#10 MUSICAL TERMS

1.      Hervortretend (German) – The voice part in which this is applied is to be brought to the foreground.  The other parts are to be background or accompaniment.

2.   Herzig (German) – Heartily

3.      Hochzeitlied (German) – A wedding song

4.   Hocket – A curious device much in vogue in the Middle Ages, in which one voice stops and another voice comes in, sometimes in the middle of a word, creating the effect of a hiccup (hocket is an old word for hiccup)

5.      Homophonic – When all voice parts move at the same time (chordally).  For example, a hymn.

6.      Humoresque – A light, whimsical instrumental piece.

7.   Hymn – A religious or sacred song; usually sung by a congregation. Or, in foreign usage; a national song of lofty character

8.   Ictus (Latin) – A stress.  In conducting, it is where the beat is found.

9.   Imbroglio (Italian) – Literally “confusion”; a term used to describe scenes in opera where several groups of singers perform together, but each serving a different purpose dramatically

10. Impresario (Italian) – The agent or manager of an opera company

11. Impromptu – An improvisation (the music is made up as you go along)

12. Incidental music – Music supplementary to a spoken drama, or music played between scenes

13. Infinite canon – One without a closing cadence, that may be sung repeatedly.

14. Inner parts – Voice parts in harmony that lie between the lowest and highest voice parts.

15. Inniglich (German) – With deep emotion.

Schirmer Pocket Manual of Musical Terms, Edited by Theodore Baker, Macmillan Publishing Co., 1978