Hello everyone. In this column, I wanted to talk about a topic that I think will help you a lot and make you feel that you are not that far from the subject.
What are these terms and some words that we hear in music?
Symphony, allegro, sonata, concerto…
Ugh, that sounds cool but is it actually that complicated? This information that will be useful in your circle of friends will also help you make sense of what is written in the concert brochure in your hand at concerts. (Mostly Italian music terms) In a way, I am presenting you with a small “Dictionary of Musical Terms” in this article.
So let’s start. And from the very beginning!
I wanted to start by looking for an answer to the question “What is Music?” Music is, in its simplest form, the arrangement of notes in a way that is pleasing to the ear and creating melodies.
Although it is sometimes difficult to define what kind of music will be pleasing to the ear (personal tastes etc.), we can talk about its creation within a certain musical structure and harmonic system in general terms.
Harmony is the combination of two or more sounds. We can say that harmony is the mathematics of music. The use of certain chords together, major-minor intervals and chords consisting of at least three notes make music almost three-dimensional even on paper.
Rhythm is the pulse of music. It is the combination of various musical elements that make you accompany while listening, clap your hands, and keep the tempo with your feet. These musical elements also have names on the notes that determine the rhythm patterns and the speed at which they will be played. Here are a few of them;
| ADAGİO | Ağır Bir Tempo/Slow Pace |
| LENTO | Yavaşça/Slowly |
| LARGO | Ağır ve Görkemli/Heavy and Majestic |
| MODERATO | Orta Hızda/At Medium Speed |
| ANDANTE | Sakin Bir Tempoda/At a Calm Pace |
| ALLEGRO | Canlı ve Hızlı/Lively and Fast |
| PRESTO | Çok Hızlı/Very Fast |
Melody; we can say that the notes are meaningfully formed, you can hum them and thus the parts of the pieces that remain in your memory.
Dynamics in music refers to sound levels. I will give examples of a few of these levels below. Musicians play the music according to these signs written on the note (specified by the composer) and a music that is not static, expressed with ups and downs like in human speech emerges.
| p | Hafif/Light | Piano |
| pp | Çok Hafif/Very Light | Piannissimo |
| mf | Orta Kuvvetli/Medium Strong | Mezzo-Forte |
| f | Kuvvetli/Strong | Forte |
| ff | Çok Kuvvetli/Very Strong | Fortissimo |
Concerto; is a piece written for a solo instrument played with an orchestra. Usually, the soloist instrument is in front of the orchestra. While the orchestra plays in certain parts of the piece (we call this accompanying), in other parts only the soloist instrument or the orchestra and soloist play together. Concerto is a musical piece composed to show the soloist’s skill on his instrument. And it is often included in concert repertoires.
Repertoire; when you hear this word, you may think of a list of pieces that musicians will play in a concert. For example, if you say “this piece is not in my repertoire”, it means that this is not among the pieces that that person can play. However, if you hear the word “Piano Repertoire” in a documentary, it may mean the pieces that piano players (the most common pieces played on the piano) play most frequently.
Symphony; is a long musical genre composed for orchestras. It became widespread with the Classical period and usually consists of 4 movements.
1. Allegro (Andante-Allegro)
2. Andante (Adagio)
3. Menuetto and Trio
4. Finale (Allegro-Presto)
Sonata; It is a musical work written for one or more instruments that emerged in the Classical period and usually consists of three or four movements. Mozart Sonatas, Beethoven Sonatas can be good examples for you to listen to.
Zeynep Bulgulıu Asrar
Professional Music Educator / Musician
