Born: September 25, 1906, St. PetersburgDied: August 9, 1975, Moscow (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
duo, duet, dueto [S], duetto [I], duett [G]—a work for two instruments; the ensemble itself
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
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.
piece, pièce [F], stück [G], stücke [pl], pezzo [I], pezzi[pl]—a single-movement, self-sufficient musical work. Often used for short, individual works in a set or simply to indicate brevity without a titular suggestion of form or character.Chiefly contrasted with the term "movement", a piece which is an integral part of a larger whole without which it would be incomplete.
scherzo—lively, brisk, typically in a triple meter; usually a three-part form with central, contrasting trio