Answer - Autograph
Alberti Bass - the simplest form of accompaniment used in keyboard music in which the performer plays the melody with the right hand while playing lower pitched broken chords with the left hand; form created by Italian singer and composer Domenico Alberi written for harpsichord in the 18th century
Alborada - (Spanish) "dawn"; a vocal or instrumental composition for performance at daybreak most often held outdoors
Album-leaf - a short intimate musical work for keyboard used in honor or tribute to the composer's friend or patron
Aleatory - (French) "dice"; a composition written left to chance or improvisation from Baroque era keyboard pieces, now mostly used in modern music
Al fine' - (Italian) "to the end"; instruction to the performer to return to the beginning and repeat to the end
Al segno - (Italian) "to the sign"; an instruction written above or below the staff to repeat up to the 'segno' sign; see also segno
Alla breve - (Italian) "to the breve (half note)"; instruction to play in cut time
Alla polaca - (Italian) "in the Polish style"; an indication to play in the Polish style
Allargando - (Italian) "broadening"; instruction to decrease the tempo; slower
Alla Zingarese - (Italian) "in the gypsy style"
Allegretto - (Italian) "little allegro"; play briskly; moderately fast; slightly faster than andante but slower than allegro
Allegro - (Italian) "lively; cheerful"; instruction to play quickly; (Latin) 'alacrem' "cheerful; gay"; play briskly
Allein - (German) "alone"; indicates performance of a single instrument, as in 'Violine allein' "one violin; one solo voice"
Allemande - (French) "German"; 16th century Renaissance instrumental dance which grew into mainstream popularity during the Baroque Period; the first movement of a suite of dances often beginning with a prelude
All'Ottawa - (Italian) "at the octave"; play up or down an octave; instruction to play one octave higher or one octave lower
Altissimo - (Italian) "highest"; instructs woodwinds to play as high as possible; high register; the uppermost register of woodwind instruments
Alto - (Italian) "high"; the vocal and instrumental range above soprano sung by men in falsetto, children, or women
Alzato - (Italian) "Lifted up"; raise up or remove the mute
Anacrusis - (Greek) "strike up; push"; upbeat; a note or series of notes leading into the downbeat of a musical phrase
Alzato - (Italian, Latin) "yet"; not yet; again; still
Andante - (Italian) "going"; play at a moderate tempo; not slow or fast
Andantino - (Italian) "going on"; slightly faster than andante
Anhemitonic - a musical scale of five notes per octave with no semitones
A niente - (Italian) "to nothing"; diminuindo; gradually reduce volume to nothing
Animato - (Italian) "animated"; lively; play in a lively manner
Ansatz - (German) "begun"; establishment of an action such as a performer's embouchure, pick of the strings, o touch of the keys, etc
Answer - a musical phrase which returns or repeats the main musical idea of a composition; counterpoint
Antecedent - preceding; the part which comes before another part
Anthem - a religious choral composition with an English text consisting of four part pieces written for choir developed in the 16th century
Antiphon - (Greek) "opposite"; a religious chant in Roman Catholic church rituals; text response to psalms.
A Piacere - (Italian) "to please; at pleasure"; at the performer's discretion; as you will; ad libitum; music with open sections left to the performer's desire
Appassionato - (Italian) "with passion"; play emotionally
Appoggiatura - (Italian) "to lean upon"; note or notes preceding the main downbeat; grace note; note which brings attention to the main beat; Right: appoggiatura symbol
A prima vista - (Italian) "at first sight"; sight reading; reading or playing a musical score for the first time; without prior review
Aquarelle - (French) "watercolor"; a musical composition of some transparency; a delicate musical piece of music
Arabesque - (French, Italian) "in the Arabic style"; a short decorative musical style, usually for piano; embellished or decorated music
Aria - (Italian) "air"; music written for a soloist with instrumental accompaniment which can stand on its own or as part of an opera
Arpeggio - (Italian) "to play on a harp"; a chord whose tones are played in succession instead of all together; arpeggiare
A tempo - (Italian) "in time"; return to the main tempo; return from an accelerando or ritardando
Atonal - music lacking of any key or tonal center; music of pitches of no common key, usually centered around a central tone not present
Atonality - the use of tones lacking of any key or tonal center; atonal
Attacca - (Italian) "attack"; to the next; direction to attach musical movements together with no pause or gap between
Augment 1 - to make larger; to lengthen the note's time value
Augment 2 - sharpen; to increase the pitch of a tone
Augmentation - the act of lengthening a note's time value; to sharpen the pitch of a tone; see augment
Autograph 1 - the original composer's manuscript of a musical work; the memorabilia of an artist's signature often collected by fans
Autograph 2 - memorabilia of an artist's signature, often collected by fans or investors for remembrance
Avec - (French) "free"; unrestrained; with passion; play in a free manner
