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Scan 12
Pronouncing dictionary and condensed encyclopedia of musical terms, instruments, composers, and important works, 1895
86 lines. Read by computer on 9 September 2026. No printed page number was found. See the scan on archive.org.
1Bargiel, Woldemar (vōl'-dē-mär bār'-geel). Step-brother of Mme. Clara Schumann. Born in Berlin 1828. A teacher and an elegant composer of piano forte pieces, chamber-music, etc. B. stands too near Schumann for his own talent to have fair play.
3Baritone, a male voice of medium range and large body of tone. Also the name of the smaller bass saxhorn, in B♭.
5Baritone Clef, the bass clef applied to the third line of the staff.
7Barnby, Joseph, a prominent English composer of church music, glees, songs, etc. Born about 1837. For some reason omitted from Grove's Dic. and Mendel.
9Barnett, John F., an English pianist and composer of three Cantatas, "The Ancient Mariner" 1867, "Paradise and the Peri" 1870, "Raising of Lazarus" 1873, "Lay of the Last Minstrel" 1874; also of several concertos, overtures, quartettes, etc. Born Oct. 6, 1838.
11Barrel Organ, of various design and construction. Some are merely enlarged music-boxes, others small orchestrions, in which the tones are produced by reeds or pipes. All are controlled by means of a barrel, or cylinder, on the surface of which pins are set at such intervals that a revolution of the cylinder opens the valves and so produces the tones of a piece. By sliding the barrel a minute distance, another set of pins come into operation, and thereby the tune is changed. In orchestrion organs the crank not only revolves the cylinder, but also works the-bellows.
13Bartholdy, see Mendelssohn.
15Barytone, a stringed instrument of the violin family, having six or seven catgut strings stretched over the fingerboard, and from nine to twenty-four metal strings which act sympathetically. Has a weak but pleasing tone. Has given place to the violoncello.
17Bass (bās), the lowest part in harmony. Also the lowest male voice.
19Basso Profundo (prō-fun'-dō). The lowest male voice, of deep quality of tone.
21Basset Horn (Ital. corno di bassetto), a bass clarinet in F, reaching from F below the bass clef. Written for by Mozart and Mendelssohn.
23Bass Clarinet, a low clarinet ranging upwards from E below middle C. A slow-speaking, hollow-toned instrument.
25Bass Clef, the sign of the bass staff. Represents F next below middle C.
27Bass Tuba, the lowest of the saxhorn family. That in E♭ reaches Eb of the 16 ft. octave. The B♭ Tuba, B♭ in the 32 ft. octave, three octaves below middle C.
29Bassini, Carlo, an Italian teacher of singing, living in New York from 1864 or thereabouts. Died in 1871.
31Bass Horn, see Serpent.
33Bassoon (bā-zoon), Ger. Fagott, a wooden double-reed instrument of 8 ft. tone. Its compass is from 16 ft. B♭ to A♭ on 2d space of treble. Is the natural bass of the oboes and clarinets, i.e., the "wood."
35Basso Cantante (Ital. kăn-tăn'-tē). The singing bass, or principal bass singer, as distinguished from the basso buffo, comic bass, and the basso profundo, or very low bass.
37Basso Continuo, a bass running through the whole piece, from which, with figures, the accompaniment used to be played. See Thorough Bass.
39Bass Posaune (Ger. bāss pō-soun'-ě). The bass :rombone.
41Basten et Bastienne, a German operetta in one act. Mozart 1768.
43Bass Viol, English name of the violoncello.
45Baton (Fr. bā-tōn'). A conductor's stick for beating time.
47Battle of Prague, a descriptive sonata by Kotzwara, 1792. One of the most famous pieces of programme music.
49Battle Symphony, English name for Beethoven's "Wellington's Sieg oder die Schlagt bei Vittoria," op. 91. 1813.
51Battement (Fr. bă'-tē-mon). An old embellishment similar to the mordente, but made with the note below.
53Battishill, Jonathan, an English composer of songs, glees, catches and anthems. 1738-1801.
55Baumbach, Adolph, a German piano forte teacher and prolific arranger of piano pieces, living some time in Boston. Came to Chicago about 1863. Died 1880.
57B dur (Ger. dūr). B major.
59Bearings, the few notes a tuner lays down carefully as guides. Usually the middle octave.
61Beat. An embellishment of the mordent kind.
62 2. The conductor's motion in indicating the time.
63 3. The throbbing effect of dissonance, produced by the occasional interference and consequent extinction of a vibration. The number of beats per second is equal to the difference between the rates of vibration in the notes.
65Becker, Paul, a German piano teacher and fine musician, resident in Chicago since 1858, where he was for many years the leading exponent of classical music.
67Becker, Carl Ferdinand, organist and professor at the Conservatorium of Leipsic. Born 1804, died 1877. Especially learned in musical literature.
69Beer (bār). Original name of Meyer Beer.
71Beethoven, Ludwig van (lood' vēg fan bā'-tō-vn). 1770-1827. See Part VIII.
73Behr, Fr., a German composer of light pieces.
75Begleiten (Ger. bēg-li'-tēn). To accompany.
77Beggar's Opera, a celebrated piece, written in 1727 by Gay. Its songs were all written to old melodies, or to the most popular airs of the day. It had an immense success.
79Bell, the expanded opening in which most brass instruments terminate. Also applied to organ pipes, as in the "bell diapason," "bell gamba," in which all the pipes end in a bell.
81Belisario (bēl-Y-sär'-Yō). Italian opera in 3 acts by Donizetti, 1836.
83Bellezza (Ital. bēl-lā'-tā'-zā'). Beauty of tone and expression.
85Bellicoso (Ital. bēl'-lī-kō'-zō). Warlike.
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