Meaning

H

H

In music H is the seventh degree in the diatonic scale. It was formerly used by the Germans for B natural.

HABANERA

The habanera is a slow Cuban dance and song in duple time.

HALF SHIFT

In music a half shift is a position of the hand, between the open position and the first shift, in playing on the violin and kindred instruments.

HALF STEP

In music a half step is a semitone. It is the smallest difference of pitch or interval, used in music.

HARMONIC

A harmonic is a musical note produced by a number of vibrations which is a multiple of the number producing some other; an overtone. Harmonics are secondary and less distinct tones which accompany any principal, and apparently simple, tone, as the octave, the twelfth, the fifteenth, and the seventeenth. The name is also applied to the artificial tones produced by a string or column of air, when the impulse given to it suffices only to make a part of the string or column vibrate.

HARMONIC INTERVAL

In music a harmonic interval is the distance between two notes of a chord, or two consonant notes.

HARMONIC TRIAD

In music a harmonic triad is the chord of a note with its third and fifth.

HARMONICA

The harmonica was originally a musical instrument consisting of glasses tuned by regulating the amount of water in them, and played by running a wet finger around the rim (see copophone). The harmonica was first played by Gluck in 1746. Today the term harmonica refers to a mouth organ played by blowing.

HARMONICHORD

The harmonichord (also known as the piano-violin, violin-piano and the tetrachordon) is a keyed instrument invented by Thomas Kauffmann in 1810. It resembles a piano in appearance and is played like a piano, but produces a sound like a violin. The tone is produced by the pressure of the keys which sets a revolving wooden cylinder covered with leath, and charged with rosin in action over the strings.

HARMONICON

The harmonicon was a musical instrument consisting of a large barrel-organ, containing, in addition to the ordinary pipes, others to imitate the different wind-instruments, and an apparatus to produce the effects of drums, triangles, cymbals &c. so that the combined sounds produced the effect of a military band.

HARMONIPHON

The harmoniphon was a wind musical instrument with a keyboard, in which the sound, which resembled the oboe, was produced by the vibration of thin metallic plates, acted upon by blowing through a tube.

HARMONIUM

The harmonium is a keyed instrument, resembling the accordion, the sounds being generated by the action of wind upon metallic reeds.

HARMONY

In music a harmony is a succession of chords according to the rules of progression and modulation. Harmony results from the concord of two or more strains or sounds which differ in pitch and quality. In contrast, melody denotes the pleasing alternation and variety of musical and measured sounds, as they succeed each other in a single verse or strain.

HARP

The harp is a plucked stringed instrument of ancient origin. The modern orchestral harp is triangular with about 45 strings stretched between the soundbox and the neck. The pillar contains a mechanism enabling each string to be raised by one or two semitones by means of pedals. The harp has a range of six and a half octaves from the B below the bass stave.

HARPSICHORD

The harpsichord was a harp-shaped musical instrument set horizontally on legs, like the grand piano, with strings of wire, played by the fingers, by means of keys provided with quills, instead of hammers, for striking the strings. It has now been superseded by the piano.

HECTOR BERLIOZ

Hector Berlioz was a French composer. He was born in 1803 and died in 1869. He composed Damnation of Faust, Symphonie Fantastique, Requiem.

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS

Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer. He was born in 1887 and died in 1959.

HEMI-DEMI-SEMIQUAVER

In music a hemi-demi-semiquaver is a short note, equal to one quarter of a semiquaver, or the sixty- fourth part of a whole note.

HENRI DUPARC

Henri Duparc was a French composer. He was born in Paris in 1848. He died in 1933.

HENRY GAUNTLETT

Henry John Gauntlett was an English composer. He was born in 1805 at Wellington, Shropshire, and died in 1876. He primarily composed hymn tunes and chants, and made improvements to English organs.

HENRY PURCELL

Henry Purcell was an English composer born in London in 1659. He died in 1695.

HENRY RUSSELL

Henry Russell was an English composer. He was born in 1813 at Sheerness and died in 1900. For a time he was chorus-master at Her Majesty's Theatre, London. In 1833 he settled at Rocjester, New York, as a music teacher, afterwards giving vocal entertainments in the United States and Canada, as he did on his return to England in 1841. The success of his tours was unprecedented. He composed more than 800 songs, including 'To The West', ' The Ivy Green', 'The Old Armchair', 'A Life on the Ocean Waves', 'Cheer, boys, cheer' and 'Woodman, spare that tree'.

HEXACHORD

In music a hexachord is a series of six notes, with a semitone between the third and fourth, the other intervals being whole tones.

HIDDEN FIFTHS

In music, hidden fifths are consecutive fifths not sounded, but suggested or implied in the parallel motion of two parts towards a fifth.

HOLD

In music a hold is a character placed over or under a note or rest, and indicating that it is to be prolonged.

HOLDING NOTE

In music a holding note is a note sustained in one part, while the other parts move.

HOMOPHONIC

In music, the term homophonic is used to describe a plain harmony, note against note, as opposed to a polyphonic harmony, in which the several parts move independently, each with its own melody.

HORA

The hora is an ancient and typical Romanian dance. It is a gay, circular dance danced by a chain of people, any of whom may leave whenever they wish.

HORNPIPE

A hornpipe (also called the pib-corn, pib or piob) was a musical instrument formerly popular in Wales, Ireland, Cornwall and Brittany, consisting of a wooden pipe, with holes at intervals. It was so called a hornpipe because the bell at the open end was sometimes made of horn. The hornpipe is a lively tune of English origin played on a hornpipe, for dancing. The dance is usually performed by one person and is popular among sailors. There were originally many rhythms of hornpipe dance.

HOWARD HANSON

Howard Hanson was an American composer. He was born in 1896 and died in 1981. He composed Symphonies No. 1 (Nordic) and No. 2 (Romantic).

HURDY-GURDY

A hurdy-gurdy is a musical instrument of ancient origin, popular among most of the European nations during the 19th century. It consists of a flat rectangular sounding board, upon which are stretched four to six strings of catgut or sometimes wire, two of which are carried directly to the tailpiece, and tuned in unison, and one or both are stopped by a simple apparatus of keys, which shortens the vibratory length to make the melody. The strings are set in vibration by the friction of a wooden wheel charged with rein and turned by means of a handle at one end.

HYDRAULICON

The hydraulicon was an ancient musical instrument (water organ) played by the action of water.