Born: November 22, 1710, WeimarDied: July 1, 1784, Berlin (age 73)
glossary
adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
allegretto—moderately quick tempo. slower than allegro but faster than andante
allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
assai—very much. Intensifies the direction of its neighboring words, e.g. "allegro assai", very fast
chamber music, Kammermusik [G], musique de chambre [F], musica da camera [I], musica cameralis [L]—"Classical Music" for a small ensemble, generally 8 or fewer players with a canonical emphasis on 3-6 players. explore
continuo, basso continuo, b.c., figured bass, thorough bass, basse chifrée—During the Baroque Era, a term for an improvised (realized) instrumental accompaniment specified by a symbolic notation for chords and a written bass line (i.e. figured bass). A continuo "part" usually implies multiple (but typically unspecified) instruments, e.g. one for a strong bass line (e.g. cello) and another for chords (e.g. lute, keyboard, organ). A continuo part may be realized by keyboard alone, and sometimes played by a bass melody instrument alone (without harmonies). wiki
molto [It]—very much
sonata, sonate, suonato—a complicated term. Originally, "sounded" rather than "sung" (sonar vs. cantar), e.g. instrumental music. According to historical period, sonata began to imply a formal plan of movements as well as the structure within a single movement, e.g. sonata form. In general usage as a work title, it designates a multi-movement piece for solo or duo instruments with one of the instruments enjoying a feature role.
trio sonata, sonate en trio, sonata a tre—one of the chief forms of chamber music in the Baroque era. Trio indicates three components: 2 soloists and continuo (accompaniment). Typically comprises four movements in one of many specific plans.