galliard Lively, triple-meter French court dance.

gamelan Musical ensemble of Java or Bali, made up of gongs, chimes, metallophones, and drums, among other instruments.

gavotte Duple-meter Baroque dance type of a pastoral character.

genre General term describing the standard category and overall character of a work.

Gesamtkunstwerk German for "total artwork"; a term coined by Richard Wagner to describe the synthesis of all the arts (music, poetry, drama, visual spectacle) in his late operas.

gigue Popular English Baroque dance type, a standard movement of the Baroque suite, in a lively compound meter.

gioioso Joyous.

glee club Specialized vocal ensemble that performs popular music, college songs, and more serious works.

glissando Rapid slide through pitches of a scale.

glitter rock Theatrical, flamboyant rock style popular in the 1970s.

glockenspiel Percussion instrument with horizontal, tuned steel bars of various sizes that are struck with mallets and produce a bright metallic sound.

Gloria A section of the Mass; the second musical movement of the Ordinary.

Goliard song Medieval Latin-texted secular song, often with corrupt or lewd lyrics; associated with wandering scholars.

gong Percussion instrument consisting of a broad circular disk of metal, suspended in a frame and struck with a heavy drumstick. Also tam-tam.

gospel music Twentieth-century sacred music style associated with Protestant African Americans.

grace note Ornamental note, often printed in small type and not performed rhythmically.

Gradual Fourth item of the Proper of the Mass, sung in a melismatic style, and performed in a responsorial manner in which soloists alternate with a choir.

grand opera Style of Romantic opera developed in Paris, focusing on serious, historical plots with huge choruses, crowd scenes, elaborate dance episodes, ornate costumes, and spectacular scenery.

grave Solemn; very, very slow.

The pace of this piano work is very, very slow and the mood is solemn.


	Example: Beethoven, Piano Sonata in C minor, Op. 13, (Pathétique), first movement
	Real Audio: 28K | 56K | About this album

Gregorian chant Monophonic melody with a freely flowing, unmeasured vocal line; liturgical chant of the Roman Catholic Church. Also plainchant or plainsong.

ground bass A repeating melody, usually in the bass, throughout a vocal or instrumental composition.

grunge rock Contemporary Seattle-based rock style characterized by harsh guitar chords; hybrid of punk rock and heavy metal.

guitar Plucked-string instrument originally made of wood with a hollow resonating body and a fretted fingerboard; types include acoustic and electric.