Books › A dictionary of musical terms, 1907 › scan 34
Scan 34
A dictionary of musical terms, 1907
32 lines. Read by computer on 16 September 2026. Printed page 24. See the scan on archive.org.
1Barre (Fr.) A bar (not measure); also barre de mesure.—Certain abbreviations are also termed barres.—Also, the low bridge of some stringed instr.s… B. d'harmonie, bass-bar… B. de répétition, a dotted double-bar, indicating a repeat.
3Barré (Fr.) In lute- or guitar-playing, the stopping of several or all the strings by laying the left-hand forefinger across them, the next fret then acting as a capotasto or temporary nut to raise their pitch… Grand barré, a stop of more than 3 strings… C-barré, see Tranché.
5Barrel-organ. (Ger. Drehorgel, Leierkasten; Fr. orgue à cylindre (noté), orgue de Barbarie; It. organetto.) An instr. (often portable) consisting of a case containing pipes, a bellows, and a cylinder (the barrel) turned by a crank and studded with pins or pegs; when the cylinder revolves, the pins open valves communicating with the bellows, which is worked by the same motion, and wind is thus admitted to the pipes. It generally plays a melody with an harmonic accomp. Larger forms (see Orchestriion) are used in dance-halls, restaurants, or even in churches.—In another variety, hammers striking wire strings (as in the pfte.) are similarly actuated by the revolving cylinder (piano-organ, handle-piano).
7Bart (Ger.) Ear (of organ-pipe). Also Flügel.
9Barytone. 1. (Ger. Ba'ryton, Ba'riton; Fr. baryton; It. bari'tono.) The male voice intermediate between bass and tenor, and in quality partaking more or less of the characteristics of both; thus the Germans distinguish between a Bass'-bariton and a Tenor'bariton, and the French had (in earlier usage) basse-taille, seconde taille, and ténor concordant.—Its mean compass is from G to f¹: —Hence, a singer having a barytone voice.—2. A bow-instr. (It. vio'la di bardo'ne or bordone) resembling the viola da gamba, in great favor during the 18th century, but now obsolete; it had 6 or 7 gut strings, stopped by the left hand, above the fingerboard, and a widely varying number of brass or steel strings (from 9 to 24) below it, which acted as sympathetic strings, though sometimes plucked with the left thumb. The upper strings were tuned B E A d f b e¹. It dates from the 17th century.
11—3. The euphonium.—4. Prefixed to instr.-names, barytone denotes the pitch of an instr. intermediate between bass and tenor (or alto); e. g. barytone clarinet… Barytone-clef, the (obsolete) F-clef on the 3rd line.
13Ba'rytonhorn (Ger.) The euphonium… Ba'rytonschlüssel, barytone-clef… Ba'-rytonstimme, barytone voice or part.
15Bas-dessus (Fr.) Mezzo-soprano.
17Base. Old spelling of Bass.
19Bas'kische Trom'mel (Ger.) Tambourine.
21Bass. (Ger. Bass; Fr. basse; It. bas'-so.) 1. The lowest tone in a chord, or lowest part in a composition.—2. The lowest male voice; ordinary compass from F to c¹ (or d¹):
23extreme compass from C to e¹:
25—3. A prefix indicating the lowest in various families of instr.s, as bass trombone.—4. (Ger.) (a) Abbr. for Kontrabass (double-bass)… (b) In earlier usage, a bow-instr. intermediate in size between the 'cello and double-bass, having from 5 to 6 strings… (c) As a suffix to the name of an organ-pipe, bass denotes that it belongs on the pedal; e. g. Gemshornbass.—Albertibass, a bass in broken chords like the following: …Continued or figured bass, bass notes provided with figures indicating the chords to be performed above the notes (Basso continuo)… Fundamentalbass, see Fundamental… Ground bass, a continually repeated bass phrase of 4 or 8 measures (basso ostinato)… Murky bass, see Murky… Supposed bass, a bass tone other than the root of a chord… Thorough-bass, see that word.
27Bass-bar. (Ger. Bal'ken; Fr. barre d'harmonie, ressort.) In violins and the like, a long narrow strip of wood glued to the inner surface of the belly parallel with and just beneath the G-string, put in to strengthen the belly and equalize the vibration. [The violin-maker Held, of Beuel, Germany, gives the bass-bar a slight diagonal inclination, in accordance with a suggestion by Ole Bull.]
29Bass-clef. F-clef on the 4th line. (See Clef.)
31Basse (Fr.) Bass.—(Also applied to the
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