Books › A dictionary of musical terms : containing upwards of 9,000 English, French, German, Italian, Latin and Greek words and phrases … with a supplement containing an English-Italian vocabulary for composers, 1904 › scan 155
Scan 155
A dictionary of musical terms : containing upwards of 9,000 English, French, German, Italian, Latin and Greek words and phrases … with a supplement containing an English-Italian vocabulary for composers, 1904
58 lines. Read by computer on 9 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1opened; they close when the pedal is released.—Balance swell-pedal, the modern form of organ swell-pedal:—a lever in the shape of an iron plate made to fit the shoe-sole, and placed above the centre of the pedal board. Depression of the toe-end of the plate opens the swell-shutters; depression of the heel-end closes them. Called balance s.-p. because it remains at rest (balanced) wherever the foot leaves it.
3Pédale (Fr.) 1. A pedal-key, the pedal-keyboard being clavier des pédales.—2. Pedal (of the pfte.); petite pédale, soft pedal, "una corda".—3. A pedal-point.
5Peda'le dop'pio (It.) Same as Doppio pedale.
7Pedal'flügel (Ger.) A grand piano provided with a pedalier.
9Ped'aler. (Fr. pédalier.) A set of pedals, either (1) so adjusted as to play the low octaves of the pfte. after the manner of organ-pedals, or (2) provided with separate strings and action, to be placed underneath the pfte. and played with, but not affecting the action of, the latter. (Sometimes Pedalion.)
11Pedalie'ra (It.) A pedal-keyboard.
13Pedal'klaviatur (Ger.) A pedal-keyboard; either a pedalier, or for the organ.
15Peg. 1. (Ger. Wir'bel; Fr. cheville; It. bi'schero.) In the violin, etc., one of the movable wooden pins set in the head, and used to tighten or slacken the tension of the strings…Peg-box, the hollow part of a violin-head in which the pegs are inserted.—2. A tuning-pin.
17Pennant. Same as Hook.
19Pensieroso (It.) Pensive, contemplative, thoughtful.
21Pentachord. 1. A 5-stringed instr.—2. A diatonic series of 5 tones.
23Pentam'eter. A form of dactylic verse, differing from the hexameter by the ellipsis of the second half of the 3rd and 6th feet:
25Pentatone. An interval embracing 5 whole tones; an augmented sixth…Pentaton'ic, having, or consisting of, 5 tones; pentatonic scale, see Scale.
27Per (It.) For, by, from, in, through…Per l'or'gano, for the organ…Per il flauto solo, for solo flute.
29Percussion. 1. The striking or sounding of a dissonance, contradistinguished from its preparation and resolution.—2. The act of percussing, or striking one body against another. The instruments of percussion are the various drums, the tambourine, cymbals, bells, triangle, etc., and the dulcimer and pianoforte…Percussion-stop, a reed-organ stop used to strike the reed a smart blow simultaneously with sounding it, thus rendering its vibration prompter and stronger.
31Percussive. An instr. of percussion.
33Perden'do, Perden'dosi (It.) Dying away; morendo or diminuendo, together (in modern music) with a slight rallentando.
35Perdu'na. Bourdon (organ-stop).
37Perfect. (Ger. rein; Fr. parfait; It. perfet'to.) See Interval.
39Perfection. 1. See Notation, § 3.—2. In ligatures, the presence of a longa as final note (ul'tima), which occurred when a higher penultimate note was not joined with the final as a figura obliqua (||), or when, after a lower penultimate note, the final took a descending tail to the right (since the 15th century; from the 12th to the 14th this tail signified a plica, and to secure the perfection of the final note it was written vertically over the penultimate). (See Figura obliqua, ex. in black notes; also Notation, § 3.)
41Périgourdine (Fr.) An old Flemish dance in 6-8 time.
43Period. See Form.
45Perlé (Fr.), Per'lend (Ger.) Pearly.
47Perpe'tuo (It.) Perpetual; infinite.
49Pes (Lat., "foot".) An harmonic accomp. or ground bass to a round, the round itself being called rota.
51Pesan'te (It.) Heavy, ponderous; calls for a firm and vigorous execution of the passages so marked.
53Petite (Fr.) Small…Petite flûte, the piccolo…Petite mesure à deux temps, 2-4 time…Petites notes, grace-notes…Petite pédale, soft pedal.
55Pet'to (It.) The chest…Di petto, from the chest, i. e. in a natural voice, not falsetto…Voce di petto, chest-voice.
57Peu à peu (Fr.) Little by little, gradually…Un peu, a little.
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