Born: September 4, 1892, MarseillesDied: June 22, 1974, Geneva (age 81)
glossary
adagio [It]—slow tempo, often implying a lyrical, poignant character
allegretto—moderately quick tempo. slower than allegro but faster than andante
andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
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
con [I,S]—with
duo, duet, dueto [S], duetto [I], duett [G]—a work for two instruments; the ensemble itself
finale [I], final [F]—The final movement, sometimes explicitly titled thus
moderato [I], moderamente, modéré [F], modérément [F]—moderately, at a moderate tempo, applying a touch of restraint to its related word(s), e.g. allegro moderato
moto, con moto, di moto—motion, with motion. Somewhat more lively than its context would suggest, e.g. "andante con moto", a little more lively than andante
nocturne [F], notturno [I], nocturno, Nachtstück [G]—Night music. A romantic character piece depicting moods of the evening or night: quiet, reflective, perhaps romance and melancholy or even restlessness and fantasy. The most famous nocturnes come originally from the piano literature, e.g. John Field and Chopin, et. al.
opus [L], opera[pl], Op., Opp, WoO, Op. posth—work, as in a work of art. For unique identification, publishers/composers often assign an "opus number", abbreviated as "Op." (e.g. Op. 1). A range of works by opus number, uses the plural "opp." (e.g. "Opp. 1-3"). A single opus number may refer to a collection of works (e.g. a set of quartets) giving rise to designations like "Op. 1, No. 4". For misc. works without opus numbers, "WoO" is often used (e.g."Without Opus"). Posthumously assigned numbers may use "Op. posth". Opus numbers may not precisely reflect chronology (publication vs. composition), can be erroneous, sparse or duplicative. Thus, the works of some historically important composers may use separate catalog numbers (e.g. Bach, Haydn, Schubert). See wiki
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.