Musical Terminology: Types of Musical Composition
Category: Miscellaneous
photo credit: Denis Collette…!!!
If you have studied or listened to piano pieces, you have probably run into different types of words that are used to describe a piece of music. Preludes, Nocturnes, and Etudes are just a subset of the many different types of musical composition. In this post, I will discuss the differences between them. Next time you listen to a Prelude, Nocturne, or Etude, see if you can distinguish the elements that make it what it is.
Prelude:
Preludes are characterized by being short and sweet (relatively), with a melodic and/or rhythmic motif that is featured throughout the piece. This motif will recur throughout the piece, sometimes differing slightly as the music progresses. A prelude may be played on its own, or as a preface to another piece, usually more complex.
Nocturne:
Nocturnes are generally lyrical and tranquil pieces. The nocturne is known for being expressive above all else. It follows no specific form, but evolves as the music progresses.
Etude:
You can probably guess this one. Etude is the french word for study; so a musical etude is just that – a musical study used to perfect a particular technical skill. Generally etudes are quite difficult, featuring runs of quick notes, and arpeggios.
Those were just three terms that are commonly used to characterize a piece of music. For some examples of these styles take a look at the works of Chopin. He composed 24 Preludes: One in each key, major and minor, 27 Etudes, and 21 Nocturnes.
Related Posts
Posted on June 24th, 2009 by sharlene
1 Comment
September 11th, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Hi Sharlene,
Great musical knowledge you’re posting here. I have read 5 lessons so far. It’s good to have music lesson sites like this one.
Mentioning about Chopin, a virtuoso pianist, his etudes are very good for practice. Some are very fast and quickly changes moods. One of my favorites is Etude op.25 no.11 otherwise known as “Winter Wind.”