Dictionary: I - J

I
@277 idee fixe (Fr., 'fixed idea')\Berlioz' term for motto theme which means a

recurring theme in a composition used (e.g. in his Symphonie Fantastique).

@278 idyll\A literary term for a work of pastoral or peaceful nature and

transferred to music (e.g. Siegfried Idyll by Wagner).

@279 illustrative music\Descriptive music evoking a poem, novel, play, painting

emotion or other non-musical source. More common term is programme

music.

@280 imitation\A device in part-writing in which one voice repeats (or

approximately repeats) a musical figure previously stated by another voice.

Canon and fugue employ imitation with strict rules.

@281 imperfect cadence\See cadence.

@282 impresslonlsm\Term borrowed from painting, describing the works of

Monet, Degas, etc. and transferred to music referring to the atmospheric music

of Debussy and Ravel. A famous example is Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune

by Debussy evoking the imagery of Mallarme's symbolist poem.

@283 impromptu\A short composition of improvisatory nature usually for piano.

Schubert and Chopin wrote in this style.

@284 improvisation or extemporization\The art of spontaneous composition of

music in performance. This may take the form of ornamentaion, variation of a

song or theme, or completely new material. Improvisation is great]y used in

jazz.

@285 incidental music\Properly, music to be performed during the action of a

play. However, the term also includes overtures and interludes.

@286 inciso (It.)\Incisive.

@287 indeterminacy\A modernistic principal since 1945 of leaving elements of

performance to pure chance (see aleatoric music) or letting performers decide

when to play certain passages. Berio, Cage and Stockhausen used this concept

in their compositions.

@288 infinite canon\A neverending canon popularly known as a round (e.g.

Three Blind Mice).

@289 inglese (It.)\English.

@290 in modo di (It.)\In the style or manner of.

@291 innig (Ger.)\Intimate, heartfelt.

@292 instrumentation\Composing music for particular instruments. This term is

used with reference to the composer's skill and knowledge of selecting

instruments which sound well or are unusual, etc.

@293 interlude\(I) Music inserted between other pieces of music (e.g. organ

passages between hymn verses); (2) Music inserted between acts of plays or

other non-musical events.

@294 intermede (Fr.)\Same as intermezzo.

@295 intermezzo (It., 'something in the middle')\(I) An instrumental piece in

opera, i.e. performed while the stage is empty; (2) A short concert piece.

Brahms wrote in this style.

@296 interrupted cadence\See cadence.

@297 invention\A title used byJ.S. Bach for contrapuntal two-part compositions

for clavier. Bach called three-part compositions sinfonie but they are now also

referred to as inventions.

@298 inversion\The turning upside-down of a chord or single melody (by

applying intervals in opposite directions) or two melodies in counterpoint by

the upper melody becoming the lower and vice-versa. This last method is

called invertible counterpoint.

@299 ionian mode\The mode which, on the white keys of the piano, is

represented from C to C (same as C major scale).

@300 isorhythmic (Gk ., 'equal-rhythmed')\A device used in motets around 1300-

1450 in which the rhythmic pattern is repeated according to a strict scheme.

This usually occurs in the tenor line in which the rhythm is repeated several

times in diminishing note values.

@301 istesso tempo (It.)\At the same tempo.

@302 Italian overture\An orchestral work revealing a literary or pictorial element

in three movements, quick-slow-quick, from which the symphony evolved.

The French overture has slow-quick-slow movements.

@303 Italian sixth\A type of augmented sixth chord (e.g. A flat, C and F sharp)

distinguished by having a major triad and no other note between the notes

forming the sixth.

@304 jodel\A moderately fast Spanish dance in 3/4 time accompanied by

castanets .