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MB abbreviation of 'Bachelor of Music', 'Manitoba' (Canada) Mbaire (Uganda) a large xylophone from Busoga. It is comprised of twenty large keys arranged in a pentatonic scale and played by six people M'bal (Senegal) a shorter version of the n'der drum of the Wolof Mbalax modernised Senegalese (Wolof) percussion music, characterized by a combination of Afro-Cuban rhythms, Wolof drumming and American pop music Mbalax Mbaqanga or 'township jive', a popular dance music style from the South African townships, its roots dating back to the 1930s, when Zulu and Sotho music were combined with African-American styles. It became very popular in the 1960s and 1970s Mbaqanga Mbaqanga M-Base (Macro-Basic Array of Structured Extemporization) a New York-based music movement that pioneered a a concept of how to create modern music. The movement reached its peak in the mid-to-late-80s and early 90s. The word was applied also to the collective of musicians, poets and dancers who espoused the M-base philosophy M-Base M-Base MBE abbreviation of 'Member of the Order of the British Empire' Mbela (Central African Republic) a musical bow composed of an arched branch and a string cut from a vine. The string is stretched between the two ends of the branch and held in front of the half-open mouth. When struck with a thin stick, the string produces a fairly faint single note to bring out another note, the player then touches it with a blade. The mouth cavity, acting as a natural resonator of varying shape and volume, amplifies and modulates the tones Mbende a celebration dance, coming from the Eastern part of Zimbabwe, with 'talking drum' sounds, performed mostly when a daughter of a chief is about to be wedded. The dance itself is a 'sexual dance'; a man and a woman are paired to suggest the daughter's impending experiences. The dance is to aid movement beyond the age of innocence by emphasizing commitment to new ways of doing things Popular African Traditional Dances from which this information has been taken Mbila plural form timbila, an African xylophone Xylophone (mbila) and one mallet, Chopi people, Mozambique, 19th century Mbira also known as sanza, sansa, lukembe, kalimbe or thumb piano, the mbira is a unique kind of tuned percussion instrument, found primarily in the Shona culture of Zimbabwe, on which one produces sound by plucking thin strips or tongues of metal, wood or cane with the thumbs and fingers. The strips are attached to a gourd resonator or wooden box, often with sound holes and, sometimes, jingles or beads are added to the keys to create a rich, buzzing tone. The pitch of each key may be altered by fixing wax to its free end, or by increasing or decreasing its length Mbira Akwaaba/the Mbira Lamellaphone (mbira), possibly Shona people, Botswana, 1st half of 20th century Mbira Tunings from Zimbabwe Mbira dzavadzimu (Shona, literally 'voice of the ancestors') a musical instrument that has been played by the Shona people of Zimbabwe for thousands of years. The mbira dzavadzimu is frequently played at religious ceremonies and social gatherings Mbira dzavadzimu Mbuat a free-reed mouth organ of the Meo (Hmong) people of Vietnam Mbuat Mbube (literally 'lion') an a cappella choral singing style of South African Zulus, featuring call and response patterns, close-knit harmonies and syncopation Mbumba (Malawi) songs that were used to praise the leader of the country, and which were regularly sung at meetings and political events, in which he appeared. These songs were then called nyimbo za mbumba (= the songs of mbumba). But the songs themselves came from many different performance groups; for example there were songs that had been borrowed from mbotosyg, a genre of song from northern Malawi, or from chintali, a dance with songs by women, men playing drums, from southern Malawi, etc. All these sources were borrowed and integrated Into the mbumba style, with their original words replaced by words of praise for the achievments of the president. From the moment the name of the president appeared in those songs, they were no longer referred to the original genres, but called mbumba songs. With the change of government in Malawi, in 1994, the genre nyimbo za mbumba has disappeared from the public; but recordings are still available on cassettes The popular dance of mbumba in the 1980s from which this extract has been taken M'bung m'bung bal (Senegal) or m'bung m'bung tungoné, a shorter bass version of the n'der, used to play the accompanying rhythm in a sabar drum set M'bung m'bung tungoné see m'bung m'bung bal MC also spelled "emcee", a rapper who performs for crowds MCA, M.C.A. abbreviation of 'Master of Creative Arts' MCh abbreviation of Männerchor (German: men's choir - choeur d'hommes (French)) M.D., m.d. abbreviation of main droite (French), mano destra or mano dritta (Italian) (right hand on the piano) MD MD-numbers refer to the standard MacDonald Verzeichnis of the Beatles' songs Md abbreviation of Mandoline (German: mandolin - mandoline French)) Me the lowered third degree of a major scale; in 'fixed do' solfeggio, me is always the note 'E-flat' Mea culpa (Latin, literally 'through my fault') originally part of the Confession of the Mass, now used more generally to admit responsibility for some blunder Mead a wine made from fermented honey Mea maxima culpa (Latin, literally 'through my very own fault') originally part of the Confession of the Mass, now used more generally to admit responsibility for some blunder Mean obsolete term for the middle part (usually the tenor) or a middle string Meane in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England, the middle voice of a composition, between the treble and tenor the middle voice of a three voice keyboard composition Meantone scale or mean-tone scale, the most common form of meantone temperament tunes all the major thirds to the just ratio of 5:4 (so, for instance, if A is tuned to 440 Hz, C#' is tuned to 550 Hz). This is achieved by tuning the perfect fifth a quarter of a syntonic comma flatter than the just ratio of 3:2. It is this that gives the system its name of quarter-comma meantone or 1/4-comma meantone. Another way of describing quarter comma meantone is to notice that the Pythagorean 3-limit scale has been tempered to fit the 5-limit meantone scale by removing the fourth root of the Pythagorean comma from each interval in a chain of four fifths. So in this case 'meantone' is really 'quarter-comma meantone', i.e. (81/80)(1/4) Meantone Scale - a basic introduction Meantone temperament - a technical article Meantone - a more advanced discussion Meantone temperament see 'meantone scale' Measurable music mensurable music Measure misura (Italian), Takt (German), mesure (French) in American usage, bar, the portion of music lying between two consecutive bar-lines (in American usage, bars) time, the rhythmical division of the portion of music between two consecutive bar-lines English term of the Renaissance and Baroque eras signifying a group of dance steps that could be performed to one strain of dance music Measured music music comprised of durations with proportional values, as for example in cantus mensuratu (measured chant) and music marked tempo giusto Measured performance a descriptive term suggesting a performance that is neither too fast nor too slow, although it might also suggest a performance that is considered 'safe', that is, lacking in verve or vigour the term is also used to describe music that observes the note lengths indicated by the proportional notation (for example, cantus mensuratu), as opposed to music that is 'unmeasured', for example, plainchant Measure motive a motive whose accent coincides with the first beat of the bar (or measure) Measure note the note indicated by the lower number in the standard time signature, thus for the time signature 3/4 the measure note is the crotchet (quarter note), and a bar (or measure) comprises 3 crotchets Measure rest the rest that is equivalent to the note indicated by the lower number in the standard time signature, thus for the time signature 3/4 the measure note is the crotchet (quarter note), therefore the measure rest is a crotchet rest (quarter rest) Mécanique (French f.) action Mécanisme des clefs (French m.) key work Mécanisme du piston (French m.) valve unit Meccanica (Italian f.) action Meccanismo delle chiavi (Italian m.) key work Mecenate (Italian m.) patron Mécène (French m.) patron méchanceté (French) spitefulness, malicious ill-will Mechanical action on an organ, the keys are connected to trackers which eventually connect to the valves that control the movement of air from the wind chest into the pipe. By pressing the key, the player is opening the valve in the wind chest. In a mechanical action, there is one valve for each note on the keyboard. So, if the organ has 10 stops, there is one valve for all ten pipes which correspond to that note on the keyboard Mechanical gusli see gusli Mechanical instrument a musical instrument that is operated mechanically without a human performer, for example, a music box Mechanical organ a term that is applied to a large family of instruments where the music to be played is provided via a cylinder on which the individual notes have been 'pegged-out'. The earliest members included belly organs (strapped around the waists of travelling musicians who used a crank to turn the cylinder), peg organs (belly organs which when played were supported by a single leg), bird-organs, street-organs, church barrel-organs (that played chorales, etc.), dance organs, band organs, theatre organs and fairground organs. The majority of these had pipes but a variant of the smaller instruments was produced employing reeds rather than pipes called the Meloton. A term commonly used to cover this family is 'barrel-organ' although from the invention by Anselme Gavioli in 1892 of the pneumatic reader, the 'barrel' or cylinder was gradually replaced and these new instruments were called book-organs. Organs that are bigger are usually 'cranked' not manually, but with a motor. These larger instruments are usually fairground organs, band organs, carousel organs, calliopes or orchestrions Theatre Pipe Organ Website Organ Builders Mechanik (German f.) action (on a piano) Mechanikbogen (German m.) harmonic curve (pertaining to the shape of the bridge on a stringed keyboard instrument) Mécanique (French f.) action (on a piano) Mécanique à action directe (French f.) upright action (on a piano) Mécanique à double échappement (French f.) double-escapement action (on a piano) Mécanique à lame (French f.) underdampers (on a piano) Mécanique SMR SEILER (French f.) SEILER's Super Magnet Repetition Action (on a piano) mechanische Piano (Dutch) player piano mechanische Musik (German f.) mechanical music mechanisches Instrument (German n.) mechanical instrument Mechanism deriving from the French mécanisme, meaning 'technical skill' or 'manual dexterity' that portion of an instrument which connects the act of the performer with the sound producing medium Mechanisme (Dutch) action méchant (m.), méchante (f.) (French) spiteful, malicious, ill-natured Mèche (French f.) that part of the bow consisting of the bowhair MEd abbreviation of 'Master of Education' Meddelande (Swedish) communication Meddelelser (Norwegian) proceedings Mededeling (Dutch) communication Medeltonstemperatur (Swedish) meantone temperament medesimo (Italian) the same medesimo moto (Italian) the same time medesimo movimento (Italian) the same speed medesimo tempo (Italian) the same pace Medewerker (Dutch) contributor, collaborator Medewerking (Dutch) collaboration Media (s.), Mediae (pl.) (Latin) in linguistics, one of the voiced stops, b, d, g, considered as intermediates between the voiceless stops, tenuis, and the aspirates media aspirata (Latin) the aspirated voiced stops bh, dh gh found in Sanskrit and the Dravidian languages Media C (Spanish f.) the note 'middle C' Mediaeval see 'medieval' Medial cadence see 'cadence (harmonic)' medianamente (Spanish) fairly medianamente débil (Spanish) fairly weak medianamente forte (Spanish) fairly strong Mediant (English, Danish, Swedish, Dutch from the Latin) médiante (French), mediante (Italian), modale (Italian), caratteristica (Italian), Mediante (German), mediante (Spanish), the third degree of the scale, called mediant because it is midway between the first degree of the scale (the tonic) and the fifth degree of the scale (the dominant) mediant also refers to a relationship between musical keys. For example, relative to the key of C minor, the key of E flat major is the mediant, and often serves as a mid-way point between I and V (hence the name). Tonicization or modulation to the mediant is quite common in pieces written in the minor mode, and usually serves as the second theme group in sonata forms, since it is very easy to tonicize III in the minor (for there is no need to use alternate notes). Tonicization of III in the major is quite rare in classical harmony, at least when compared with, for example, modulation to the V in the major, but mediant tonicization in the major is an important feature of late romantic music Mediant from which some of this material has been taken Mediante (German f., Italian f., Spanish f.) mediant Médiante (French f.) mediant Mediant relationship two chords whose roots are the interval of a third apart are said to be in mediant relationship one with the other Mediant seventh chord a seventh chord built on the third degree of the scale, III Media pausa (Spanish f.) also silencio de blanca or pausa de blanca, minim rest, half rest, pausa di minima (Italian), halbe Pause (German), demi-pause (French) Media player a piece of application software for playing back multimedia files. Most media players support an array of media formats, including both audio and video files Media player from which this extract has been taken Mediatio (Latin, literally 'mediation') a semi- or subordinate cadence that occurs midway through a verse in a psalm tone Mediator (French) pick, plectrum Media Ventures a film music company ran by Hans Zimmer and Jay Rifkin, which was known for housing yonug composers and pushing such collaborations between them as conducting, writing additional music, or even co-composing with Zimmer himself Media Ventures from which this extract has been taken media voz (Spanish) mezza voce Medieval pertaining to the Middle Ages, which for music is generally taken to be the period c.500-1430. The beginning of the Renaissance marks the end of the period we call the Middle Ages Medieval dance the Middle Ages are a period for which there are no known extant choreographies. There is, however, ample music that clearly is for dance. Several researchers and practitioners have made credible new choreographies to suit this music The Early Dance Circle from which this extract has been taken Medieval music the term 'Medieval music' encompasses European music written during the Middle Ages. This era begins with the fall of the Roman Empire (476AD) and ends in approximately the middle of the fifteenth century. Establishing the end of the Medieval era and the beginning of the Renaissance is admittedly arbitrary Medieval from which this short extract has been taken Medieval & Renaissance Music: A Brief Survey Introduction to Medieval Music Medieval Music Database Medieval Music Medieval music history Medieval Music History Medieval music of Cyprus Medieval Music of Cyprus Medieval rock a musical genre derived from folk rock. While medieval rock usually mixes traditional rock instruments (e.g. electrical guitars) with instruments commonly found in celtic folk music (e.g. bagpipes), it often also uses more classical instruments, such as harps or violins. Some bands use medieval instruments exclusively, other bands even use synthesizers Medieval rock from which this extract has been taken medio fuerte (Spanish) mf, mezzo forte Medio registro (Spanish) a term applied to organs, which refers to a stop which functions over only half of the keyboard médios (Portuguese) middle medio suave (Spanish) mp, mezzo piano medio tono (Spanish) semitone, half-step Medium one of the standard jazz tempos, neither 'up' (quicker) nor 'ballad' (slower) Médium (French m.) the middle register (of an instrument's range) in French, the three parts of an instrument's range are l'aigu, le médium and le grave médium (French) middle Medium (s.), Media (pl.) any liquid with which pigments are mixed to render them suitable for painting with a channel of communication, a system for the dissemination of information, etc. Medium (s.), Medien (pl.) (German n.) any liquid with which pigments are mixed to render them suitable for painting with a channel of communication, a system for the dissemination of information, etc. Medius (Latin) the name of one of the accentus ecclesiastici Medlem (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish) member Medley (English, German n.) a potpourri of melodies taken from other compositions and strung together. Since the end of the nineteenth century some distinction has been made between potpourri and 'medley', the latter usually denoting pieces that are more closely connected Meend a term from Hindustani classical music, a glissando where the player glides from one note to another at the same time faintly sounding the intermediate notes Meerduidigheid (Dutch) ambiguity Meerenge (German f.) a sound Meerhorn (German n.) tromba marina meermaats Rust (Dutch) multibar rest Meerschaum (German m., from Persian) or écume de mer (French), hydrous silicate of magnesium, a soft white clay used for the manufacture of pipes and cigarette holders Meerstemmig (Dutch) arrangement for several voices Meerstemmiger Gesang (German m.) a glee or part-song Meerstemmig lied (Dutch) part-song meerstimmig (German) in many or several parts Meertrompete (German f.) tromba marina Megáfono (Spanish m.) bullhorn, loudhailer, megaphone, megafono (Italian m.), Megaphon (German n.), porte-voix (French), mégaphone (French m.) Megalomania (Greek) an illusion of greatness, the mistaken belief that one is an important person, a mania of surrounding oneself with magnificent objects and objects of large size Megaphon (German n.) bullhorn, loudhailer, megaphone, megafono (Italian m.), porte-voix (French), mégaphone (French m.), megáfono (Spanish m.) Mégaphone (French m.) or porte-voix, bullhorn, loudhailer, megaphone, megafono (Italian m.), Megaphon (German n.), porte-voix (French), megáfono (Spanish m.) Megaron (s.), Megara (pl.) (Greek) the oldest form of Greek house, consisting of a single rectangular room with an anteroom mehr (German) more, many mehrchörig (German) polychoral Mehrchörigkeit (German f.) antiphony mehrere (German) several mehrfach (German) multiple, manifold mehrfach bestezt (German) doubled by several players mehrfache Intervalle (German n. pl.) compound intervals mehrfacher Kanon (German m.) a canon with more than two subjects mehrfache Stimme (German f.) an organ stop with several sets of pipes mehrsätzig (German) with several movements Mehrspurverfahren (German n.) multi-track recording mehrstimmig (German) multivoice, polyphonic, in several parts, for several voices, concerted (music) mehrstimmige Gesang (German m.) partsinging mehrstimmige Lied (German n.) a part-song Mehrstimmigkeit (German f.) polyphony, plurivocality mehrtaktige Pause (German f.) multibar rest mehrteilig (German) in several parts Mehter the Ottoman form of military band, it contained wind instruments such as the zurna (similar to the oboe), the boru (bugle), the kurrenay and the mehter whistle. It also contained percussion instruments such as the kös (the large drum), the nakkare (a small kettledrum), the zil (cymbals) and the çevgan. The number of instruments in each 'section' was the same, which determined the total number of instruments used. For example, the largest and most important, the Sultan's mehter or Tabl ü alem-i hassa, consisted of nine of each instrument. In later periods, the number of instruments could be as high as 12 or even 16. As well as the sultan's mehter band, the grand vizier (equivalent to the prime minister), ordinary viziers (equivalent to cabinet minister rank), the defterdar (head of the Treasury) and the reisü'l küttab (in charge of the state's foreign relations) would also have their own, and other bands were to be foundd in various provinces and castles. The structure and organisation of the mehter influenced the make-up of European military bands Meia see meio Meia ponta (Portuguese) demi pointe (French) Mei, Girolamo (1519-1594) an Italian historian and humanist, famous in music history for providing the intellectual impetus to the Florentine Camerata, which attempted to revive ancient Greek music drama. He was born Florence, and died in Rome. Mei was the first European after Boethius to do a detailed study of ancient Greek music theory. He compiled his findings in a major treatise, De modis musicis antiquorum (not formally published, but written 1568 to 1573) Girolamo Mei from which this information has been taken Meihua dagu (China) originated in Beijing and popular in North China, the performer tells stories while beating a drum, accompanied by two or three people who play three-stringed instruments, the pipa, and the sihu dagu and gushu are terms that denote the same category of qu under the heading of quyi. They consist chiefly of jingyun dagu, xihe dagu and meihua dagu Dagu and Gushu from which this information has been taken me importa un bledo (Spanish) I couldn't care less meine ganze Barschaft (German) all I have on me, all I had on me Meinungsumfrage (German f.) or Umfrage (German f.), opinion poll Meio (m.), Meia (f.) (Portuguese) half, demi (French), demie (French) Meio da sala (Portuguese) or centro, the centre of a ballet studio used for exercises and work not requiring the barre Meio-tom (Portuguese) or semitom, semitone, half tone Meiosis (Greek) in linguistics, a figure of speech in which emphasis is achieved by deliberate understatement, one form of which is termed litotes Meiosis Meister (German m.) master, teacher Meisterfuge (German f.) synonymous with fuga ricercata Meistergesang (German m.) a songwriting and performance tradition found in the Germany of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance Meisterlieder (German n. pl.) the principal songs of the Meistersinger, featuring melismatic decoration (called Blumen), usually of sacred verse, the early examples, particularly, following closely the Minnelied Bar form - two identical phrases (Stollen) coupled to a contrasting concluding phrase (Abgesang) Meistersänger (German m., literally 'master singer') a guild (Zünfte) of German amateur musicians of the Medieval and Renaissance (active from the late thirteenth to the seventeenth century) who saw themselves as heirs to an earlier aristocratic Minnesinger tradition then in decline, and who relied on the guild for their professional status, which was maintained by adherence to strict rules (set down in the Tablatur). The most important guild was based at Nuremberg, and its most famous member was Hans Sachs (1494-1576), the shoemaker whose has left us more than 6000 works The Meistersingers mejorado (Spanish) improved Mejoranera (Panama) similar to a guitar but slightly smaller and with a shorter neck, this instrument, made of cedar, has five strings which were originally made of the dry fibres of Bejuco, horse hair, gut, and now nylon. It is used to accompany singers and trovadores vernaculares in songs called mejoranas Mejoranera from which this information has been taken mejor dicho (Spanish) rather me judice (Latin) in my opinion Meke (Fiji, Pacific Islands) a traditional folk dance, in which the dancers bodies are said to be possessed by spirits. Meke tell legends and stories of the past - achievements, tragedies and victories. Wars, deaths, marriages and births are all re enacted through Mekes mel abbreviation of 'melodramma', mélodrame (French) mel unit of subjectively estimated pitch. A sine wave with a frequency of 1000 hertz, 40 decibels above the listener's threshold of hearing, has by definition a pitch of 1000 mels. A sound that a listener judges to be 2 times the pitch of a sound with a pitch of 1000 mels has a pitch of 2000 mels; a pitch judged half of a 1000-mel tone would be 500 mels the table below shows the pitch in mels of a pure sine wave at a few frequencies. Do not conclude from this table that there is a one-to-one mapping between the dominant frequency of a musical tone and its pitch. Although frequency is the most important factor in determining pitch, the sensation of pitch is also influenced by other factors frequency (hertz) pitch (mels) 20 0 40 46 80 126 100 161 400 508 800 854 1000 1000 2000 1545 4000 2250 10,000 3075 [taken from IEEE Society on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing] Mel scale mel. abbreviation of 'melody' Melakarta the collection of ragas in Carnatic music. Melakarta ragas are the fundamental ragas from which other ragas may be generated. For this reason the melakarta ragas are also known as janaka (parent) ragas. Melakarta ragas are also known as sampoorna ragas as they contain all seven swaras (notes) of the octave in both the ascending and the descending mode. There are 72 melakarta ragas Melakarta Melam see pandi melam Melancholia (Latin, from the Greek) a morbid condition of the mind characterized by groundless fears and acute depression Melancolia (Italian f.) melancholy melancolico (Italian) melancholic Mélancolie (French f.) melancholy Mélange (French m.) a medley, a pot-pourri mélanger (French) to mix Mélangeur de son (French f.) sound mixer Melaza see reggaeton Melbourne Shuffle a style of dance, originating in the late 1980s in the Melbourne (Australia) underground dance party scene Melbourne shuffle from which this extract has been taken Meldeschluß (German m.) closing date Mêlée (French f.) a confused encounter, a free-for-all, a heated argument or debate Meleket a long Ethiopian trumpet without finger holes Melic (Greek) of or pertaining to song lyric tuneful Melic composition a musical composition relating to song Méli-mélo (French m.) jumble Melism (English) melisma Melisma (s.), Melismata (pl.) (Greek) in vocal music, where one syllable is set over more than one note, in practise, six or more notes (Greek) a vocal grace or embellishment Melisma Melisma (s.), Melismas (pl.) (German n.) melisma Mélisme (French) melisma Melismatic the characteristic of a work containing a number of melismas and where the setting uses several notes on most, if not all, the syllables of the text melismático (Spanish) melismatic Melismatic organum florid or Acquitainian organum Melismatic song as opposed to syllabic song where each syllable is set to a different note, melismatic song allows a single syllable to be set to more than one note. Many commentators reserve the term 'melismatic melody' to cases where there are seven or more notes to a syllable. When the number of notes lies between two and six, these commentators apply the term 'neumatic' Melismatik (Greek) florid vocalisation mélismatique (French) melismatic melismatisch (German) melismatic Mellofon (German n.) mellophone Mellophon (German n.) mellophone Mellophone (English, French m.) a hybrid family of brass-instruments. The original 1880s Kohler & Son mellophone was a 'look-alike' of the 1868 Distin/Boosey & Co. ballad horn, which in turn was a 'look-alike' of the original Courtois Koenig horn of 1855. The Koenig horn itself was not an original instrument in internal design, and is very similar in bore-profile to Germanic instruments made in the Leipzig area by such instrument builders as Johann Joseph Schneider from 1846-1850, and earlier. This family includes the Antoniophone, made by Antoine Courtois, the tenor cors of Besson and Rudall Carte, the Altophone made by Henry Distin, early mellophones that bear Distin's name, though it is doubtful that he had a hand in their manufacture, the mellophone that appeared on various imports to the US between c. 1890 and c. 1910 that was no doubt purely phonetic in origin, the hatbox mellophone with detachable bell, the mellowphone that appeared on early King instruments, the Mellophonium manufactured by C. G. Conn in the 1950s in collaboration with Stan Kenton, the nineteenth-century cavalry models with bell-up and bell-forward designs, the frumpet and finally the marching mellophone. Professor Monks points out that these instruments are not flugel horns in the truest sense, but rather represent a divergence from a common ancestor- the keyed bugle, which essentially is a flugelhorn wrapped into bell-forward configuration and given keys. The direct line from there was the valved flugelhorn, which became extinct circa 1900. The best information thus far is that this later branch dates from the 1820s Al's Mellophone Page written by Greg S. Monks from which this extract has been taken plus information supplied directly by Professor Monks in a personal communication Mellophonium mellophone manufactured by C. G. Conn in the 1950s in collaboration with Stan Kenton Mellotron (Italian m., English, German n.) arguably the original multi-sampler, each key on the Mellotron had recordings of real instruments on a piece of magnetic tape under each note of the 3-octave keyboard and each key had its own pinch roller and playhead. When a key was pressed, the pinch roller enaged with a master capstan wheel and dragged the key's tape over a playhead Mellotron from which this extract has been taken Mélotron (French m.) mellotron Mellowphone early King mellophones Mellow rock see 'soft rock' Melodeclamation (from Greek melos, 'song', and Latin declamatio, 'declamation') a music genre, kind of a concert piece using the principles of melodrama, a kind of extended technique, a type of rhythmic vocal writing that bears a resemblance to Sprechstimme. It is a rhythmical speech with musical accompaniment Melodeclamation from which this extract has been taken Melodeon (English, German n.) small reed organs manufactured in the United States in the early 1800s, known also as 'lap' or 'elbow organs'. These usually have a single keyboard, one or two sets of free reeds (that is, tuned reeds, one for each note), and bellows operated by your elbow or hand. Larger melodeons, also called seraphines, were fitted with pedals so that the player could operate the bellows with his or her feet Lap Organ, Concord, New Hampshire, United States, 1813-1884 Lap Organ (melodeon), Concord, New Hampshire, United States, ca 1848-50, Melodeon, Concord, New Hampshire, United States, ca 1860 (English, German n.) button keyed accordion with ten keys, giving a twenty-note diatonic range. In England this term includes all button-keyed accordions. In Ireland and Scotland it is more specific to the one row 10-keyed variety. Though now out of favour among musicians and listeners, the melodeon has had a huge influence on the playing of Irish music. The one row melodeon gained popularity in Britain from 1850 onwards and was a cheap and efficient adaptation of earlier French and English designs. By the early 1900s nearly all melodeons played in Britain were of German origin. It held popularity among French, Scottish, English, Irish and Italian musicians, who in turn brought it to the United States. Breton musicians brought it first to Canada and then to the south where the one-row model has a central role in Cajun music Irish Melodeon from which this extract above has been taken Melodestik (Greek) the rules or science of melody Melodia an organ stop resembling the clarabella (Italian f., Portuguese) melody, air, tune Melodía (Spanish f.) melody, mélodie (French) Melodía fija (Spanish f.) cantus firmis, fixed melody (for example, in organum, the line of plainchant over which the other lines are constructed) Melodía melismática (Spanish f.) melismatic melody. As opposed to syllabic melody where each syllable is set to a different note, melismatic melody allows a single syllable to be set to more than one note. Many commentators reserve the term 'melismatic melody' to cases where there are seven or more notes to a syllable. When the number of notes lies between two and six, these commentators apply the term 'neumatic' Melodía neumática (Spanish f.) neumatic melody, a musical setting in which, in the main, there are two to six notes per syllable, although the occasional syllable may only contain a single note Melodian hyppivä liike (Finnish) disjunct motion Melodía silábica (Spanish f.) syllabic melody, a musical setting where one and only one note is related to one syllable in the text Melodic vocal, singable in the style of a melody, the progression of a single part Melodica (English, German f.) a free-reed instrument similar to the 'accordion' and 'harmonica'. It has either a musical keyboard or a set of buttons to select the different notes, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. Pressing a key or button opens a hole, allowing air to flow through a reed. In the case of those with keyboards the range is usually two or three octaves Melodica Family Melodica from which this extract has been taken Melódica (Portuguese f.) melodic Melodic black metal it differs from traditional black metal, because the music is normally slower, and far more structured than its non-melodic counterpart. This genre draws its roots from black metal, melodic death metal and occasionally other forms of music depending on the band Melodic black metal from which this extract has been taken Melodic contrafact see 'contrafact' Melodic death metal often referred to as melodeath, a subgenre of 'death metal'. It contains more melodic guitar riffs and solos, which are sometimes acoustic, and also occasional 'clean' singing as opposed to traditional death grunt vocals Melodic death metal from which this extract has been taken Melodic interval the interval between two notes played one in succession to the other, i.e. not played simultaneously Melodic major scale so named because it is a mirror of the (ascending) melodic minor scale. In the melodic minor scale the 6th and 7th degrees of the diatonic aeolian mode are sharpened; in the melodic major scale the 6th and 7th degrees of the diatonic major scale are flattened Melodic minor also called 'tonic minor' and widely used in jazz, a scale with a minor 3rd, a major 6th and 7th (which, unlike the melodic minor scale described below, in the same up and down). This scale and its modes (e.g. mode 3, the augmented major 7th; mode 4, the Lydian dominant; mode 6, the half-diminished; mode 7, the altered) form the basis of 'melodic minor harmony' Melodic minor scale unusually in musical scales, the melodic minor scale differs when descending from when ascending. When descending, the seventh and sixth degrees are flattened so that the scale is the same as a descending natural minor scale. In the example above, in the descending scale B and A are flattened to Bb and Ab respectively Melodic Minor Melodic motion the quality of movement of a melody, including nearness or farness of successive pitches or notes in a melody. This may be described as conjunct or disjunct, stepwise or skipwise, respectively Melodic motion from which this extract has been taken Melodic music a term that covers various genres of non-classical music which are primarily characterised by the dominance of a single strong melody line. Rhythm, tempo and beat are subordinate to the melody line or tune, which is generally easily memorable, and followed without great difficulty. Melodic music is found in all parts of the world, overlapping many genres, and may be performed by a singer or orchestra, or a combination of the two Melodic music from which this short extract has been taken melodico (Italian) melodic, tuneful melódico (Portuguese, Spanish) melodic Melodicon an instrument, invented by Peter Riffelsen of Copenhagen (1800), in which tuning forks are struck by means of keys Melodic ostinato see ostinato Melodic sequence the successive repetition of a melodic unit at a high or low pitch Melodie (German f., Dutch) melody, song, tune, aria developed from simpler forms such as the romance, the bergerette and the scène, the mélodie is the French equivalent of the German Lied, 'art-song' rather than the lighter chanson Mélodie (French f.) melody, tune, air, melodía (Spanish) in music, the term mélodie generally applies to French art songs of the mid-nineteenth century to the present; it is the French equivalent of the German Lied. It is distinguished from a chanson, which is a folk or popular song Mélodie from which the second entry has been taken Mélodie bien sentie (French f.) the melody to be well expressed or accented Mélodie harmonisée note par note (French f.) chordal or block harmony Melodieinstrument (German n.) melody instrument Melodiekoppel (German n.) see Koppel Melodielehre (German f.) a study of melody Melodiesaite (German f.) treble string, corda melodica (Italian f.), corde mélodique (French f.) Melodiestem (Dutch) principal part, leading melody melodieus (Dutch) melodious, tuneful melodieusement (French) melodiously, sweetly Melodik (German f.) the science of melody melodik (German) melodious, tuneful Melodiograph a device for preserving a record of music, by recording the action of the keys of a musical instrument as it is being played upon Melodion a keyboard instrument invented by J. C. Dietz of Emmerich in 1806 in which the sounds were produced by pressing graduated steel bars against a rotating cylinder a glass harmonica melodiosamente (Italian) melodiously melodioso (Italian, Spanish) melodious, tuneful Melodious music with a pleasing melody mélodique (French) melodic melodisch (German) melodious, melodiously melodische Lijn (Dutch) melodic line melodische mineur-Toonladder (Dutch) melodic minor scale melodisches Moll (German n.) melodic minor Melodisch Dur-Leiter (German f.) melodic major scale Melodisch Moll-Leiter (German f.) melodic minor scale Mélodium (French) a kind of harmonium Melodram (German n.) melodrama Melodrama (English, German n.) a dramatic work with music where the dialogue is spoken particularly in the nineteenth century, genres of opera that use spoken dialogue accompanied or unaccompanied by an orchestra rather than recitative (an early example is to be found in Mozart's unfinished German opera Zaide) often applied to scenes in opera, for example, opéra comique and Singspiel, characterised in this way Mélodrama (French f.) melodrama Mélodrame (French m.) melodrama Melodramma (Italian m.) a nineteenth-century term for a musical dramma similar to opera Melodramma melodrammatico (Italian) melodramatic Melody melodia (Italian), Melodie (German), chant (French), mélodie (French) (Middle English melodie, from Old French, from Late Latin melodia, from Greek meloidia, singing, choral song : melos, tune + aoide, song.) the horizontal dimension in music, a succession of organized pitches having a definite rhythm, where the vertical dimension arises from the harmony various terms are used to describe melodic features: diatonic the notes of the major or minor scale, distinct from chromatic leap motion from one pitch to another that is more than a whole tone away phrase a natural division of the melodic line, comparable to a sentence of speech pitch the height or depth of a note, i.e. generally expressed in terms of its frequency repeated notes reiteration of a note at the same pitch level step motion from one scale degree to the next, whether by a semitone or a whole tone unison identity in pitch, for example when all singing or playing the same note Melody Melody an air or tune Melody dominated homophony music in which the top line has a dominant melody in a different rhythm, and all the voices accompany it with homophonic chords. Most popular music can be described as melody dominated homophony. This type of music could be considered a monody, but this term is generally applied to Italian song of the early seventeenth century Melody dominated homophony from which this extract has been taken Melograph a device which writes down in notes what is extemporised on the pianoforte Melologo (Italian) a musical melodrama in which the effect of declamation is enhanced by background music Meloman (German m./f.) one who has a 'mania' for music, a music lover Mélomane (French m./f.) one who has a 'mania' for music, a music lover Mélomanie (French) an extreme passion, or mania, for music Meloneras Spanish dance from Daimiel. They are variation of the seguidillas manchegas and are danced by two or four couples at a slow pace, accompanied by castanets Melopea (Italian) melopoeia Mélopée (French f.) melopoeia Melopoeia the art of forming melody melody, now often used for a melodic passage, rather than a complete melody words and music combined vocal declamation of a drama Melophare a lantern, inside of which music paper, previously soaked in oil, is placed, so that the notes can be read when a light is placed inside (used for serenades at night) Mélophone an experimental accordion Mélophone, Paris, France, ca 1845 Melopiano a keyboard instrument invented by Caldara of Turin (1870) the unusual hammer action allowing the player to produced sustained sounds and a crescendo and decrescendo Melopeo y maestro (1613) written by Pietro Cerone (1566-1625), an Italian music theorist, singer and priest, an enormous music treatise which is useful in the study of compositional practices of the sixteenth century Méloplaste (French) a piece of equipment from which the méthode de méloplaste invented by Pierre Galin in 1817, takes its name, a board with staves of five lines and some auxiliary lines, on which the teacher shows the notes he wishes the class to sing by means of a pointer, one end of which bears a small ball that represents a note head Melopoeïa (Greek) the art of writing melody Melorhythm the melody/rhythm complex that arising in certain genres of African drumming, those using drums that can produce a number of tones at different pitches Melos (Greek, literally 'tune, song, melody') melos (song) falls into two divisions - the personal song of the poet, and the choric song of his band of trained dancers. There are remains of old popular songs with no alleged author, in various styles: the Mill Song - a mere singing to while away time - the Spinning Song, the Wine-Press Song, and the Swallow Song, with which the Rhodian boys went round begging in early spring. Rather higher than these were the Skolia, songs sung at banquets or wine-parties (Greek) a term used by Richard Wagner (1813-83) to denote vocal progressions in the recitatives in some of his operas that do not have the form or unity of regular melodies Melothesia (Greek) the invention of melody Melotheta (Greek) composer, musician Meloton a small cylinder belly organ that had no pipes but instead used reeds Melotypie (German) the art of printing notes by type mels abbreviation of melodramma serio (Italian) melss abbreviation of melodramma semiserio (Italian) Membrana (Italian f.) membrane, drumhead, vellum Membranofon (German n.) membranophone Membranofoon (Dutch) membranophone Membranophon (German n.) membranophone Membranophone from the Sachs-Hornbostel hierarchical scheme for classifying musical instruments, an instrument that produces sound through the vibration of a stretched membrane, one of two forms, the drum and the mirliton Membro (Italian m.) member, limb Meme the term coined by Richard Dawkins refers to any piece of information transferable from one mind to another. Examples might include thoughts, ideas, theories, practices, habits, songs, dances and moods. Different definitions of meme generally agree, very roughly, that a meme consists of some sort of a self-propagating unit of cultural evolution having a resemblance to the gene (the unit of genetics) Meme from which this extract has been taken même (French) same même mouvement (French) in the same time, at the same speed même mouvement que précédemment (French) in the same time as that which precedes (it/them) Memento (Latin, literally 'remember!') the commemoration of the living or the commemoration of the dead in the Canon of the Mass anything that serves to remind one of past events or of absent persons (for example, some object kept for that purpose) Memento mori (Latin, literally 'remember that you must die') an object (most commonly a skull) reminding one of the inevitability of death and the need for penitence. Other symbols of mortality include clocks and candles. A danse macabre with only one pair of dancers is also a known as a memento mori Memoir (from the French mémoire) a record or report of things done, usually within the personal knowledge of the author Memoiren (German pl.) memoirs, reminiscences memorabile (Italian) memorable Memorabilia (Latin pl., 'memorable things') things kept to remind the owner of events from his or her past Memorandum (s.), Memoranda (pl.) (Latin, 'a note of') a thing to be remembered (often a note that aids future recollection) memore (Italian) mindful, grateful Memoria (Italian f., Spanish f.) memory, souvenir Memoria fiel (Spanish f.) reliable memory Memorial (Spanish m.) notebook, memorial Memoriale (Italian m.) memorial Memorias (Spanish f. pl.) memoirs (biographical) Memoria technica (Latin) a system of mnemonics, a device or system of devices to assist the memory Memorie (Italian f. pl.) memoirs (biographical) Memorión (Spanish m.) a very good memory Memorión (m.), Memoriona (f.) (Spanish) a person with a very good memory memorión (m.), memoriona (f.) (Spanish) with a very good memory Mémorisation (French f.) storage (for example, on recording tape) Mémorisation du son (French f.) sound storage (for example, on recording tape) memorístico (m.), memorística (f.) (Spanish) acquired by memory Memorización (Spanish f.) memorizing, the act of committing to memory memorizar (Spanish) to memorize, to committing to memory memorizzare (Italian) memorize, commit to memory Memorizzazione (Italian f.) storage (for example, on recording tape) Memorizzazione del suono (Italian f.) sound storage (for example, on recording tape) Memphis blues a type of blues music that was pioneering in the early part of the twentieth century by musicians associated with vaudeville and medicine shows. It was in the Memphis blues that groups of musicians first assigned one guitarist to play rhythm, and one to play lead and solos, which disposition has become standard in rock and roll and much of popular music Memphis blues from which this extract has been taken Memphis soul a stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard edged as Southern soul Memphis soul Memra (Aramaic) a Syrian preaching homily, in poetic form, that influenced the earliest Byzantine hymnography, the troparion and kontakion Memsahib (Hindi from the Arabic) a European married woman (the form of address by which Indian servants address or refer to their European mistress) men (Italian) less men. abbreviation of meno (Italian: less) Menaaneim (Hebrew, literally 'to shake') cymbals, probably the sistrum (2 Samuel 6:5) Ménage (French m.) married couple, housework (English, from the French) a household (particularly, a man and a woman keeping house together) and the management of the same Ménage à trois (French m.) a household consisting of a woman, her husband and her lover, or of a man, his wife and his mistress Ménagement (French m.) care and consideration ménager (French) to treat gently and with tact, to be sparing in the use of, to prepare (carefully) ménager (m.), ménagère (f.) (French) household, domestic Ménagère (French f.) housewife Ménagerie (French f.) menagerie, a collection of animals Mención (Spanish f.) mention Mención honorífica (Spanish f.) honourable mention Mendi see di Mendicanti see Ospedaletto mener le branle (French) to lead the dance mener l'enquête (French) lead the inquiry Ménesterel (m.), Ménesterelle (f.) minstrel Ménestral (m.), Ménestralle (f.) minstrel Ménestrel (m.), Ménestrelle (f.) minstrel Ménestrels (French m. pl.) minstrels Menestrello (Italian m.) minstral Ménétriers (French m. pl.) originally a term meaning 'minstrels', but later used to describe rustic mjusicians and particularly 'bad fiddlers' Meneur (French m.) leader Meneur de jeu (French m.) compère Menge (German f.) amount, quantity, crowd (people), set (mathematics) mengen (German) mix Mengenabweichung (German f.) discrepancy or variance in quantity Menhir (Breton) a tall upright monumental stone of a type found throughout Europe, but particularly in Brittany Menicus (s.), Menisci (pl.) (Latin, from the Greek) lens that is convex on one face and concave on the other, so that it has a crescent-shaped cross-section the convex or concave surface of a liquid in a tube, resulting from the capillary attraction or surface tension Meñique (Spanish m.) little finger, auricular (Spanish), auriculaire (French) meno (Italian) less, not so meno allegro (Italian) not so fast meno andante (Italian) slower meno forte (Italian) not so loudly meno mosso (Italian) less quick, less movement, slower, not so fast meno moto (Italian) less quick, less movement, slower meno piano (Italian) not so softly menor (Spanish, Portuguese) minor (reference to key), mineur (French) meno vivace (Italian) less quick, slow down meno vivo (Italian) not so quick men presto (Italian) less quick Mensa (Latin, literally 'table') the top stone slab of an altar Menschengeschlecht (German n.) mankind Menschenstimme (German f.) human voice Menschlichestimme (German f.) human voice menselijke Stem (Dutch) human voice Mensile (Italian m.) monthly mensile (Italian) monthly Mens rea (Latin) guilty mind, criminal intention Mens sana in corpore sano (Latin) a sound mind in a healthy body Menstruum (Latin) a solvent, a liquid in which a solid can be dissolved menstruus (Latin) monthly mensual (Spanish) monthly Mensuel (French m.) monthly mensuel (French) monthly mensuellement (French) monthly Mensur (German f.) mensura (German f.) a fencing-match or duel between two German students Mensura (Latin) measure correct measurement of intervals in mensurable music, the word had the meaning of 'time' when speaking of organ pipes the term is the equivalent of 'scale' (i.e. the diameter of a pipe) Mensuraalschrift (Dutch) mensural notation Mensurable music measured music, music written with notes having proportionate time-values as distinguished from Plainsong in which the rhythm is free mensural (German) mensurable Mensuralgesang measured music, music written with notes having proportionate time-values as distinguished from Plainsong in which the rhythm is free (German m.) florid vocalisation Mensuralmusik (German f.) mensural music Mensural notation (English, Mensuralnotation (German f.)) also called 'proportional notation', musical notation that prescribes specific relative durations of notes. In modern notation this is done with crotchets (quarter notes), minims (half notes), etc., assembled into units called bars (measures). Medieval chant notation does not specify such rhythmic values for notes History of Music Notation Mensural notation Mensural music a term applied to fifteenth- and sixteenth-century unbarred music where the proportional relationship between the note symbols might be duple (as they are today) or triple, depending on the time signature Mensuration Mensuralmusik (German f.) mensural music Mensuralnotation (German) mensural notation Mensuralnoten (German) mensural notation Mensuration (English, French f.) in general, the act, process, or art, of measuring or, collectively, the measurements themselves in music of the Renaissance, the relationships (particularly the proportional relationships) between the time values or durations of the various note signs Introduction to Mensuration in Renaissance Music by Alain Naigeon Mensuration canon also called a prolation canon. Mensuration is an early musical term which is analogous to our notion of time signature. A mensuration canon can be described as a mathematical dilation, where each "voice" carries the same melodic line but at a different speed. In some of the early examples of mensuration canons from the 15th and 16th centuries, the melody line is denoted once, along with several time signatures and each musician is expected to perform the line at one of the time signatures. The faster performers might be instructed to repeat their line several times or else the piece might stop short of the slower performers completing the entire melody line Prolation canon A Mathematical Moment in Music from which this extract has been taken Mensurstrich (German m.) the barring of modern editions of early music by placing the bar-line between the staves rather than across the staff Mensurstriche mentalement (French) mentally Mentalité (French f.) mental attitude mente, alla see alla mente Menterie (French f.) untruth, falsehood, lie Menteur (m.), Menteuse (f.) (French) liar, fibber menteur (m.), menteuse (f.) (French) fallacious, false, illusory (dreams), untruthful (person), lying (person) Menthe à l'eau (French f.) a glass of peppermint cordial mentholé (French) mentholated (for example, a cough sweet) Mention (French f.) a note, a comment Mention assez bien (French f.) one grade above a pass (examination result C, lower second class degree) Mention bien (French f.) two grades above a pass (examination result B, upper second class degree) Mention passable (French f.) pass grade (examination result D, third class degree) Mention très bien (French f.) top grade (examination result A, first class degree) Mention très honorable (French f.) (doctorate) [with] distinction mentir (French) to lie mentir à (French) to betray, to belie Mento the most popular native dance of Jamaica, which resembles a Cuban rumba, played in slow tempo in a more general sense Mento is the original folk music created by Jamaicans using instruments that range from saxophones, flutes, bamboo fifes, PVC pipes, banjos, violins, bamboo fiddles, guitars, rhumba boxes, double basses, rhythm sticks, shakkas and drums played with both sticks and hands Mento Mento Mentonera (Spanish f.) chin-rest (for example, on a violin), mentoniera (Italian f.), Kinnhalter (German m.), mentonnière (French f.) Mentoniera (Italian f.) chin-rest (for example, on a violin), mentonera (Spanish f.), Kinnhalter (German m.), mentonnière (French f.) Mentonnière (French f.) chin-strap (helmet) (French f.) chin-rest (for example, on a violin), mentoniera (Italian f.), Kinnhalter (German m.), mentonera (Spanish f.) menu (f.), menue (f.) (French) slender, slim, slight (figure, finger, person, etc.), thin (voice), tiny (hand-writing) Menuet (French m., Dutch) minuet Menuett (German n.) minuet Menuetto (supposedly Italian) minuet German composers used menuetto believing it to be the Italian word for minuet - in fact the correct word is minuetto Menuiserie (French f.) joinery, carpentry, a joiner's workshop, piece of joinery Menuiserie d'art (French f.) cabinetwork Menuisier (French m.) a joiner, a carpenter Menuisier d'art (French m.) a cabinet-maker Menu peuple (French m.) humble folk Menus frais (French m. pl.) incidental expenses, minor expenses Menus monnaie (French m. pl.) small change (money) Menus plaisirs (French m. pl.) the minor pleasures of life (as measured in terms of money spent) historically the term was used generally for entertainments organised for French royalty Menus propos (French m. pl.) small talk meraviglioso (Italian) marvellous Mercy see Gottschalk Mereng the Haitian version of the merengue Merengue (English, German f.) a spirited dance style from the Dominican Republic, with a syncopated duple rhythm. that is normally accompanied by a small accordion, a two headed drum called the tambora, and a singer who plays the güiro (scraper). It was introduced into Puerto Rico and then the United States during the 1930s, then typically performed by larger ensembles including alto saxophones, trumpets, congas and drums. The same music is called méringue or mereng in Haiti where it is guitar, not accordion based tempos vary a great deal and the Dominicans enjoy a sharp quickening in pace towards the latter part of the dance. The most favoured routine at the clubs and restaurants that run a dance floor is a slow bolero, breaking into a merengue, which becomes akin to a bright, fast jive in its closing stages. The ballroom merengue is slower and has a modified hip action. However, whatever the tempo, it is the rhythm that dominates the music, unsyncopated and including an strong beat on 1 and 3 a style of vallenato music from Colombia Merengue (music) Merengue (dance) Merengue Merengue from which some of this information is drawn Merengue de salón the ballroom version of merengue Merengue típico cibaeño (Dominican Republic) the name given in the early twentieth century to the original form of the merengue Merenhouse see Merenrap Merenrap or Merenhouse, which from the mid-1990s which added 'house' and 'hip hop' elements to merengue Merensongo an Afro-Cuban rhythm Meretrix (s.), Meretices (pl.) (French f.) a prostitute Méride 1/43 part of an octave. This name was chosen by Joseph Sauveur (1653-1716) in 1696. The méride and eptaméride were the first logarithmic interval measures proposed. Sauveur favoured 43-tone equal temperament because the small intervals are well represented in it. He had set the comma to one step, then found a range of 2, 3 or 4 steps for the chromatic semitone, corresponding to 31, 43 and 55 tones per octave. He found 43 to be optimal because 4 steps is almost exactly a 16:15 minor second and 7 steps almost exactly the geometric mean of three 9:8 and two 10:9 whole tones. The chromatic scale contained in 43-tET is virtually identical to 1/5-comma meantone tuning Logarithmic Interval Measures from which this material has been taken Meridians (in a bell) vertical nodal lines resulting from the bell's geometric form which are associated with vibratory movement Méridional (s.), Méridionale (f.) (French) a native of the South of France Meringue a confection made of icing-sugar and white of egg, made into small cakes or speared over a pudding or merengue, a spirited dance style from the Dominican Republic, with a syncopated duple rhythm. that is normally accompanied by a small accordion, a two headed drum called the tambora, and a singer who plays the güiro (scraper). It was introduced into Puerto Rico and then the United States during the 1930s, then typically performed by larger ensembles including alto saxophones, trumpets, congas and drums. The same music is called méringue or mereng in Haiti where it is guitar, not accordion based Merline see serinette Merodi (Japan) a serrated, flexible plastic pipe, both ends of which are open. The player holds one end and swings the pipe in a circle over his head. If the speed of swinging is increased, higher overtones are heard, so that a kind of melody can be played Merodi from which this extract has been taken Merry happy, joyful, giocoso (Italian), lustig (German), gai (French) Mersenne, Marin (1588-1648) also Marin Mersennus or le Père Mersenne, he was a French theologian, philosopher, mathematician and music theorist. Of his works in this connection the best known is Traité de l'harmonie universelle (also referred to as simply Harmonie universelle) of 1636, dealing with the theory of music and musical instruments. It is regarded as a source of information on seventeenth-century music, especially French music and musicians, to rival even the works of Pietro Cerone (1566-1625) whose El melopeo y maestro: tractado de música theorica y pratica; en que se pone por extenso; lo que uno para hazerse perfecto musico ha menester saber, consisting of 22 volumes, 849 chapters, and 1160 pages in the original Spanish, is useful in the studying compositional practices of the sixteenth century Marin Mersenne from which this extract has been taken Mersey beat see 'Mersey sound' Mersey Sound also known as the 'Liverpool Sound' and 'Mersey Beat', the name the media gave to the music created by Merseyside groups between 1958 and 1964. The most popular line-up comprised lead, rhythm and bass guitars plus drums as popularised by The Beatles and The Searchers Mersey sound from which this extract has been taken merveilleux (French) marvellous Mesa (Spanish f.) table, desk, a high table-land or plateau Mésalliance (French) an unsuitable marriage (the term is applied particularly to marriage with a person of inferior social position) mesarse (Spanish) tear at one's hair Mescolanza (Italian f.) a medley, a quodlibet (Italian f.) a mixture of discordant sounds, bad harmony Mescolatore (Italian m.) mixer (electronics) Mescolatore di suono (Italian m.) sound mixer Mese (Greek) the middle string on the lyre Mesemba or 'Angolan semba', a traditional ritual music from Angola in Southern Africa Meseta (Spanish f.) plateau, landing (staircase) mesiánico (Spanish) Messianic Mesias (Spanish m.) Messiah Mesilla (Spanish f.) small table Mesilla de noche (Spanish f.) bedside table Mesne (old French) the holding of an estate of a superior lord (by a feudal lord), occurring at a time intermediate between two dates (as a legal term) Mesodiplosis the repetition of a word or phrase at the middle of every clause Mesolabium a device attributed to Archimedes or Eratosthenes and described by Vitruvius (c. 90-20 BC) in Book IX of his De architectura a textbook written for Roman architects. The mesolabium is a measuring tool for finding two mean proportionals. In 1558, Gioseffo Zarlino published instructions on how to tune a lute using such a device (Part 2 of Zarlino's Le institutione harmoniche) Mesón (Spanish m.) inn Mesonera (Spanish f.) landlady Mesonero (Spanish m.) landlord Mesotónico (Spanish) mean-tuned mesquin (m.), mesquine (f.) (French) sordid, shabby Mesquinerie (French f.) shabbiness, little-mindedness Messa (Italian f.) the Mass Messa bassa (Italian f.) a silent Mass, whispered by the priest during a musical performance Messa concertata (Italian f.) a Mass consisting of concerted music Messa di voce (Italian f., literally 'placing the voice') a crescendo (i.e. swelling) and a diminuendo (i.e. diminishing) on a single sustained note (particular in singing) Messa in scena (Italian f.) production, staging Messanzo (Italian) mesolanza Messa per i defunti (Italian f., literally 'mass for the dead') requiem mass Messe (French f., German f.) mass, misa (Spanish) Messe basse (French f., German f.) low mass, misa baja (Spanish) Messe basse solennelle (French f., literally 'solemn low mass') the Abbé Perrin, in the preface to a collection of his own motet texts (1665), tells us that for Louis XIV's messe basse solennelle, the musical highpoint of daily worship at Versailles, "three [motets] are usually sung: a grand, a petit for the élévation, and a Domine salvum fac regem ('God save the king'). I have made the grands long enough that they can last a quarter of an hour ... and occupy the beginning of the Mass up to the élévation. Those of the élévation are shorter and can last up to the Post-Communion where the Domine [salvum] begins." Messe chantée (French f.) a sung Mass, misa cantada (Spanish) Messe concertante (French f.) a Mass consisting of concerted music Messe de fiançailles (French f.) a betrothal Mass Messe de funérailles (French f.) a funeral Mass Messe de Nostre Dame (French, 'Mass of Our Lady') a polyphonic mass composed before 1365 by the French poet, composer and cleric Guillaume de Machaut (circa 1300-1377). One of the great masterpieces of medieval music and of all religious music, it is the earliest complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass attributable to a single composer Messe de Nostre Dame from which this extract has been taken Messe de Requiem (French f.) requiem mass Messe des morts (French f., literally 'mass for the dead') requiem mass Messe des trépassés (French f.) funeral mass Messe en plein air (French f.) outdoor mass, misa de campaña (Spanish) Messe grégorienne (French f.) mass using the Gregorian rite Messe noire (French f.) black mass Messe pontificale (French f.) papal mass, misa pontifical (Spanish) Messe solennelle (French f.) solemn mass Messe votive (French f.) votive mass (celebrated for a special intention) Meßlatte (German f.) surveyor's rod Messglöcken (German f.) Sanctus bells Messiah, The oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) to a libretto written by poet and landowner, Charles Jennens, for which there is an almost unbroken performing tradition going back to the eighteenth century. Handel had reached a low point in his London career. Audiences had turned their back on his opera seria and he moved to Dublin. The Lord Lieutenant of Dublin wanted to present a work for charity and Handel began work on the Messiah on August 22 1741. Twenty-three days later it was finished and it received its first Dublin performance on 13 Apr. 1742. Unique among Handel's oratories, Messiah is more religious than his other work; the text is purely scriptural and does not tell a story in the conventional sense. Rather, it is a meditation on Christ's life and ultimate triumph, and a celebration of redemption. It was an immediate success despite some reservations about a work based on a religious theme being performed in a London theatre (Covent Garden). The work was revived 39 times before the composer's death Handel's Messiah Through the Centuries Messing (German n.) brass (metal) Messingblæsere (Danish) brass (e.g. orchestral section) Messingrohr (German n.) brass tubing, brass pipe Messingsaite (German f.) brass string, corda d'ottone (Italian f.), corde de laiton (French f.) Messingstreifen (German m.) brass strip Messinqo (Ethiopia) a one-string fiddle played with a bow, associated particularly with the azmaris Messklingeln (German m. pl.) Sanctus bells mestamente (Italian) plaintively, grievingly Mester de Clerecía (Castilan, 'ministry of Clergy') a Castilian literature genre that can be understood as an opposition and surpassing of Mester de Juglaría. It was cultivated in the thirteenth century by Spanish clergymen Mester de Clerecía from which this extract has been taken Mester de juglaría (Castilan, 'ministry of jongleury') a Castilian-language literature genre from the 12th and 13th centuries, transmited orally by "juglares" who made their living by telling and singing these stories in public places and palaces together with performing short theatral scenes, acrobacy or otherwise diverting the public Mester de juglaría from which this extract has been taken Mestizia (Italian f.) sadness Mestizaje (Spanish m.) crossbreeding Mestizo (m.), Mestiza (f.) (Portuguese, mestiço; French, métis: from Late Latin mixticius, literally 'mixed') a term of Spanish origin used to designate the people of mixed European and indigenous non-European ancestry. The term has traditionally been applied mostly to those of mixed European and indigenous Amerindian ancestry who inhabit the region spanning the Americas; from the Canadian prairies in the north to Argentina and Chile's Patagonia in the south. In the other regions and countries previously under Spanish, Portuguese or French colonial rule, variants of the term may also be in usage for people of other colonial European and indigenous non-European (Asian, African, and Oceanianic, etc.) mixtures. In the Philippines, the term mestiso, or mistiso, is a broad reference to individuals of any non-specific foreign admixture to an ethnic Filipino base stock (Spanish) cross-breed (animal) Mestizo from which this extract has been taken mestizo (m.), mestiza (f.) (Spanish) cross-bred, half-caste Mestizo music mestizo music, like the mestizo themselves, combines both European and indigenous musical forms and musical instruments mesto (Italian) mournful, sad, melancholy, pensive mestoso (Italian) mournful, sad, pensive Mestre da capela (Portuguese) maestro di cappella Mesura (Spanish f.) moderation mesurado (Spanish) moderate Mesure (French f.) measure (bar), misura (Italian f.), mesura (Spanish f.), Takt (German m.), mesure (French f.) (French f.) beat, time, tempo (French) in fifteenth-century dance, a phrase or measure. The number of doubles (three-movement step pattern done the first step with body lowered, the other two with body raised, found in odd numbers) determines the size of the mesure - petite (1 double), moyenne (3), grande (5), while the presence or absence of simples (always done in sets of two; one short step with the body lowered and one longer step with the body raised) after the doubles determines the mesure's degree of perfection; simples after = mesure parfaite, absence of simples = mesure imparfaite Medieval Dance from which this extract has been taken "Musical term: a certain regular movement that is made with the hand to guide the singer's voice according to the slow or fast beats of the music. There are various mesures [meters] in music, and they are shown by certain numbers at the beginning of the piece. All the beats of the mesure must be beaten equally. ... Dance term: a sort of cadence [rhythm] and regular movement." - Richelet (1681) "I find that we confuse mesure with what is called cadence or mouvement. Mesure refers to the length and equalness of the beats, and cadence is strictly speaking the esprit [spirit] and the soul that must be added to it. This cadence scarcely applies to Italian sonatas. But all our airs for the violin and our pieces for harpsichord, viols, etc., select and seem to wish to express some feeling. Thus, not having invented signs or symbols to communicate our individual ideas, we try to remedy this by marking a few words such as tendrement, vivement, etc., at the beginning of our pieces, to show approximately what we mean." - Couperin, Art de toucher, (1716) Ranums' Panat Times from which these quotations have been taken mesuré (French) measured, moderate in strict time Mesure à cinq-quatre (French f.) 5/4 time Mesure à deux-deux (French f.) 2/2 time Mesure à deux-quatre (French f.) 2/4 time Mesure à deux temps (French f.) common time, two beats in a bar Mesure à la clef (French f.) time signature Mesure à neuf-huit (French f.) 9/8 time Mesure à neuf-quatre (French f.) 9/4 time Mesure à quatre-deux (French f.) 4/2 time Mesure à quatre-huit (French f.) 4/8 time Mesure à quatre-quatre (French f.) 4/4 time Mesure à six-huit (French f.) 6/8 time Mesure à six-quatre (French f.) 6/4 time Mesure à temps inégaux (French f.) irregular meter Mesure à trois-deux (French f.) 3/2 time Mesure à trois-huit (French f.) 3/8 time Mesure à trois-quatre (French f.) 3/4 time Mesure à trois temps (French f.) triple time, three beats in a bar Mesure complexe (French f.) irregular meter (for example, 5/4, 7/4) Mesure composée (French f.) compound time, triple time, zusammengesetzte Taktart (German) Mesure composée binaire (French f.) compound duple time Mesure composée ternaire (French f.) compound triple time Mesure composite (French f.) uneven meter Mesure impaire (French f.) odd meter, uneven meter mesurer (French) to measure Mesure simple (French f.) simple time, duple time, einfache Taktart (German) Mesure simple binaire (French f.) simple duple time Mesure simple ternaires (French f.) simple triple time Mesure ternaire (French f.) triple meter Met abbreviation of 'Metropolitan Opera House, New York' met. abbreviation of 'metronome' Meta (Spanish f.) goal, finish (of a race, course, career, etc.) Metà (Italian f.) half Metabolismo (Spanish m.) metabolism Metacarpiano (Spanish m.) metacarpal Metafísica (Spanish f.) metaphysics metafísico (Spanish) metaphysical Metáfora (Spanish f.) metaphor metafórico (Spanish) metaphorical Metais (Portuguese) brass (instruments) Metal as applied to metal organ pipes, usually a mixture of tin and lead. Pipes made of pure tin give a clear piercing tone, while those using tin with a small amount of lead give a softer tone. Too much lead produces poor sounding pipes (Spanish m.) metal, brass (instruments), timbre (of the voice) Metal block (Italian m., English, French m.) a percussion instrument made of a block of metal Metal castanets or 'cymbal tongs', castagnette di ferro or castagnette di metallo (Italian), castagnettes de fer or xastagnettes de métal (French), Metallkastagnetten (German), castañuelas de metal or castañuelas de hierro (Spanish) a percussion instrument with a pair of tiny cymbals attached to spring tongs Metal clarinet clarinette métallique Metalcore a musical genre consisting of a mix between heavy metal and hardcore Metalcore from which this extract has been taken Metales (Spanish) brass (section of an orchestra) metálico (Spanish) metal (object), metallic (sound) metalizare (Spanish) to become mercenary (figurative) metalizzare il suono (Italian) schmettern Metallblock (German m.) metal block metallico (Italian) metallic, of a metallic quality metallisch (German) metallic, of a metallic quality Metallkastagnetten (German f. pl.) metal castanets metallo (Italian) metallic, clear in tone (as with a voice described as bel metallo di voce (Italian: 'a voice that is clear, full and brilliant') Metallofon (German n.) metallophone Metallophon (German n.) metallophone Metallophone (English) metal idiophones are frequently called 'metallophones' or or 'metalophone', for example, an instrument like a pianoforte, where the strings have been replaced with metal bars, or an instrument like the xylophone, but with metallic instead of wooden bars Keyed Metallophone, Italy, probably 1675-1750 Métallophone (French m.) metallophone Metallofono (Italian m.) metallophone Metallsaite (German f.) metal string metallverarbeitende Industrie (German f.) metalworking industry Metalófono (Spanish m.) metallophone Metalophone (English) synonymous with 'metallophone' Métalophone (French m.) metallophone Metalurgia (Spanish f.) metallurgy metalúrgico (Spanish) metallurgical metamórfico (Spanish) metamorphic metamorfosear (Spanish) to transform Metamorfosis (Spanish f.) metamorphosis Metamorphosis (s.), Metamorphoses (pl.) (Greek) a transformation, a complete change of appearance, form, condition or nature Metamorphosis of themes or 'thematic metamorphosis', the process of thematic modification so that it retains its essential characteristics, most closely associated with Franz Liszt (1811-1886) who used in a similar way to Richard Wagner's use of leitmotif Metano (Spanish m.) methane Metaphor application of a name or description to something to which it is not literally applicable (e.g. a glaring error), an instance of this Metaphorik (German f.) the study of metaphor metaphorisch (German) metaphoric Metaphysical poets a loose group of British lyric poets of the seventeenth century, who shared an interest in metaphysical concerns and a common way of investigating them. The label "metaphysical" was given much later by Samuel Johnson in his Life of Cowley. These poets themselves did not form a school or start a movement; most of them did not even know or read each other. Their style was characterized by wit, subtle argumentations, "metaphysical conceits", and/or an unusual simile or metaphor such as in Andrew Marvell’s comparison of the soul with a drop of dew. Several metaphysical poets, especially John Donne, were influenced by neo-Platonism. One of the primary Platonic concepts found in metaphysical poetry is the idea that the perfection of beauty in the beloved acted as a remembrance of perfect beauty in the eternal realm. In a famous definition Georg Lukács, the Hungarian Marxist aesthetist, described the school's common trait of "looking beyond the palpable" and "attempting to erase one's own image from the mirror in front so that it should reflect the not-now and not-here" as foreshadowing existentialism (as quoted in The Aesthetics of Georg Lukács by B. Királyfalvi (1975)) Metaphysical poets from which the examples above have been taken Metastasio (Metastasio is the Greek equivalent of Trapassi) Italian librettist whose work formed the basis of opera seria. Born Pietro Antonio Domenico Bonaventura Trapassi (3 Jan. 1698, Rome), his early education was arranged by his godfather, Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. In 1712, at the age of 14, Pietro wrote his first work, a tragedy, Giustino, conceived in imitation of ancient models. In 1720 he wrote his first stage work intended for a musical setting, Angelica e Medoro, for the birthday of the Habsburg emperor, Charles VI and in 1723 he wrote his first opera libretto, Siface re di Numidia, which was brought to the stage in a setting by Feo. The text was a reworking of Domenico David's La forza del virtù. His first original opera libretto was Didone abbandonata, written in 1724. It was set to music by Sarro and launched his career in Naples. His 27 opera seria librettos written between 1723 and 1771 were set by over 300 composers during a span of over 100 years that stretches well into the nineteenth century. Metastasio's librettos share several fundamental characteristics. The plots concern six or seven characters of royal or noble birth who are involved in complex relationships and dilemmas. The dramas are in three acts, each act an average of twelve scenes. A series of scenes is often linked by a character common to all of them (liaison de scène). Each of the first two acts end with a climactic, unresolved scene, and the following act begins where the action left off. He died in Vienna on 12 Apr. 1782 Metatarsiano (Spanish m.) metatarsal Metátesis (Spanish f.) metathesis Metathesis (s.), Metatheses (pl.) (Greek) in linguistics, the transposition of two sounds or letters in a word. The process has shaped many English words historically. Bird in English was once bryd, run was once irnan, horse was hros Metathesis from which the examples above have been taken met de rechter hand te spelen (Dutch) M.D., main droite, play with the right hand Metedura de pata (Spanish f.) blunder Metempsychosis (s.), Metempsychoses (pl.) (Latin, from th