50 Musical Terms Used in Nonmusical Senses

50 Musical Terms Used in Nonmusical Senses 50 Musical Terms Used in Nonmusical Senses 50 Musical Terms Used in Nonmusical Senses By Mark Nichol Have you noticed how many terms for musical phenomena have been adopted into general discourse? Sometimes it’s difficult to determine whether the musical term was later associated with a general definition, or whether the general usage came first, but take note of these musically derived or related words: 1. Ad lib (from ad libitum): an improvisation 2. Baroque: elaborate, extravagant, and/or flamboyant 3. Beat: a brief measure or pause 4. Cadence: a sequence or measure of rhythm 5. Choir: a group of people sharing beliefs or values (â€Å"preaching to the choir†) 6. Chord: the target of a stimulus (â€Å"strike a chord†) 7. Chorus: a unified response (â€Å"a chorus of approval†) 8. Coda: a conclusion 9. Conductor: someone who organizes an enterprise or scheme 10. Crescendo: a high point 11. Cue: a signal to start or do something or cause it to happen 12. Downbeat: pessimistic 13. Duet: an action undertaken by a union of two people 14. Encore: an additional performance or achievement 15. Ensemble: a group in which no one person stands out 16. Falsetto: an unnaturally high voice 17. Fanfare: celebratory attention 18. Finale: a concluding performance or act 19. Gig: a job or assignment 20. Impromptu: spontaneous, improvised 21. Interlude: a planned interruption or intervening period 22. Leitmotif: a recurring overarching idea 23. Maestro: an accomplished person 24. Medley: a series or other collection of ingredients or actions 25. Opera: extended to â€Å"soap opera,† the slang term for domestic radio and later television dramas (so called because detergent manufacturers often sponsored these programs aimed at homemakers) and â€Å"horse opera,† another name for westerns (plural of opus) 26. Opus: a major work 27. Orchestrate: to organize strategically, with a possible connotation of conniving or conspiracy 28. Overtone: a suggestion or connotation 29. Overture: an invitation or act of persuasion 30. Pitch: the nature of a sound based on its frequency, or a degree of interest (â€Å"fever pitch†) 31. Prelude: a preliminary to a main action 32. Prologue: an introduction 33. Reprise: a repeated performance 34. Requiem: a composition in any medium to honor the dead or a failed effort 35. Resonance: an evocation of feeling or sense 36. Rhapsodic: any overwrought or elaborate creative effort or speech (â€Å"waxing rhapsodic†) 37. Riff: a verbal performance, especially as in a fast and furious routine by a stand-up comedian; also refers to a brief witticism or to a variation, synonymous with the informal noun take 38. Rock: to be very impressive or pleasing (â€Å"That rocks!†), to inspire excitement (â€Å"The band rocked the concert hall†), or to flaunt an ostentatious style of clothing or coiffure (â€Å"She rocked her new boots†) 39. Serenade: an effort to persuade 40. Solo: alone 41. Staccato: a suggestion of speed rather than simply detached sounds (â€Å"staccato bursts of gunfire†) 42. Suite: a collection or set 43. Tempo: speed or rate 44. Theme: subject or style 45. Timbre: the distinguishing quality of a voice 46. Tone: the quality of expression in writing or speaking as well, and the quality of a physical form 47. Unison: agreement or union 48. Upbeat: optimistic 49. Virtuoso: one particularly skilled in an endeavor 50. Waltz: to move in a bold, confident, or lively manner (â€Å"She triumphantly waltzed into the room†) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Mostly Small But Expressive InterjectionsDisappointed + PrepositionTypes of Ignorance