cadenza

cadenza - noun - an ornamental passage performed near the close of a composition usually improvised and usually performed by a soloist

Some examples:
Tchaikovsky: Violin concerto in D major, Op. 35, I
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K. 467, I

opus

opus - noun - the classification of a composition in relation to the composer's other composition, usually given in chronological order.

So, for example, the first composition would be given an opus of 1 (Op. 1). However, most of the time, the publishers are the ones assigning opus numbers, so the numbers don't always represent the true chronology of a composition.

Impressionism II

Wolf, this one's for you. It's the Renoir Blonde Bather I've been threatening to post seemingly forever. She's plumper than we like them today, but no less exquisite for that. Aside from that, the painting is another fine example of impressionism. (Natalie, you have nobody to blame but yourself.)

cubism

cubism - n - A style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 20th century, characterized chiefly by an emphasis on formal structure, the reduction of natural forms to their geometrical equivalents, and the organization of the planes of a represented object independently of representational requirements.

(I know I'm not being very systematic in my art presentation.)

Probably the most famous example is Marcel Duchamp's Nude Descending a Staircase, No. 2, displayed at the 1913 New York Armory exhibition. In my opinion, fine art has never recovered from the cubists; they paved the way for the outrageously overrated Picasso, Kandinsky, Pollock, and too many others to list.

ballad

ballad - noun - a simple song of natural construction, usually in the narrative or descriptive form, usually having several verses of similar construction and may or may not have a refrain

baroque

baroque – adj - Of or pertaining to a style of architecture and art originating in Italy in the early 17th century and variously prevalent in Europe and the New World for a century and a half, characterized by free and sculptural use of the classical orders and ornament, by forms in elevation and plan suggesting movement, and by dramatic effect in which architecture, painting, sculpture, and the decorative arts often worked to combined effect.

In my opinion, "movement" and "dramatic effect" are the key terms. These elements are prominent in Caravaggio's Conversion of Saint Paul (1600).

scale

scale - noun - a collection of musical notes that provides material for part or all of a musical work.

Someone once said the most difficult thing to define is the simplest. How true of the musical scale. Not only is this a collection of notes, but it also has several properties and additional (adverbs!) to describe it (diatonic, chromatic, whole-tone, etc). Ignoring most of these additional properties doesn't really do justice to the term, but consider the following items: scales go up and/or down a musical score and the separation of the notes from each other is constant. If you'd really like to be bamboozled by the description of a scale, try out wikipedia.

Post-Impressionism

Post-Impressionism – n - A varied development of Impressionism by a group of painters chiefly between 1880 and 1900 stressing formal structure, as with Cézanne and Seurat, or the expressive possibilities of form and color, as with Van Gogh and Gauguin.

The best known post-impressionist is Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890). His Starry Night is a spectacular example.

In my opinion, the post-impressionists were the beginning of the end for Western art.

arpeggio

arpeggio - noun - Playing the notes of a chord consecutively (harp style). A broken chord in which the individual notes are sounded one after the other instead of simultaneously.


This picture doesn't really do justice to the term. This doesn't look much different from a scale, which I'll save for a later word entry.

impressionism

impressionism – n - A style of painting developed in the last third of the 19th century, characterized chiefly by short brush strokes of bright colors in immediate juxtaposition to represent the effect of light on objects; a manner of painting in which the forms, colors, or tones of an object are lightly and rapidly indicated.

Jeff's got the music market cornered (and is doing a great job), so I'll take art.

Impressionism was largely a reaction to the almost photographic realism found in such works as Ingres' portraits. The eexample I've chosen is The Dance Class (1874) by Edgar Degas.

adaggisimo

adaggisimo - noun - An extremely slow tempo marking slower than Largo.

Lumbering and ponderous in slowness. I have played only one piece while I was in high school several years ago that had this marking and it was really difficult to bow (I was playing violin at the time).

oubliette

oubliette – n - A secret dungeon with an opening only in the ceiling, as in certain old castles.

largo

largo - noun - a slow and solemn tempo marking having between 40 and 60 beats per minute

microcephaly

microcephaly - n - An abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain.

The microcephalon, popularly known as a pinhead, is usually mentally retarded, or, if you prefer Newspeak, exceptional or special. Tod Brownings tasteless 1932 movie Freaks, loosely based on Todd Robbins's really disturbing short story Spurs, featured genuine circus Freaks, including such celebrities as Siameses twins Daisy and Violet Hilton, midgets Harry and Daisy Earles, basket case Randian, half-man Johnny Eck, and pinheads Schlitzy and the Snow Twins. Schlitzy was unusual in that he was not as severely retarded as most pinheads. and especially in that he was a transvestite.

I finally saw Freaks around 1973. It's a creepy movie, and one of the few I've seen where castration plays a prominent role.

adagio

adagio - adj - slowly

The opposite of allegro. There is a beethoven piece that uses several of my previously submitted words: Adagio con molto expressione (http://play.rhapsody.com/ludwigvanbeethoven/violinsonatas/adagioconmoltoespressione?didAutoplayBounce=true). Interestingly (or maybe not considering how common the words are) Beethoven isn't the only composer to create a work by that name. Others include Clementi and Sibelius.

diktat

diktat – n - A harsh, punitive settlement or decree imposed unilaterally on a defeated nation, political party, etc.; any decree or authoritative statement.

A prime example would be the Treaty of Versailles (1919), which ended the Great War and made almost inevitable a greater one. At least France got even for its loss in the Franco-Prussian war of 1871! (That must have been cold consolation in May, 1940.)

Shown above are the victors at Versailles: from left to right, David Lloyd George of Great Britain, Vittorio Orlando of Italy, Georges Clemenceau of France, and Woodrow Wilson.

Molto

molto - adj - much; very;

In music I seem to see this as 'Allegro con molto', which (loosely translated) means 'very quickly'. However, I have also seen references as 'molto allegro', meaning the same thing.

pro forma

pro forma - n - According to form; as a matter of form; for the sake of form.

The typical political apology is pro forma, along the same lines as calling Senator Kennedy "my esteemed colleague." The specimen issuing the apology will often claim to have "misspoken." Translation: 1) I inadvertently said what I was really thinking; 2) I accidentally told the truth.

Today's Exquisite entry, another mother and daughter scene, is by Frederick Leighton. Motherhood perhaps detracts from one variety of beauty but makes up the loss with another, more spiritual kind. I may have to display Raphael's Sistine Madonna soon, or even Botticelli's Annunciation.

allegro

allegro - adj - brisk or rapid in tempo

So far, the words posted have mentioned tone (in terms of it's range and volume), but this word (and a few more I'll submit unless Natalie beats me to it :) have to do with tempo, or how fast or slow a piece is played. One of the things about music seems to be it's ability to convey meaning by relativity. Specifically what is piano or forte? How quiet should piano be? Well, obviously, it should be quieter than loud! So, specifically, how fast (or brisk) should allegro be? Listen to several renditions of Bach's fugues and you'll hear several interpretations of allegro

naïf II

I realize I'm abusing my posting privileges, but I can't resist. Here's another Vigee-Lebrun. Not the least of her attractions is that she looks like a grownup; I see so few of them these days.