Born: March 11, 1897, Menlo Park, CADied: December 10, 1965, Shady, NY (age 68)
glossary
allegro [I]—fast, lively tempo. From the Italian word for cheerful or gay.
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
dialogo [I], dialogue [F,E], dialogisch [G]—dialogue, conversation, discussion, e.g. a musical setting featuring a balanced, two-part exchange
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
rondo—sectional movement form featuring a recurring refrain between contrasting episodes in a variety of plans, a typical one being ABACABA (A is the refrain; B and C are episodes). Often used for finales.
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.
sostenuto [I], soutenu [F]—sustained, perhaps a bit slow