Comes from the Italian expression ad agio, “at ease,” and in music refers to a slow and stately tempo.

One of the most popular instrumental dance forms in Baroque music, and a standard element of a suite. The allemande originated in the 16th century as a duple meter dance of moderate tempo, derived fro [..]

Originally any expressive melody, usually performed by a singer. The term became used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without orchestral accompaniment, typ [..]

A style of Western art music composed from approximately 1600 to 1750.”Baroque” comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning misshapen pearl, a negative description of the ornate and heavily orname [..]

Provides the harmonic structure of the music. The phrase is often shortened to continuo, and the instrumentalists playing the continuo part, if more than one, are called the continuo group. The titles [..]

Broken, arpeggiated texture in instrumental music. It usually refers to French Baroque music for lute, keyboard instruments, or the viol.

A contrapuntal compositional technique that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration (e.g., quarter rest, one measure, etc.). The initial melody is call [..]

A hymn, psalm, or other song of praise.

A type of musical composition popular in the Baroque era, when it was much used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short repetitive bass-line [..]

A musical composition usually composed in three parts or movements, in which a solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.