Glossary of musical terms

LUCA ANDREA GIORDANO lives in Italy. He holds doctorate degrees in Foreign Languages, Modern Philology, Vocal Performance (Opera and Chamber music) and Oboe. He is dedicated at being a linguist and interpreter assisting professional departments at various Italian conservatories in English and French. Also, he is an author of extensive analytical works in musicology, linguistics and composition with various publishers. He also performs frequently as a classical singer and oboist at national and international levels. This work is intended as a reference source to provide quick, comprehensive explanations to commonly used and, in some cases, less commonly used terms from the music field (theory, history, forms, techniques and styles of different genres). The selected areas covered in these pages include terms and concepts which are unlikely to change in the near future. As with any dictionary, it is conceived to provide definitions and not merely a glossary of terms, nor it is intended to be encyclopedic, with lengthy and unmethodical explanations. It is aimed at either those who will encounter, probably for the first time, unfamiliar technical terms or those who have already mastered the fundamental concepts but may require further clarification in order to broaden their horizons.