- SATB
The standard abbreviation for the four voice parts: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass.
- Staff / System
The lines music is written on / A group of staves sung at the same time, the SATB parts often shown about the left- and right-hand of the piano parts.
- Measure (Bar)
The space between two vertical lines that groups beats together.
- Unison
When everyone sings the exact same pitch at the same time.
- A Cappella
Singing without any instrumental accompaniment, literally Italian for in the chapel.
- Coda
The concluding passage of a piece; the “final tail” of the music.
- Dal Segno (D.S.)
An instruction to go back to the “sign” (a stylized S symbol) and repeat from there, often before going to the coda.
- Key Signature
The group of sharps or flats at the start of each staff that tells you which scale to use.
- Repeat Sign
Double bar lines with two dots indicating that the section of music should be performed again.
- Time Signature
The two numbers at the start of a piece (e.g., 4/4) that tell you how many beats are in each measure.
- Da Capo (D.C.)
An instruction to return to the very beginning (the “head” or top) of the piece.
- Clef
The symbol at the start of the staff (Treble or Bass) that fixes the pitch of the notes.
- Interval
The gap between notes in terms of their pitch, how much higher or lower one note is than another. We have a detailed article about
musical intervals.
- Score
The complete script of the music, showing all voice parts and instrumental accompaniments together. We have a more detailed article about
musical notation.
- Tempo
The speed of the music.
- Allegro / Andante / Adagio
Fast / Moderate “walking” pace / Slow.
- Ritardando (rit.)
Gradually slowing down the speed, common at the end of a piece of music or before a rousing chorus.
- A Tempo
Instruction to return to the original speed (usually after a ritardando).
- Moderato
A medium or moderate tempo, faster than Andante but slower than Allegro.
- Accelerando (accel.)
The opposite of a ritardando; gradually getting faster and faster.
- Largo
A very slow and broad tempo, even slower than Adagio.
- Presto
Very fast; a speed quicker than Allegro.
- Beat
The steady pulse of the music that you might tap your foot to.
- Rubato
“Robbed time”; a flexible approach to tempo where the musical director pulls and pushes the tempo for expressive effect.
- Syncopation
Rhythms that place the accent on the “weak” beats or between the beats. You can think of it as making the piece sound jazzier or funkier, but it also applies to classical and other genres.