musique
Parisian concert hall's art
Musique is the French word for music, appearing in English primarily in borrowed phrases.
Musique concrète is an experimental genre using recorded sounds—traffic, machinery, voices—as raw material for composition.
The term appears occasionally in contexts evoking French sophistication or musical tradition.
Notes sounded simultaneously
- triadGroup of three
- counterpointSimultaneous independent melodies
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
- homophonySame-sounding different words
tonality · interval · scale · arpeggio · cadence · consonance · dissonance · progression
Improvisational American music genre
- classicalOf ancient Greece/Rome
- rockSolid earthen material
- hip-hopRhythmic spoken-word music
- bluesMournful American music genre
country · electronic · pop · metal · reggae · folk · disco · punk
Musical sequence of notes
- motifRecurring thematic element
- themeCentral recurring concept
- airGaseous envelope surrounding Earth
- lyricismExpressive, melodic quality
leitmotif · phrase · refrain · hook · riff · jingle · lullaby · ballad
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
- meterDevice that measures usage
- percussionSound through impact
drumming · pulse · swing · groove · timing · polyrhythm · backbeat · downbeat
Complex psychological state
- passionIntense emotional drive
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- dynamicsStudy of forces
phrasing · articulation · performance · nuance · timbre · vibrato · soulfulness · crescendo
Custom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ethnomusicologyMusic studied culturally
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- ceremoniesFormal observances with ritual
festivals · diaspora · regionalism · gamelan · mariachi · griot · raga · taiko
chord
Notes sounded simultaneously
- triadGroup of three
- counterpointSimultaneous independent melodies
- polyphonySimultaneous independent melodic lines
homophony · tonality · interval · scale · arpeggio · cadence · consonance · dissonance · progression · modulation
jazz
Improvisational American music genre
blues · country · electronic · pop · metal · reggae · folk · disco · punk · soul
tune
Musical sequence of notes
lyricism · leitmotif · phrase · refrain · hook · riff · jingle · lullaby · ballad · ditty
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- syncopationStressed unexpected beats
- meterDevice that measures usage
percussion · drumming · pulse · swing · groove · timing · polyrhythm · backbeat · downbeat · upbeat
emotion
Complex psychological state
- passionIntense emotional drive
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
dynamics · phrasing · articulation · performance · nuance · timbre · vibrato · soulfulness · crescendo · pianissimo
tradition
Custom passed through generations
- heritageInherited cultural legacy
- ethnomusicologyMusic studied culturally
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
ceremonies · festivals · diaspora · regionalism · gamelan · mariachi · griot · raga · taiko · samba
musiquebruit
Spread by word-of-mouth
noise · dissonance · discordance · cacophony · discord
music, musical, musician, muse, unmusical, musically, musics, musicale, musicianship