A FEW WORDS BEYOND THE BEAT

Music is a language of its own, but it has words: 12 terms explained

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As with any other complex art or science, music generates its own lexicon, full of technical terms that describe the speed, the color, the intention, and a million more things that make music what it is.

Delving into the origins and meanings of terms like legato, opus, baritone, and more, reveals a fascinating journey through time and across continents. These terms, often rooted in ancient languages or musical traditions, carry narratives that unveil the intricate layers of musical expression.

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One of a handful of words in this list that is much heard within the classical music realm, allegro originates from the Italian language. It serves as a dynamic descriptor for a brisk and lively tempo.

Derived from the Latin word alacer, meaning lively or quick, allegro encapsulates the essence of energetic movement within musical compositions. Often indicated at the beginning of a piece or a specific section, it instructs performers to approach the music in a lively and swift manner.

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Another term rooted in Italian, a cappella embodies a musical style where vocal harmonies take center stage without instrumental accompaniment. Its origins trace back to the Italian phrase alla cappella translating to "in the style of the chapel".

This term emerged during the Renaissance era when vocal music, predominantly sacred, was performed in chapels without instrumental support. Nowadays, this style transcends genres, embracing everything from classical compositions to contemporary pop arrangements.

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Italians have done a lot for music and it shows in the lexicon. The Italian term arpeggio comes from arpeggiare, meaning "to play on a harp." It describes a musical technique where notes within a chord are played sequentially rather than simultaneously.

Originating from the harp's characteristic practice of sounding individual strings in succession to create a chord, the term extends beyond harp music to serve various instruments and genres. It involves the fluid and distinct articulation of each note within a chord, producing a cascading effect that adds depth, resonance, and a sense of harmonic richness to musical passages.

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Let us leave Italians aside—only for a moment—and focus here on a Greek word instead: canon originates from kanōn, meaning "rule" or "law." It defines a compositional technique where a melody or musical line is imitated and repeated by different voices or instruments with precise temporal offsets.

This technique, prevalent in Western classical music, establishes a strict structure wherein subsequent voices echo the initial theme in a contrapuntal manner, creating layers of interwoven melodies. The most famous example of this structure is Johann Pachelbel’s famous "Canon in D."

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The term coda, stemming from the Italian word for "tail," serves as a musical element used to express the conclusion of a piece. Originating in the Baroque period, the coda is a passage where themes culminate, offering a sense of resolution to a composition.

Working as a musical punctuation, the coda provides a conclusive endpoint, whether it's a delicate fade-out or a powerful, emphatic finale.

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The Italian term crescendo means "growing." It is used to represent a gradual increase in volume, intensity, or force within a musical passage. Also originating from the Baroque era, this dynamic marking instructs musicians to amplify the sound progressively.

The crescendo indicates performers to elevate the volume gradually from a softer to a louder dynamic level. It serves as a powerful tool for shaping musical phrases, building climactic moments, and infusing compositions with a sense of anticipation, leading to a peak before resolving into subsequent musical expressions.

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The word tempo is derived from the Latin word for "time" and it serves as a foundational element in music, defining the speed or pace at which a piece is performed. Marked at the beginning of a musical score with terms like the previously mentioned allegro (fast), adagio (slow), or using metronome markings, tempo guides performers in maintaining a consistent beat throughout a piece.

To put it more simply, tempo is the heartbeat of music, influencing mood, energy, and emotional depth, allowing for a diverse range of interpretations and enhancing the expressive nature of musical performances.

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Derived from the Italian word for "texture" or "weaving," tessitura refers to the predominant range or pitch zone within which a musical piece or a specific vocal part lies. Originating from the realm of opera, this term describes not only the average range but also the most frequently used or comfortable notes for a voice or instrument throughout a composition.

For singers, understanding the tessitura is crucial as it dictates the ease or difficulty of vocal execution within a piece. Composers and arrangers consider tessitura when crafting melodies or instrumental parts, ensuring a comfortable and expressive range while shaping the overall texture and emotional depth of the music.

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One thing Johnny Cash, David Bowie, and Elvis Presley have in common is their voice type. A baritone, stemming from the Italian word baritono, denotes a male voice type with a range lying between the bass and tenor voices.

Originating from the world of opera, the baritone voice possesses a rich and versatile quality, capable of delivering both lower, resonant notes and higher, more lyrical tones. With a tessitura typically situated between the bass's depth and the tenor's height, baritones often portray a wide array of characters on stage, embodying heroes, villains, or nuanced roles within operatic performances.

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A word that brings to mind big stages and imposing men with grandiose voices, tenor originated from the Latin word tenere meaning, "to hold." The word describes a male voice type characterized by its range, typically lying between the countertenor and baritone. Think of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, or Enrico Caruso but also pop voices like Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, or Phil Collins.

Known for its versatility and lyrical qualities, the tenor voice often takes on leading roles in operas, choral works, and various other musical genres as well. With a range capable of reaching both high and moderately low notes, the tenor voice embodies a blend of strength, clarity, and emotive power.

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A German term combined from the words leit, meaning "leading," and motif, meaning "motive," leitmotif refers to a recurring musical theme or motif associated with a particular character, place, idea, or emotion in a musical composition.

Originating from the operas of Richard Wagner during the Romantic era, this technique involves the use of distinct musical phrases or themes to represent specific elements within a larger work. Each leitmotif carries symbolic significance, serving as a musical identifier that recurs throughout the composition, providing continuity and depth to the narrative.

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We end this list with one more Italian contribution to the world of music: the word legato, meaning "tied together," represents a musical technique characterized by smooth and connected notes.

Originating from the Baroque and Classical periods, this technique instructs musicians to play or sing successive notes in a flowing and seamless manner, avoiding abrupt breaks or silences between them. Marked by a curved line connecting the notes, legato allows for a continuous and lyrical expression, creating a sense of fluidity and unity within a musical phrase.

BRANCHING LANGUAGES

8 Words You Would Have Never Guessed That Share The Same Roots

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Did you know that there are many words in modern English that seem completely unrelated yet they share the same historical roots? Join us to discover what’s up with etymological doublets.

Languages change a lot over a few generations, and some words end up having very long and complicated histories, sometimes forking into new words and acquiring new meanings. Unraveling this mess is the job of the etymologist, who must take on the role of both a historian and a linguist in order to decipher and find the contrived paths of particular words through recorded history.

We already know that English is full of similar words that seem related but really aren’t. However, the opposite is also true: there are many common words that are used to mean completely different things and that might even sound distinct enough, but actually share the same etymological origin. These words are called etymological doublets (or even triplets!). Here are 10 examples of these estranged word twins:

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Both words come from the Latin root ‘specie’, meaning ‘appearance’ or ‘form’. While the word ‘spice’ with its modern meaning was imported to English from Old French, ‘species’ was only borrowed later directly from Latin.

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An interesting pair that at a first glance might not seem related at all. However, these two words share a Latin root in the word ‘nativus’, which means natural or innate.

‘Native’ retained the part of the Latin meaning that relates to an innate origin, while ‘naïve’ kept the sense of innocent, unspoiled nature.

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These two are fairly similar, only diverging by one letter. But in modern usage, they mean very different things. While ‘convey’ means to transport or deliver something (both information or materials), convoy refers to a group of vehicles that travel together, usually for protection.

Again, these two words share the same Latin root (notice a pattern?) in the word ‘conviare’, which means to carry, transport or to accompany along a certain way.

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There is no way these two pieces of clothing could be confused today. But surprisingly, both derive from the Old English word ‘scyrte’, a long dress-like shirt worn by peasants in 14th century England. Guess that when this multipurpose fabric was cut in two, the original word was also accordingly split into shirt and skirt.

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Some of these doublets seem to almost carry their own metaphors and ironies. In this case, one can’t help but smile at the thought of two ideas seemingly so opposed, having etymological roots that bring them together. Both come from the Latin ‘tradere’, meaning the act of handing over or handing down.

And if you haven’t guessed already, this is actually an etymological triplet, spawning also the modern English word ‘trade’.

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Another fun one! Could grammar be actually glamorous? Probably not, but at least the words are related, according to etymologists. The kinship can be traced back to its Latin and Greek forms, where the word referred in general to the study of literature.

Since the high class tended to dedicate their time to studying classical literature as much as alchemy, magic, or astrology, the word ‘glamour’ - originally just a mispronunciation - evolved to encompass the fancy quality of these last err… unorthodox studies.

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Who could have thought these two were related? Both words originate from the Latin word ‘uncia’, meaning the twelfth part. When the Romans occupied Britain, ‘uncia’ found its way into Old English as ‘ince’ or ‘ynce’, later becoming the modern ‘inch’.

"And what about ‘ounce’?" you might ask. ‘Uncia’ was also used to measure weight as much as length, but it was only through French - where it was adopted as a weight unit called ‘unce’ – that this sense came back into Middle English and became the ‘ounce’ we all know today.

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As you probably guessed, this doublet has its origins in the Middle East. But etymologies are never simple, and this case isn’t the exception, bearing successive transformations from one language into the other.

Just as the flower that got imported from the Middle East into Europe in the early 16th century and that enamored Europeans for decades, the English word ‘tulip’ took a long journey from Persian ‘dulband’ to Turkish ‘tülbent’, and then to French ‘tulipe’ or ‘tulipan’.

But Persian ‘dulband’ actually meant ‘turban’, and the flower only gets its name from the resemblance its overlapping petals have to the folds of cloth of a turban. At some point, however, meanings diverged, and this sense came into French already changed into ‘turbant’.

Did any of these doublets surprise you? I know I’m still in shock over the kinship between treason, trade, and tradition. If you love to read about language, long-lost etymologies, and other related topics, stay around! We will keep uploading interesting content to assuage all your language trivia cravings.