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ca hue: Vietnamese chamber music.

cadence: A melodic or harmonic figure that creates a sense of repose or resolution. Cadences typically occur at the end of a phrase or piece.
In the middle of this excerpt a verse ends with a cadence during the text ìand I with Thee one.

cadential: See cadence.

cadenza: An elaborate solo that sounds improvisatory and is traditionally played near the end of a concerto movement.

Cajun: A corruption of the term "Acadian", referring both to the French-speaking people forced to migrate from Nova Scotia to Louisiana in the eighteenth century, and to their cultural life.

call and response: A performance practice in which a leader makes a musical "statement"and another performer (or group of performers) responds with a musical "answer".

The Call of South Africa: Afrikaans song that was previously the South African national anthem.

cancionero: A Spanish term for a collection of lyric poems, which sometimes include music.

canntaireachd: See mouth music.

ceilidh: A social or musical event dating back to the eighteenth century and associated with Celtic traditions.

Celtic: Referring to the culture of the Celts. Celtic roots remain in the Scottish Highlands, the Isle of Man and in Ireland. The native Celtic language is Gaelic.

chain migration: A process of migration in which immigrants follow a network of extended personal and familial networks to a particular community.

chamber music: Western classical music written for a small ensemble. Performances of such music often occur in more intimate performing venues than concert halls.

chamber orchestra: A small orchestra popular in eighteenth-century Western Europe. The largest chamber music ensemble.

Changû: The saint (orisha) of virility and strength in the Santerìa tradition.

changó: A Korean double-headed hourglass membranophone.

chant: A general term for musical settings of sacred texts.

"Chant Down Babylon": Rastafarian phrase of resistance.

chanter: The pipe on a set of bagpipes on which a melody can be played. The chanter on the Scottish Highland bagpipes has eight finger holes, is normally capable of nine notes and has a double reed which contrasts in sound quality with the single reeds of the drones.

charro: Mexican cowboy dress which is closely associated with the mariachi identity, charro consists of a ìsombrero (wide-brimmed hat), a short jacket, a large bow tie and tight trousers with rows of ìbotonaduras (shiny buttons).

Chenier, "King" Clifton: Famous zydeco accordionist who is also credited with the design of the rubboard.

chicken dance: Shoshone War dance which emulates the behavior of the sage chicken.

chimes: See palm harmonics.

chord: A set of three or more pitches sounding simultaneously.

chordophones: Instruments with strings which may be plucked or bowed. One of the five main classes of instruments in the Sachs-Hornbostel system, chordophones are subdivided into zithers, lutes, lyres and harps.

chorus: A large ensemble of singers performing together, sometimes under the guidance of a conductor. Also another word for refrain.

classical: In music, ìclassical is used to describe a cultivated or esoteric musical tradition. Also refers more specifically to Western classical music.

Comanche: A Native American community in Oklahoma, separated from the Shoshone nation during eighteenth-century forced migrations.

commodification: The transformation into a product which is bought and sold.

compadrito: A type of urban gaucho who was at once Don Juan and pimp.

concerto: Music written for orchestra and a solo instrument.

concussion idiophones: A sub-class of idiophones which consist of instruments which are struck, often in pairs.

conjunct motion: Stepwise melodic movement using small intervals. See also disjunct motion.

conjunto: A distinctive style of accordion music popular among Mexican-Americans in border areas since the 1930s.The conjunto ensemble included an accordion, guitar, bass and percussion.

contour: Contour refers to the shape of a phrase or section of music, generally as understood through the way its pitches move. The pitches of an ascending contour go up, while those of a descending contour go down.

contrafactum: A song in which new text is set to a borrowed, pre-existing melody.

conventional signs: A special category of Ethiopian notational signs that do not derive from the Geëez syllabary.

copyright: The legal protection of intellectual property.

corrido: A type of ballad particularly popular in Mexico which commemorates important historical events and memorable individuals in Mexican and Mexican-American history. The songs are usually strophic in structure.

Cortez, Gregorio: Turn-of-the-century fugitive whose life is documented in a famous corrido ballad.

countermelody: A melodic contrast to the main melody or tune, played at the same time.

Creole: Term applied to French-speaking people of color in Louisiana who share folklore, foodways and zydeco music.

critical listening: Focused listening.

cross-cultural: A practice or term that applies to more than one culture.

culture: The collection of beliefs, concepts, arts, crafts, skills, ideas, customs and practices held jointly by a particular group of people during a particular period of time.

cutting: The insertion of grace notes between two notes of the same pitch in bagpipe melodies.