Dictionary of musical concepts starting with A

Concept	Level	Listen	Definition
A A B A	Int 1	You don't have the latest version of Adobe Flash Player. Why not download and install the latest version now?	Four sections. See Ternary and Binary.
AB	Int 1		Two-part form. See Ternary and Binary. Listen to an example played on Accordion.
A B A	Int 1		Three-part form. See Ternary and Binary. Listen to an excerpt from a da capo aria which shows the change from section A to B.
A cappella	Int 2		Unaccompanied choral singing. The example is an excerpt from an anthem from the Renaissance period by Orlando Gibbons.
Accelerando	Int 1		The music gradually becomes faster. Compare Rallentando.
Accented	Acc 3		Notes which sound louder than others.
Acciaccatura	H		An ornament which sounds like a crushed note played very quickly on the beat or just before it.
Accompanied	Acc 3		Other instrument(s) or voice(s) supports the main melody. Listen to solo voice accompanied by a piano.
Accordion	Acc 3		An instrument with a keyboard in which sounds are produced by squeezing bellows with the arms. Popularly called a squeeze box. See Scottish dance band.
Acoustic guitar	Acc 3		A guitar which does not require an electric amplifier to produce sound. Listen to an acoustic guitar playing a solo accompanied by another guitar.
Added 6th	H		Root, 3rd and 5th of a chord with the 6th added. This chord is used frequently in jazz and popular music.
Air	H		English for Aria. Song or simple melody, sometimes the title of a movement of a suite.
Alberti bass	Int 2		Broken chords played by the left hand outlining harmonies whilst the right hand plays the melody. Classical composers such as Haydn and Mozart used this technique extensively in their piano music.
Aleatoric	Int 2		The elements of chance in music, where the players have some freedom as to the choice of pitch and rhythm, etc. No two performances are exactly the same.
Alto (voice)	Int 1		The lowest female voice.Compare Soprano, Mezzo soprano, Tenor, Baritone, Bass.
Anacrusis	Int 1		The notes which appear before the first strong beat of a musical phrase particularly at the start of a piece. It sounds as an upbeat. This example is from from a Scottish folk song.
Answer	Acc 3		A reply to a musical question. See Question. Listen to a question and answer.
Anthem	H		Short sacred choral piece sung in English. Sometimes sung by a choir unaccompanied (A cappella) and sometimes accompanied by organ and featuring solo parts. The anthem is the Protestant equivalent of the Motet.
Antiphonal	H		Dialogue between voices or instruments - one group of voices or instruments answers the other. Listen to this marigal in antiphonal style.
Appoggiatura	H		An ornament which sounds like a leaning note. It takes half the value of the main note which follows it or two-thirds if the main note is dotted.
Arco	Int 2		Instruction given to string players to use a bow. This term might be given to players after a passage using pizzicato. See Pizzicato.
Aria	Int 2		A song in an opera, oratorio or cantata with orchestral accompaniment.
Arpeggio	Int 1		Notes of a chord played one after the other - spread out.
Ascending	Acc 3		Notes which rise in pitch. Compare Descending. Listen to the orchestral excerpt.
Atonal	Int 2		No feeling of key, major or minor. Very dissonant. A feature of some 20th-century music.
Augmentation	H		An increase in the length of notes. The music will sound slower when imitated or repeated.
Augmented chord	H		This chord is formed by a major triad in which the 5th degree is raised by a semitone.