:: Welcome to A History of Western Music

Gustav Klimt. Die Musik (detail). 1895. Neue Pinakothek, Munich.
Photo: © Joachin Blauel/ARTOTHEK

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walking bass BASS line in BAROQUE music-and later in JAZZ-that moves steadily and continuously.

waltz Type of couple dance in triple meter, popular in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, or a short, stylized work for the PIANO in the style of such a dance.

whole step (or whole tone) An interval equivalent to two SEMITONES.

whole-tone scale (or whole-tone collection) A SCALE consisting of only WHOLE STEPS.

wind ensemble Large ENSEMBLE of winds, brass, and percussion instruments, mostly with one player per part, dedicated solely to serious music, rather than to the mix of MARCHES and other fare typically played by BANDS.

word-painting TEXT DEPICTION.