Musical Pieces: English Vocabulary List

a movement or composition intended to be played at a slow tempo

"Slow adagio movement."

"The orchestra played the slow adagio movement beautifully during the concert yesterday."

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."

a musical composition with an improvised style that does not have a fixed form

"Fantasia is free form."

"Fantasia is a free form musical composition that is not bound by standard structures."

a classical piece of music with one or two simple repeated themes that develop into a polyphonic pattern which is more sophisticated

"They played a fugue."

"Bach wrote many famous fugues."

the third month of the year, after February and before April

"The flowers start to bloom in March when spring arrives."

"The weather in March can be unpredictable because winter slowly turns into spring."

a musical piece or poem appropriate to or influenced by the dawn or early morning

"Aubade is dawn love poem."

"The aubade was a poem about lovers parting at dawn often mourning the arrival of daylight that would separate them."

a musical composition resembling or including a harmonized Lutheran hymn or psalm

"Chorale is hymn tune."

"A chorale is a hymn tune of the German Lutheran Church typically sung in four part harmony."

a piece of instrumental music with light character in various movements, usually written for a small orchestra

"Divertimento is light music."

"Divertimento is a light and entertaining instrumental composition from the Classical era."

an instrumental composition that is usually short and is intended for practice or demonstration of a skill

"She played a piano etude by Chopin."

"She practiced a difficult piano etude every day to improve her technique."

a short instrumental piece that is performed between the acts of an opera or other musical performance

"Intermezzo is short piece."

"An intermezzo is a short light musical piece often performed between the acts of an opera."

a musical piece that is intended to be performed at a very slow tempo and in a serious manner

"Largo means very slow."

"Largo is a tempo marking that indicates the music should be played very slow and broad."

a set of musical pieces that are performed or sung successively in a continuous tune

"Medley combines songs."

"A medley is a piece of music made up of passages from other songs arranged one after another."

a romantic or dreamy composition written for the piano, dealing with night or evening

"Nocturne evokes night."

"A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by or evocative of the night."

a musical piece or collection that is written by a famous composer followed by the date in which it was created

"Bach's famous opus."

"Beethoven wrote a very famous opus that is still played today all over the world."

a lengthy musical composition with a religious theme based on the Bible written for orchestra, choirs and singers without using costumes, action, or any scenery

"Oratorio is religious drama."

"An oratorio is a large musical work for orchestra choir and soloists that tells a religious story without costumes or staging."

a piece of traditional Indian music marked by intervals and melodic patterns, used for improvisation

"Raga is Indian melody framework."

"Raga is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music consisting of a specific set of notes and characteristic phrases."

an instrumental composition marked with irregular form and improvisation, expressing strong emotions

"The piano played a rhapsody."

"A rhapsody is an episodic yet integrated instrumental composition of an irregular form suggesting the free expression of extemporaneous"

a light and short instrumental piece of music in rapid triple time that is usually part of a symphony or sonata

"Scherzo is playful fast movement."

"A scherzo is a lively often humorous movement that replaced the minuet in symphonies and sonatas."

a short and particular piece of music associated with a specific program or performer

"Signature tune identifies show."

"A signature tune is a short piece of music that identifies a particular television or radio program."

a musical composition for a solo instrument, typically accompanied by piano, in 3 or 4 movements of contrasting keys

"Sonata has multiple movements."

"A sonata is a musical composition for a solo instrument often with piano accompaniment usually in three or four movements."

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 piece of music in one movement that is intended for symphony orchestra, telling a story or describing a place or an idea

"Tone poem tells story."

"A tone poem is a piece of orchestral music that tells a story or paints a scene."

a piece of music traditionally played during a wedding ceremony

"Wedding march accompanies procession."

"A wedding march is a piece of music played as the bride walks down the aisle or when the couple leaves the ceremony."

a short introduction to a literary or musical composition

"Intro opens the song."

"The intro is the opening section of a song that leads into the main melody."

a composition for piano and orchestra, featuring a solo piano part with orchestral accompaniment

"Piano concerto features piano."

"A piano concerto is a musical composition for solo piano accompanied by an orchestra usually in three movements."

a musical composition typically from the Baroque period, featuring a small group of solo instruments contrasted with a larger ensemble

"Concerto grosso has small group."

"Concerto grosso is a Baroque form where a small group of soloists contrasts with the full orchestra."