Books › Pronouncing dictionary of musical terms, giving the meaning, derivation, and pronunciation … of Italian, German, French, and other words; the names with date of birth and death and nationality of the leading musicians of the last two centuries; English vocabulary, with equivalents in Italian, Germ, 1896 › scan 35
Scan 35
Pronouncing dictionary of musical terms, giving the meaning, derivation, and pronunciation … of Italian, German, French, and other words; the names with date of birth and death and nationality of the leading musicians of the last two centuries; English vocabulary, with equivalents in Italian, Germ, 1896
52 lines. Read by computer on 24 September 2026. Printed page 31. See the scan on archive.org.
1Demi-croche (Fr.) (crosh). A sixteenth-note.
2Demi-jeu (Fr.) (zheu). Half play; a direction in organ-playing to use half the power of the instrument.
3Demi-pause (Fr.). A half-rest.
4Demi-semi-quaver. Thirty-second note.
5Demi-soupir (Fr.) (soo-pee). Eighth-rest.
6Derivative. Any chord of which the root is not at the bass; an inverted chord.
7Des (Ger.). D flat.
8Descant or Discant. (1) The earliest attempts at adding other parts to a cantus were called descant. (2) The highest part (soprano) in vocal music.
9Des dur (Ger.). D2 major.
10Desiderio (It.) (deh-see-dee'-rio). Longing.
11Des moll (Ger.). D2 minor.
12Dessus (Fr.) (des-soo). The soprano part in vocal music.
13Destinto (It.) (deh-stin-to). Distinct.
14Desto (It.). Sprightly; briskly.
15Destra (It.). Right. Mano destra, the right hand. Mano sinistra, the left hand. Colla destra, with the right. A direction in piano music.
16Détaché (Fr.) (deh-tash-eh). Detached; staccato.
17Determinato (It.). Resolutely; with determination.
18Detto (It.). The same. Il detto voce, the same voice.
19Development. [In German, Durchführung.] (1) The technical name of that part of a sonata form which precedes the return of the principal theme. In the development both the themes are used in fragments mixed with new matter, the object being to present the musical thought in every possible aspect. (2) The working out of a fugue.
20Devoto (It.). Devout.
21Devozione (It.) (deh-vot-see-o'-neh), con. With devotion.
22Di (It.) (dee). By, with, of, for. Di bravura, with bravura. Literally, with bravery.
23Diana (It.), Diane (Fr.). A morning serenade; aubade.
24Diapason (Gr.). (1) An octave. (2) An organ-stop of 8-foot pitch, open or closed (stopped). (3) The standard pitch, A = 435 vibrations per second, not yet universally adopted.
25Diatonic. (1) The major and minor scales. Strictly speaking, the modern harmonic minor is not purely diatonic, owing to the presence of the augmented 2d between 6 and 7. (2) Diatonic chords, melody, progressive modulation, are those in which no note foreign to the scale in which they are written appears. [From Gr. dia-teino, to stretch; referring to the string of the canon or monochord.]
26Di colto (It.). Suddenly.
27Diecetto (It.) (dee-chetto). A composition for ten instruments.
28Diése (Fr.) (dee-ehs). A sharp.
29Difficile (It.) (dif-fee'-chee-leh), Difficile (Fr.) (dif-fi-seel). Difficult.
30Di gala (It.). Merrily.
31Diluendo (It.) [diluere, to dilute]. Wasting away; decrescendo.
32Diminished. (1) Intervals less than minor or perfect. (2) A chord with diminished 5th, as on the 7th of the scale or the 2d of the minor scale. (3) Diminished 7th chord, a chord composed of three superimposed minor thirds, as B D F A2
33Diminuendo (It.). Same as Decrescendo.
34Diminution. In canon and fugue, when the answer (comes) is given in notes of half (or less) the value of those in the subject (dux).
35Di molto (It.). Very much. Allegro di molto, very fast.
36Direct. (1) A sign placed at the end of a staff to indicate what is the first note on the next page. (2) In MS. music it indicates that the measure is completed on the next line.
37Direct Motion. Both (or all) parts ascending or descending together.
38Dis (Ger.). D sharp.
39Discant. See Descant.
40Discord. Cacophony; noise. Used incorrectly for dissonance. Dissonance is musical, but discord never is.
41Disinvolto (It.). Free; naturally; easily.
42Disjunct Motion. Moving by skips.
43Dis moll (Ger.). D# minor.
44Disperato (It.), Con disperazione (dis-peh-ratz-eo'-neh). Desparingly; with desperation.
45Dispersed Harmony. When the members of the chords are separated widely.
46Disposition. (1) Of a chord, the order in which its members are arranged. (2) Of a score, the order in which the instruments
48De Reszke, Eduard (rets-kay). Baritone; Poland. B. 1855.
49De Reszke, Jean (rets-kay), his brother. Tenor. B. 1852.
50Devrient, Ed. P. (deh'-vree-ong). Basso; Germany. B. 1801; d. 1877.
51Devrient, Mme. W. Schroeder. Soprano. B. 1804; d. 1860.
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