Orchestral Terms

Question 1

anacrusis

Answer 1

one or more unstressed notes before the first bar line of a piece or passage

Question 2

embouchure

Answer 2

the way in which a player applies the mouth to the mouthpiece of a brass or wind instrument.
* the mouthpiece of a flute or a similar instrument.

Question 3

Con sordino

Answer 3

muted. Using a device which changes the sound of an instrument. Brass instruments and string instruments can use mutes.

Question 4

Tremolo

Answer 4

A tremolo is when you repeat a note rapidly. On the violin you achieve it by moving your bow quickly, so sometimes it’s called bowed tremolo.

Question 5

Pizzicato

Answer 5

Plucking a violin is called “pizzicato.” This is a violin technique in which the fingertips are used to create sound by plucking one or more strings

Question 6

Sul Tasto

Answer 6

The Italian term sul tasto[1] refers to playing with the bow in a position along the string that is over the fingerboard.[2] The resulting timbre has a fragile, hollow quality.

Question 7

Sul Ponticello

Answer 7

The Italian term sul ponticello refers to a bow position where the bow is placed “on the bridge”, or in the vicinity of the bridge, in order to achieve an overtone-rich, corrupted timbre, that may be perceived as scratchy or distorted when used in combination with various bow pressures

Question 8

Harmonics

Question 9

Col Legno Battuto

Answer 9

Col legno[1] refers to activating the strings “with the wood”, rather than the hair, of the bow. This may be achieved by either “beating” or tapping the strings with the wood in col legno battuto, which results in a percussive, short, sharp attack

Question 10

Col Legno Tratto

Answer 10

Col legno[1] refers to activating the strings “with the wood”, rather than the hair, of the bow. This may be achieved by drawing the wood of the bow across the strings in a typical “stroking action” in col legno tratto, which results in a muted, ethereal timbre.