Music Synonyms

music Synonyms

music

n.

1. A combination of tone and rhythm
   harmony, melody, tune, air, strain, harmonics, song, minstrelsy, euphony, measure, refrain, phrasing, modulation cadence, the Nine*.
   Terms used in music include: scale, chromatic scale, tempered scale, clef, note, tone, pitch, sharp, flat, accidental, major, minor, key, mode, orchestral coloring, orchestration, instrumentation, transposition, variation, improvisation, rhythm, melody, harmony, tempo, accent, beat, down-beat, up-beat, off-beat, syncopation, chord, dominant chord, subdominant chord, tonic chord, counterpoint, interval, timbre, volume, resonance.
2. Musical forms for the voice include: opera, oratorio, hymn, art song, folk song, aria;
   Musical forms for instruments include: symphony (the conventional four movements of a symphony are sonata, andante, scherzo, finale), concerto, concerto grosso, suite, partita; trio, quartet, quintet, overture, prelude, sonata, sonatina, Mass, scherzo, rondo, nocturne, caprice, invention, concertino, toccata, chaconne, passacaglia, fugue, étude, exercise, tone poem, symphonic poem, symphonic fantasy, fantasia, variations, rhapsody, ballet music, serenade, ballad, march, canzonetta, rondino, pastorale, dance.
3. Musical dance forms include: ballet, waltz, tango, polka;
   General styles of music include: classical, long-hair*, serious, medieval, modern, folk, primitive, popular, national, sacred, secular, impressionistic, neoteric, baroque, neoclassical, neo-Bachian, modernistic, formal, romantic, a cappella, program, pure, jazz; rhythm and blues, R and B, blues, jive, ragtime, boogiewoogie, light rock, hard rock, folk rock, acid rock, heavy metal, new wave, punk rock, funk, technopop, rock-and-roll, bebop, bop, soul, New Age, rap, grunge, reggae, zydeco, fusion, ragtime, swing, barrelhouse, big band, bluegrass, country and western, country.
4. Styles of music according to its technical form include: melodic, polyphonic, contrapuntal, homophonic, Gregorian, strict, free, harmonic, lyric, epic, dramatic, pastoral, figured, atonal, whole toned, diatonic, pentatonic, twelve-tone, aleatoric, modal, syncopated.
5. Styles of music according to its method of performance include: vocal, instrumental, solo, choral, orchestral.
6. Styles of music according to its use include: operatic, symphonic, chamber, dance, concert, motion picture, theatrical, ecclesiastical, church, military, concert, ballet.
7. The study or writing of music
   musicology, ethnomusicology, musicography, hymnology, hymnography.
8. Responsiveness to music
   musical appreciation, sensitivity, aesthetic sense; see appreciation 3, feeling 4.

face the music*

accept the consequences of one's actions, suffer, undergo; see endure 2.

set to music

compose music for, write a song around, provide a musical setting; see compose 3.

Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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