Pacato - Calm, quiet. Passing tones - Unaccented notes which move conjunctly between two chords to which they do not belong harmonically. Pausa - A rest. Pensieroso - Contemplative, thoughtful. Percussion family - Instruments made of sonorous material that produce sounds of definite or indefinite pitch when shaken or struck, including drums, rattles, bells, gongs, and xylophones. Perfect - A term used to label fourth, fifth, and octave intervals. It corresponds to the major, as given to seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths. Perfect cadence - The chordal progression of dominant to tonic, in a major key V-I, in minor V-i. Perfect interval - Interval of an octave, fifth, or fourth without alteration. Perfect pitch - The ability to hear and identify a note without any other musical support. Pesante - Heavy. Petite - Little. Peu a peu - Little by little. Phrase - A relatively short portion of a melodic line which expresses a musical idea, comparable to a line or sentence in poetry. Pianissimo - Very soft. Pianississimo - Very, very soft; the softest common dynamic marking. Piano - Soft. Pianoforte. Pianoforte - "Soft-loud." A keyboard instrument, the full name for the piano, on which sound is produced by hammers strikin s when keys are pressed. It has 88 keys. Picardy third - The term for the raising of the third, making a major triad, in the final chord of a composition which is in a minor key. The practice originated in c. 1500 and extended through the Baroque period. Pitch - The highness or lowness of a tone, as determined by the number of vibrations in the sound. Piu - More. Used with other terms, e.g. piu mosso, more motion. Pizzicato - "Pinched." On string instruments, plucking the string. Plagal cadence - Sometimes called the "amen" cadence. The chordal progression of subdominant to tonic, in a major key IV-I, in minor iv-i. Poco - Little. Used with other terms, e.g. poco accel., also, poco a poco, little by little. Poco ced., Cedere - A little slower. Poco piu mosso - A little more motion. Poi - Then or afterwards, e.g. poi No. 3, then No. 3. Postlude - "Play after." The final piece in a multi-movement work. Organ piece played at the end of a church service. Prelude - "Play before." An introductory movement or piece. Premiere - First performance. Prestissimo - Very, very fast. The fastest tempo. Presto - Very quick. Primo - First. Principal - Instrumental section leader. Prologue - An introductory piece that presents the background for an opera. Quarter note/rest - A note/rest one half the length of a half note and one quarter the length of a whole note. Quartet - A piece for four instruments or voices. Four performers. Quasi - Almost. Used with other terms, e.g. quasi madrigal, almost or as if a madrigal. Quintet - A piece for five instruments or voices. Five performers. Rallentando, rall - Gradually slower. Synonymous with ritardando. Range - The gamut of pitches, from low to high, which a singer may perform. Rapide - Rapidly. Re - In solmization, the second degree of the major scale. Recital - A performance by one or more performers. Refrain - A short section of repeated material which occurs at the end of each stanza. Relative major and minor scales - Major and minor scales which have the same key signature. Renaissance - The period c. 1450-1600. Repeat - The repetition of a section or a composition as indicated by particular signs. Repeat of a section: Repeat from the beginning: Also D.C., repeat from the beginning and D.S., repeat from the sign. Resonance - Reinforcement and intensification of sound by vibrations. Rest - A symbol used to denote silence. Rhapsody - A free style instrumental piece characterized by dramatic changes in mood. Rhythm - The term which denotes the organization of sound in time; the temporal quality of sound. Rinforzando - A reinforced accent. Risoluto - Resolute. Ritardando, rit - Gradually slower. Synonymous with rallentando. Ritenuto - Immediate reduction in tempo. Ritmico - Rhythmically. Roll - On percussion instruments, a sticking technique consisting of a rapid succession of notes: Romanticism - The period c. 1825-1900. Root - The note upon which a triad or chord is built. Root position - The arrangement of a chord in which the root is in the lowest voice. Round - Like the canon, a song in which two or more parts having the same melody, starting at different points. The parts may be repeated as desired. Rubato - The term used to denote flexibility of tempo to assist in achieving expressiveness. Rudiments - On drums, the basic sticking patterns. Ruhig - Quiet. Run - A rapid scale passage. Rustico - Pastoral, rustic, rural.
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