Born: February 17, 1653, FusignanoDied: January 8, 1713, Rome (age 59)
glossary
allemande, allemanda, allemand, almain, almaine, alman—In the Renaissance/Baroque eras, a moderately slow, serious dance usually in duple meter and binary form. Often the first movement of suite. From the French word for "German." Later usage (e.g. Haydn, etc.) might suggest more generally "in a German style", e.g. a folk dance, perhaps even lively and in a triple meter like a Ländler.
andante [I]—moderately slow tempo (e.g. walking). Faster than adagio but slower than allegretto
camera [I], da camera, per camera—room; chamber. Used in "Sonata da camera" to distinguish a "chamber" sonata from a "church" sonata (Sonata da chiesa). A chamber sonata tends to include dance movements whereas a church sonata emphasizes counterpoint. Such distinctions are often quite blurry in practice.
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
gavotte, gavotta—Originally a French folk dance that became a courtly dance with Louis XIV and subsequently used in Baroque suites. Moderate tempo in duple rhythm often beginning on an upbeat in a pick-up measure.
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
prelude, prélude, präludium [G], präludien [G, pl], praeludium, preludio—a movement preceding another almost by way of introduction: to let listeners and players acclimate, often to prepare for greater demands ahead
prestissimo—as fast as possible
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.