Music Dictionary Q

Quad - Quartile

Quasi - Quotation

Quad - (Latin) "four"; term referring to four elements such as four channels, four signals, or four speakers; a four speaker audio playback system or device

Quadranotation - square notation; square notations used in neumes

Quadraphonic - (Latin) "four"; an electronic speaker system fed by four amplified signals; an electronic system of recording, transmission, and reproduction of using four independent loudspeakers to channel the direction of the sound

Quadriphonic - refers to a system of recording, reproduction, or transmission of sound by means of four channels; an alternative spelling of quadraphonic

Quadrille - (Latin) "fourths"; a square dance of five or more figures patterned for four or more couples; music written for four dancers

Quadrivium - one of the seven liberal arts studied in Medieval times; the musical arts as established during Medieval times

Quadruple-whole-note - a note which is sustained for four full measures

Quadruple-whole-rest - a rest which is sustained for four full measures

Quadruplets - a group of four notes played in the time value of three notes

Quadruplum - polyphonic music for four voices or instruments; the fourth or highest voice in polyphonic music of Medieval times;

Quadruply - music with four beats per measure; music with four parts

Quantization - a modulation created during the digital recording process

Quantization Noise - a modulation noise occurring during digital processing and recording caused by altering sample audio levels to meet standard levels

Quantize - a digital recording process in which tones normally played by humans is played by a computer for accuracy of the beat and tempo of the composition

Quart de soupir - (French) "sixteenth-rest"; sixteenth-rest or semiquaver-rest

Quartal - (German) "quarter"; a musical work composed on the fourth interval

Quartal Harmony - (German) "harmony of fourths"; harmonic structures based on intervals of perfect fourths, augmented fourths, or diminished fourths; chords based and built on tone intervals of fourths

quarter-noteQuarter-note - a note with a time value of one-quarter (1/4) that of a whole-note; Right: quarter-note notation

quarter-noteQuarter-rest - a rest with a time value of one-quarter (1/4) that of a whole-rest; Right: quarter-rest notation

Quarter Tone - half of a semitone, often used in Jazz and Blues or other styles

Quarter Track - a tape recording format in which a recording track takes up 1/4  the width of a 1/4 inch tape

Quartet - (French, Italian) "set of four"; a group of four performers; a musical composition developed in the 17th century written for 4 instruments or voices

Quartile - (French) "the fourth"; a group of four notes played in the time value of three; quadruplet

Quasi - (italian) "like, almost"; a prefix denoting 'in the style of' or 'like'

Quatreble - a vocal pitch of a fourth above the treble

eighth-note, quaverQuaver - (Middle English) "eighth"; eighth-note; a note with a time value of one-eighth (1/8) that of a whole-note

Quempas - (Latin) "christmas music"; an abbreviation for quem pastores laudavere

Quem pastores laudavere - (German) "he whom shepherds praise"; 16th century Latin and German term for Christmas carols

queue, the stem of a noteQueue - (French) "stem"; term for the stem of a note: Right: queue

Quieto - (Italian) "quiet"; direction to play calmly or in a serene manner

guilisma - neume for trill, tremoloQuilisma - (Latin, Greek) "rolling"; a neume used in Gregorian chant denoting a trill or tremolo; Right: quilisma neume symbol

Quin'dezime - (German) "twice over"; the double octave

Quindicesima - (Italian) "play two octaves up"; an organ stop of two octaves above the unison; Right: Quindicesima

Quindicesima alta - (Italian) "play two octaves higher"; direction to play the notes below the dashed line two octaves higher than written, refers to the organ

Quindicesima bassa - (Italian) "play two octaves down"; a direction to play two octaves lower than the written, refers to an organ stop

Quinible - a vocal pitch of a fifth above the treble

Quint - (German) "fifth"; an interval of a fifth; a fifth interval prefix

Quintal - (German) "fifth"; a musical work composed on the fifth interval

Quintal Harmony - (German) "harmony of fifths"; harmonic structures based on intervals of perfect fifths, augmented fifths, or diminished fifths; chords based and built on tone intervals of fifths

Quinte' - (Italian) "fifth"; an interval of a fifth; a fifth interval prefix

Quintet - (French, italian) "set of five"; a group of five performers; a musical composition composed for five instruments or voices

Quintuplet - a group of five notes played in the time value of four or six notes

Quintsaite - (German, Italian) "fifth tone"; the 'E' string of the violin

Quintuple meter - a meter of five beats per measure

Quintuplet - a group of five notes played in the time value of four, often grouped in brackets or indicated with a number 5 above or below the notes; see also tuplet

Quintus - (Italian) "fifth voice"; the fifth voice of a composition written for five or more voices; a descant or countermelody added on top of the usual four voices during 16th century

Quodlibet - (Latin) "what it pleases"; a medley which quotes popular songs

Quotation - a composition in which the composer quotes or includes musical passages from his own former works