (speaking voice), sprechmelodic (speech melody) or rezitation.

@743 stabreim (Ger.)\Alliteration. This term describes the alliterative verse used

by Wagner in his music dramas.

@744 staccato (It., 'detached')\The note is performed shorter than normal. A dash

beneath or above the note indicates that the note is to be played as short as

possible. A dot means the note is to be short. The superlative is staccatissimo.

@745 staff or stave\The set of five horizontal lines and spaces on which music is

written. Leger lines are used for notes above and below the staff.

@746 stark (Ger.)\Loud, strong.

@747 stentando (It.)\Labouring, holding back on each note.

@748 stile (It.)\Style.

@749 stopping\(I) On stringed instruments, this is the placing of the left hand

fingers on the strings to shorten the vibrating length and to raise the pitch.

The terms double stopping, triple stopping, etc. refer to two or three notes

simultaneously being played this way; (2) In horn playing, this is the insertion

of the hand into the bell of the instrument to alter the pitch and tone quality of

a note.

@750 strascinando (It.)\Dragging.

@751 strathspey\A Scottish dance related to the reel with a slower tempo and

characteristic rhythms with four beats to the bar.

@752 strepitoso (It.)\Noisy.

@753 stretto (It.)\Drawn together, close; (1) Indication to quicken pace. (2) In a

fugue, the term describes the overlapping of the entries when the subject

begins in one voice before the preceding entry has finished.

@754 strich (Ger.)\A bow stroke.

@755 stringendo (It., 'tightening')\A heightening of tension in the music which in

effect means an increase in speed.

@756 string orchestra\Solely a string band as opposed to a wind or brass brand,

normally consisting of first and second violins, violas, 'cellos and double

basses.

@757 string quartet\A string group consisting of two violins, viola and 'cello.

@758 stromentato (It.)\Played by instruments.

@759 strophic\Term describes a song which uses the same music for each verse.

@760 stuck (Ger.)\A composition, piece.

@761 study or etude (Fr.)\Music designed to improve a specific branch of

technique by practice. Chopin and Clementi, however, wrote many of artistic

merit.

@762 sturm und drang (Ger., 'storm and stress')\The powerful romantic

expressiveness sweeping Austrian and German music in the 1760s and 1770s

was so called. Especially evident in Haydn's symphonies of that time.

@763 style galant (Fr.), galanter stil (Ger.)\The musical equivalent of the rococo

style in painting. The term described the homophonic but ornamented French

and Italian music between 1730 and 1770 written by Couperin and D.

Scarlatti. It contrasted with the German contrapuntal style.

@764 sub-dominant\The name for the fourth degree of the scale (e.g. F in the

scale of C major) or the triad built on that degree.

@765 subito (It.)\Suddenly.

@766 subject\A group of notes or a theme forming a basic element or idea in a

composition by repetition and development.

@767 sub-mediant\The sixth degree of the scale (e.g. A in the scale of C major)

or a triad built on that degree.

@768 suite (Fr., 'a following')\Commonly describes an instrumental piece in

several movements consisting of a sequence of dances. In the 17th and 18th

centuries, the suite included the characteristic dance forms allemande,

courante, sarabande and gigue. In the mid-18th century, the binary form

feature of the dances was developed into sonata form. The sonata and also the

symphony then became the chief instrumental forms. In the l9th and 20th

centuries the term describes a lighter work than a sonata. A suite may also

describe a set of movements assembled from a ballet or opera score.

@769 suivez (Fr., 'follow')\(1) Go staight on to the next section or movement

without a break; (2) An indication to an accompanist to follow any changes in

tempo made by the soloist.

@770 sul ponticello (It.)\A bowing indication for string players to play near the

bridge to achieve a brittle tone.

@771 sul tasto (It.)\A bowing indication to string players to play near or above

the fingerboard, producing a 'colourless' tone.

@772 supertonic\The second degree of the scale (e.g. D in the scale of C major)

or the triad built on that degree.

@773 sur la touche (Fr.)\Same as sul tasto.

@774 suspension\A harmonic device in which a note in a chord is kept sounding

while another chord is played to form a discord. This discord is resolved by

the prolonged note usually falling or rising to a note forming part of the new

chord.

@775 sustaining pedal\The right pedal on the piano which raises the felt dampers

allowing the strings to vibrate freely.

@776 symphonia\A Greek word taken into Latin and sometimes used in modern

contexts to describe a work equivalent to a symphony.

@777 symphonic poem\Also known as programme music or tone poem, this is a

mid-19th century term introduced by Liszt to describe an orchestral piece

influenced by a non-musical theme (e.g. Iiterature, art or emotions).

@778 symphony\Generally a four movement, serious and large scale sonata-like

orchestral work involving a first movement, second movement, minuet and trio

and finale. The first movement is often in sonata form, and this structure may

also be evident in the slow movement and finale. This four-movement form

became standard around 1760 with Mozart and Haydn but the number of

movements may vary.

@779 syncopation\Emphasis on the off-beat and a characteristic of jazz styles.

T
@780 tablature\The notation in diagrams of guitar chords in pop music.

Previously, it represented a method of notation involving symbols denoting

the positions of the performer's fingers (e.g. for the lute.

@781 tacet (Lat ., 'silent ')\An indication that a performer or instrument has no

part in a particular movement or section.

@782 tafelmusik (Ger., 'table music')\Music suitable for social gatherings (e.g. for

performance after or during a dinner).

@783 talcon (Fr.)\The end of the bow (held by the player).

@784 tango\An Argentinian dance in moderately slow time with syncopated

rhythms, appearing in European and American ballrooms around World War

I.

@785 tanto (It.)\So much. Allegro non tanto, not too fast.

@786 tanz (Ger.)\Dance.

@787 tarantella (It.)\A very fast Italian dance with alternating major and minor

key sections in 6/8 time.

@788 tardo (It.)\Slow.

@789 tedesco (It., 'German')\Alla tedesca, in the German fashion, usually

implying music to be played in the style of a German dance.

@790 tema (It.)\Theme.

@791 temperament\The system of tuning intervals in order to fit them for

practicable performance. The piano, organ and other fixed instruments are

tuned to equal temperament which means that each semitone is made an equal

interval so that (e.g. G sharp and A flat are the same).

@792 tempo (It.)\Time, pace.

@793 temps (Fr.)\Beat.

@794 ten.\Abbreviation of (1) tenor and (2) tenuto.

@795 tenendo (It.)\Sustaining.

@796 teneramente (It.)\Tenderly.

@797 tenor\(1) Adult male voice between bass and alto; (2) Part above the bass

in a four part vocal composition in SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass); (3) In

sacred polyphonic music before 1450, this was the lowest melodic part upon

which the composition was based; (4) A prefix to an instrument (e.g. tenor

saxophone indicating the size between alto and bass).

@798 tenor clef\The C clef on the fourth line.

@799 tenuto (It.)\A held or sustained note (of a single note or chord) where one

might expect to play staccato. Abbreviation is ten.

@800 ternary form\A composition in three sections in the form A B A with the

first section (A) being repeated (not necessarily exactly). B represents a

different middle section.

@801 tessitura (It., 'texture')\The natural compass of a singer's voice, or simply

the compass of a vocal or instrumental part in a composition.

@802 theme\A melodic group of notes forming the basis or chief idea in a

composition by repetition or development. In musical analysis it is equated

with subject. The term theme and variations describes a long musical

statement which is developed.

@803 thorough bass\Same as continuo.

@804 tie\In musical notation this is a line joining two adjacent notes of the same

pitch together, indicating that the first note only should be played but should

be prolonged until the second note's time value is up.

@805 tierce de picardie or picardie third\This is the surprise sounding of a major

third as the final chord in a piece otherwise in the minor key. Common until

the mid-18th century .

@806 time \This describes the basic rhythmical patterns in music (e.g. 6/8 time or

4/4 time). Also march time, waltz time, etc.

@807 time signature\The sign of figures at the beginning of a composition or

section or movement indicating the number and kind of beats to the bar (e.g.

3/4 indicates 3 beats to the bar, with the number 4 signifying that the basic

beat is a quarter note).

@808 toccata (from Italian toccare, 'to touch')\Generally a solo instrumental piece

involving rapid changes of notes to demonstrate the player's touch. Often the

toccata is followed by a fugue (e.g. Toccata and Fugue in D minor).

@809 ton (Fr.)\In various contexts this term may mean either note, tone or key.

@810 ton (Ger.)\Note or sound (not the interval of a tone, i.e. two semitones).

@811 tonada (Sp.)\Tune, air.

@812 Tonadilla\Spanish stage entertainment involving a few singers.

@813 tonal answer\In a fugue, for example, after the first entry has been stated

there is an answer (or second statement at a different pitch). If this answer is

slightly modified to keep the music within a certain key, then this is a tonal

answer and the fugue a tonal fugue. This is the opposite of real answer.

@814 tonality\Observance of a single key. Atonality, lack of key. Polytonality,

the simultaneous use of several keys.

@815 tone\(1) The interval consisting of two semitones (e.g. C to D); (2) The

quality of sound of an instrument.

@816 Tone-row or twelve-tone\Refers to serial or twelve-note music (eg. music

by Schonberg).

@817 tone cluster\A 20th century concept of playing an adjacent group of notes

on a piano simultaneously by applying the forearm, fist or piece of wood to

the keyboard.

@818 tone-colour, timbre (Fr.), lclangfarbe (Ger.)\This is the characteristic

quality of an instrument's or voice's tone. In basic terms it is the quality which

distinguishes a note performed on one instrument compared with the same

note sounded on an other instrument or sung by a voice The tone colour of an

instrument corresponds with the harmonics of that instrument.

@819 tone poem\Same as symphonic poem.

@820 tone row\An ordered melodic theme in serial or 12-tone music.

@821 tonic\The first degree of the scale or a triad built on that degree.

@822 tosto (It.)\Quick, rapid.

@823 tranquillo (It.)\Calm.

@824 transition\(1) A subordinate passage serving as a link to another more

important one. (2) A sudden change of key not going through the normal

procedures referred to as modulation.

@825 transposition\The writing down or performing of music in a different key

from the original.

@826 Transposing instruments\Instruments that produce different notes than

those written in concert pitch.

@827 traurig (Ger.)\Sad.

@828 treble\(1) Treble clef. G clef on the second line; (2) Prefix to an instrument

of high pitch within a family (e.g. treble recorder).

@829 tre corde (It.)\Indication to pianists that the left (soft) pedal is to be

released.

@830 tremblement (Fr.)\Trill.

@831 tremolando (It., 'trembling')\Employing tremolo.

@832 tremolo (It.)\(I) The rapid reiteration of a single note. (2) The rapid

alteration between two or more notes.

@833 tremulant\Organ device of producing a vibrato effect by alternately

increasing and decreasing the wind pressure.

@834 trepak\A lively Cossack dance in 2/4 time.

@835 triad\A three-note chord (e.g. C E G with E and G being a third and fifth

above the lowest note C).

@836 trill\A musical ornament consisting of rapid alternation starting with the

written note and then the note above. In the 17th and 18th centuries the trill

started with the note above and then the note below. Also known as shake.

@837 trinklied (Ger.)\Drinking song.

@838 trio\(1) A vocal or instrumental piece for three performers (e.g. a piano trio

- piano, violin and 'cello); (2) The middle section of a minuet or scherzo.

Originally this was written in three-part harmony and the title remained.

@839 trio sonata\A composition usually for two violins and a 'cello, with a

keyboard playing the bass line and supporting harmonies. Much favoured in

the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

@840 triple concerto\A concerto for three solo instruments with orchestra.

@841 triple counterpoint\Invertible counterpoint in which three parts can be

interchanged, each making a suitable bass for the other.

@842 triple stop\The playing of three notes simultaneously on a stringed

instrument by the placing of the left hand fingers on the strings and

shortening the vibrating length.

@843 triplet\A group of three notes played in the time of 2.

@844 triple time\Time consisting of three beats to the bar (e.g. 3/4, 3/2, 3/8).

@845 triple tonguing\The rapid articulation of T-K-T on a wind instrument. This

is difficult to do on reed instruments.

@846 tritone\The interval of three tones (e.g. F to B).

@847 tronco (It., 'truncated')\A note broken off abruptly especially in vocal

music.

@848 troppo (It.)\Too much.

@849 tuning\set the temperament of an instrument.

@850 turca, alla (It.)\In the Turkish style.

@851 turn\A musical ornament turning around a note starting with the note bove.

@852 tutte le corde (It.)\Indication to pianist to release the left-hand pedal.

@853 tutti (It.)\ Generally this term means 'all the players' (e.g. in a concerto).

The expression is used when the orchestra is playing without the soloist. In

choral works tutti means chorus as opposed to soloists, or full chorus as

opposed to semi-chorus.

@854 twelve note\See serial music.

@855 twelve tone\American term for serial music