echos (Greek; pl. echoi) One of the eight MODES associated with BYZANTINE CHANT.
electronic music Music based on sounds that are produced or modified through electronic means.
empfindsam style (German, "sensitive style" or "sentimental style") Close relative of the GALANT style, featuring surprising turns of HARMONY, CHROMATICISM, nervous RHYTHMS, and speechlike MELODIES.
enharmonic (1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD comprising a major third and two quartertones, or a MELODY that uses such tetrachords. (2) Adjective describing the relationship between two pitches that are notated differently but sound alike when played, such as G< sharp > and A< flat >.
ensemble (1) A group of singers or instrumentalists who perform together. (2) In an OPERA, a passage or piece for more than one singer.
episode (1) In a FUGUE, a passage of free COUNTERPOINT between statements of the SUBJECT. (2) In RONDO FORM, a section between two statements of the main THEME. (3) A subsidiary passage between presentations of the main thematic material.
equal temperament A TEMPERAMENT in which the octave is divided into twelve equal SEMITONES. This is the most commonly used tuning for Western music today.
estampie Medieval instrumental DANCE that features a series of sections, each played twice with two different endings, OUVERT and CLOS.
ethos (Greek, "custom") (1) Moral and ethical character or way of being or behaving. (2) Character, mood, or emotional effect of a certain TONOS, MODE, METER, or MELODY.
étude (French, "study") An instrumental piece designed to develop a particular skill or performing technique. Certain nineteenth-century études that contained significant artistic content and were played in concert were called CONCERT éTUDES.
exoticism Nineteenth-century trend in which composers wrote music that evoked feelings and settings of distant lands or foreign cultures.
experimental music A trend in twentieth-century music that focused on the exploration of new musical sounds, techniques, and resources.
exposition (1) In a FUGUE, a set of entries of the SUBJECT. (2) In SONATA FORM, the first part of the MOVEMENT, in which the main THEMES are stated, beginning in the TONIC and usually closing in the DOMINANT (or relative major).
expressionism Early-twentieth-century term derived from art, in which music avoids all traditional forms of "beauty" in order to express deep personal feelings through exaggerated gestures, angular MELODIES, and extreme DISSONANCE.
W. W. Norton & Company | Credits | Site Feedback | Technical Support | Print This Page