Meaning

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Music Words Meaning

D

D

In music D is the nominal of the second tone in the model major scale (that in C), or of the fourth tone in the relative minor scale of C (that in A minor), or of the key tone in the relative minor of F.

DACAPO

In music, dacapo means from the beginning. It is a direction to return to, and end with, the first strain and is indicated by the letters D. C.

DAIRE

The daire is a round, single-headed drum found in south-eastern Europe, Asia etc.

DAL SEGNO

In music, dal segno is a direction to go back to an indicated sign and repeat from there to the close.

DANCE

Dance is a rhythmic movement of the body usually performed to music.

DARABUKA

The darabuka is a one-sided hourglass-shaped drum found in North Africa and the Middle East.

DARIUS MILHAUD

Darius Milhaud was a French composer. He was born in 1892 and died in 1974.

DASH

In music, the dash is the sign of staccato, a small mark denoting that the note over which it is placed is to be performed in a short, distinct manner. The term dash is also applied to the line drawn through a figure in the thorough bass, as a direction to raise the interval a semitone.

DEAD MARCH

A dead march is a piece of solemn music intended to be played as an accompaniment to a funeral procession.

DECEPTIVE CADENCE

In music, a deceptive cadence is a cadence on the subdominant, or in some foreign key, postponing the final close.

DECRESCENDO

In music, decrescendo means with decreasing volume of sound. It is a direction to performers, either written upon the staff (abbreviated Dec., or Decresc.), or indicated by a sign.

DEGREE

In music, a degree is a line or space of the staff. The short lines and their spaces are added degrees.

DEMICADENCE

In music, a demicadence is an imperfect or half cadence, falling on the dominant instead of on the key note.

DEMIQUAVER

A demiquaver is a musical note of half the length of the quaver, a semiquaver.

DEMISEMIQUAVER

A demisemiquaver is a short musical note, equal in time to the half of a semiquaver, or the thirty- second part of a whole note.

DERIVATIVE

In music a derivative is a chord, not fundamental, but obtained from another by inversion; or, vice versa, a ground tone or root implied in its harmonics in an actual chord.

DESCANT

Originally, a descant was a double song; a melody or counterpoint sung above the plain song of the tenor; a variation of an air; a variation by ornament of the main subject or plain song. The term is also applied to the upper voice in a part of music and also to the canto, cantus, or soprano voice. The term has also been used synonymously with counterpoint, or polyphony, which developed out of the French dechant, of the 12th century.

DESCEND

In music, descend means to fall in pitch; to pass from a higher to a lower tone.

DESCENT

In music a descent is a passing from a higher to a lower tone.

DIATONIC

In music, the term diatonic means pertaining to the scale of eight tones, the eighth of which is the octave of the first.

DIATONIC SCALE

In music a diatonic scale is a scale consisting of eight sounds with seven intervals, of which two are semitones and five are whole tones; a modern major or minor scale, as distinguished from the chromatic scale.

DIDJERIDU

A didjeridu is a musical wind instrument developed by the Australian aborigines.

DIESIS

In music a diesis is a small interval, less than any in actual practice, but used in the mathematical calculation of intervals.

DIETRICH BUXTEHUDE

Dietrich Buxtehude was a Danish composer. He was born in 1637 and died in 1707. He composed Organ works, vocal music.

DIMINISH

In music diminish means to make smaller by a half step or to make an interval less than minor; for example a diminished seventh.

DIMINUENDO

In music diminuendo means in a gradually diminishing manner. That is with abatement of tone or decrescendo. It is expressed on the staff by Dim., or Dimin., or a sign.

DIMINUTION

In music, a diminution is the imitation of, or reply to, a subject, in notes of half the length or value of those the subject itself within the counterpoint.

DIMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH

Dimitri Shostakovich was a Russian composer. He was born in 1906 and died in 1975. He composed Symphonies, Lady Macbeth of the District Mzensk.

DISCORD

In music a discord is a union of musical sounds which strike the ear harshly or disagreeably, owing to the incommensurability of the vibrations which they produce. The term is hence applied to a want of musical concord or harmony; a chord demanding resolution into a concord.

DISJUNCT TETRACHORDS

In music, disjunct tetrachords are tetrachords so disposed to each other that the gravest note of the upper is one note higher than the acutest note of the other.

DISPERSED HARMONY

A dispersed harmony is a harmony in which the tones composing the chord are widely separated, as by an octave or more.

DITONE

In music, a ditone was the Greek major third, which comprehend two major tones (the modern major third contains one major and one minor whole tone).

DIVERTIMENTO

In music, a divertimento describes a light and pleasing composition.

DIVISION

In music a division is a course of notes so running into each other as to form one series or chain, to be sung in one breath to one syllable.

DJEMBE

The djembe is a one-sided mushroom-shaped drum from the west coast of Africa.

DO

In music, do is a syllable attached to the first tone of the major diatonic scale for the purpose of solmization, or solfeggio. It is the first of the seven syllables used by the Italians as manes of musical tones, and replaced, for the sake of euphony, the syllable Ut, applied to the note C. In England and America the same syllables are used by many as a scale pattern, while the tones in respect to absolute pitch are named from the first seven letters of the alphabet.

DOLCE

In music, dolce means softly, sweetly and with a soft, smooth, and delicate execution.

DOLCINO

The dolcino was a small bassoon.

DOLOROSO

In music, doloroso is a directive to play a piece in a plaintive or pathetic manner.

DOMENICO CIMAROSA

Domenico Cimarosa was one of the earlier Italian operatic composers. He was born in 1749 and died in 1801 at Venice.

DOMENICO SCARLATTI

Domenico Scarlatti was an Italian composer. He was born in 1685 at Naples and died in 1757.

DOMINANT

Dominant is the name given to the fifth note of a diatonic scale.

DONATELLO

Donatello (Donato Di Nicolo Di Betto Bardi) was an Italian sculptor. He was born in 1386 at Florence and died in 1466. Donatello was an Italian opera composer. He was born in 1797 and died in 1848.

DORIAN MODE

The Dorian mode was the first of the authentic church modes or tones, from D to D, resembling our D minor scale, but with the B natural.

DOTTED NOTE

In music, a dotted note is a note followed by a dot to indicate an increase of length equal to one half of its simple value; thus, a dotted semibreve is equal to three minims, and a dotted quarter to three eighth notes.

DOTTED REST

In music a dotted rest is a rest lengthened by a dot in the same manner as a dotted note.

DOUBLE

Double is an old musical term for a variation, as in Bach's Suites.

DOUBLE COUNTERPOINT

In music a double counterpoint is that species of counterpoint or composition, in which two of the parts may be inverted, by setting one of them an octave higher or lower.

DOUBLE OCTAVE

In music, a double octave is an interval composed of two octaves, or fifteen notes, in diatonic progression.

DOUBLE-BASS

The double-bass or violone is the largest instrument of the bass-viol kind, having three or four strings tuned an octave below those of the violoncello, and traditionally played with a bow. The double-bass was probably invented by Gaspar di Salo in 1580, and was a particular feature of certain 1950s Rock and Roll bands, who plucked it rather than played it with a bow.

DOUBLE-TONGUING

Double-tonguing is a peculiar action of the tongue employed by flute players in articulating staccato notes. The term also describes the rapid repetition of notes in cornet playing.

DRIVING NOTE

In music a driving note is a syncopated note. That is a tone begun on a weak part of a measure and held through the next accented part, thus anticipating the accent and driving it through.

DRONE

In music a drone is a monotonous bass, as in a pastoral composition.

DRUM

A drum is a musical instrument of percussion, consisting either of a hollow cylinder, over each end of which is stretched a piece of skin or vellum, to be beaten with a stick; or of a metallic hemisphere (as in a kettledrum) with a single piece of skin to be so beaten. The drum is the common instrument for marking time in martial music; one of the pair of tympani in an orchestra, or cavalry band.

DRURY LANE THEATRE

The Drury Lane Theatre is an historic English theatre in London's West End. The first theatre on the site, the Theatre Royal, opened in 1663. As theatres often did in those days, it burned down nine years later, but was rebuilt again in 1874. From 1746 to 1776, Garrick was the resident star and co- manager. Richard Brinsley Sheridan succeeded Garrick as manager, and several of his plays were produced there. The theatre burned down again in 1809, was rebuilt in 1812. During the 1800s it was occasionally home to famous stars like Edmund Kean and George MacReady. In the latter 1800s it was associated with spectacular melodramas and stage machinery. Since the 1920s it has featured big, Broadway-style musicals.

DUET

A duet is a musical composition for two performers (a duo), whether vocal or instrumental.

DUETTINO

A duettino is a duet of short extent and concise form.

DULCIANA

A dulciana is a sweet-toned stop of an organ.

DULCIMER

The dulcimer was a musical instrument consisting of a resonance-board over which wires were stretched, these being struck by hammers held by the performer. The instrument was known to the Persians and Arabs and used in Hungary where it was called a czimbalom.

DUR

In music, dur means major as in the major mode for example C dur, meaning C major.

DUX

Dux is the scholastic name for the theme or subject of a fugue, the answer being called the comes, or companion.

DYNAMICS

Dynamics is the department of musical science which relates to the power of tones.