Music: English Vocabulary List

having a pleasing, musical sound

"The song is melodic."

"The melodic songbird woke her up every morning with its beautiful singing and she looked forward to hearing it as she drank her first cup of coffee."

a long and sophisticated musical composition written for a large orchestra, in three or four movements

"The symphony played beautiful music."

"The orchestra played a beautiful symphony that moved many people in the audience to tears."

a musical composition that is written for one or more solo instruments and accompanied by an orchestra with three movements

"He loves the concerto."

"The violinist performed a breathtaking concerto, showcasing her incredible skill and emotional depth with the orchestra."

someone whose profession is to write the words of a song, or lyrics

"The lyricist wrote words for the song."

"The lyricist wrote the words for the song while his partner composed the music for the melody."

someone who plays the saxophone

"Jazz saxophonist played."

"The jazz saxophonist played a beautiful solo during the concert last night."

someone who is highly skilled at playing a musical instrument

"She is a virtuoso."

"The violin virtuoso amazed the audience."

the main female singer in an opera or opera company

"Famous prima donna sang."

"The famous prima donna sang the leading role in the opera with great emotion."

the musical support provided by one or more instruments or voices to enhance or complement a soloist or main melody

"Piano accompaniment perfect."

"She sang beautifully with piano accompaniment by her music teacher during the concert."

a long, elaborate song that is melodious and is intended for a solo voice, especially in an opera

"Beautiful opera aria."

"The soprano sang a very beautiful and emotional aria that moved the entire audience to tears."

any musical instruments that can produce sound when its strings are touched or struck

"The violin is a classic and highly expressive string instrument."

"A string instrument creates sound by the vibration of a tensioned string"

a musical instrument that produces sound by vibrating air within a tube or pipe, typically made of wood or metal

"The clarinet is a single-reed woodwind instrument."

"A woodwind instrument is not always made of actual wood today"

a woodwind double-reed instrument with a long tubular body and holes and keys on top

"She plays oboe well."

"She plays the oboe beautifully in the school orchestra every single week."

an ancient wind instrument shaped like an egg with holes in its body that are covered with the fingers

"Small ceramic ocarina."

"The musician played a lovely melody on his small ceramic ocarina during the performance."

a small, four-stringed musical instrument resembling a guitar, originating from Hawaii

"Hawaiian ukulele sound."

"He learned to play happy songs on his Hawaiian ukulele during the summer vacation."

a wind instrument with a reed and several sticks, played by squeezing a bag and blowing through one of its pipes, originated from Scotland

"The bagpipe played a tune."

"The sound of the bagpipe echoed through the valley as the piper played a traditional Scottish lament."

an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact, controlled by hand movements near two antennas that manipulate electromagnetic fields to produce sound

"Strange theremin instrument."

"The theremin is an electronic musical instrument played without physical contact."

an early keyboard instrument resembling a piano in which the strings are plucked rather than being hit with a hammer

"The harpsichord was popular in Baroque music."

"The harpsichord was a popular keyboard instrument during the Baroque period before the piano was invented."

a box-like musical instrument that is held in both hands and is played by squeezing and stretching it while pressing its keys

"She plays the accordion."

"The accordion added a lively sound to the traditional music performance."

a woodwind instrument of the oboe family consisting of a long wooden tube and a double reed

"He played the bassoon."

"The rich, deep tone of the bassoon added a unique and resonant quality to the orchestral performance."

a type of piano equipped with a mechanism that allows it to play music automatically

"Old player piano."

"The old player piano played music automatically using punched paper rolls many years ago."

an auditory experience created by the combination of musical and non-musical sounds within a particular area or context

"Urban soundscape created."

"The artist created an interesting soundscape using recordings of city noises and nature sounds."

a subgenre of jazz marked by its infectious, propulsive rhythm, prominent use of brass and woodwind instruments, and its association with the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s

"Classic swing music played."

"We danced to classic swing music from the 1940s at the retro party last night."

an electronic device that strengthens electrical signals or causes sounds to get louder

"The amplifier makes sound louder."

"The amplifier increased the sound of the guitar during the live concert performance"

vocal improvisation where the singer uses nonsense syllables, rhythms, and melodic variations to create spontaneous and rhythmic expressions

"Jazz scat singing."

"The singer performed amazing scat singing during the jazz concert last night."

producing a sharp, powerful sound, typically by hitting or striking something

"The sound is percussive."

"The percussive beat of the drums made the audience move and the dancers performed an energetic routine."

a style of vocal singing in opera and oratorio characterized by a speech-like delivery, used to advance the plot or convey dialogue

"Opera recitative part."

"The recitative in the opera helped advance the story between the main arias."

the act or process of creating written works, such as essays, poems, or music

"Her essay composition was good."

"The composer's latest composition showcased his innovative approach to orchestral arrangements."

the music composed for a movie

"The score was good."

"The haunting score perfectly complemented the emotional arc of the film's narrative."

an arrangement of a series of musical notes with specified intervals, in ascending or descending pitch order

"The scale went up."

"The pianist practiced ascending and descending the C major scale with fluid and accurate fingerwork."

having a pleasing, musical sound

"The tune is melodic."

"The melodic line of the song was simple but beautiful and easy to remember."

having blended sounds or tones that combine in a pleasing way

"The sound is harmonic."

"The harmonic chords blended together perfectly and created a rich and full sound."

a musical composition that is specifically written for two violins, a viola, and a cello, and typically consists of four movements

"String quartet performed well."

"The famous string quartet performed classical music beautifully in the old concert hall."

a singer or musician who performs alone

"Talented young soloist."

"The talented soloist received a standing ovation after her incredible performance on stage."

(of a sound) having tones that clash or sound unpleasant together

"Dissonant chords sounded strange."

"The dissonant chords in the music created a sense of tension and unease that made the audience feel uncomfortable and anxious."