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"But that music is a language by whose means messages are elaborated, that such messages can be understood by the many but sent out only by the few, and that it alone among all language unites the contradictory character of being at once intelligible and untranslatable—these facts make the creator of music a being like the gods and make music itself the supreme mystery of human knowledge."
Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical music. Medieval (c. 500 – c. 1400) – Period characterized by the development of early music notation systems and a strong emphasis on vocal music. Sacred music like Gregorian chant and various other religious and non-religious styles were ...
A variety of musical terms are encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings of these phrases differ from the original or current Italian meanings.
Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning common today: a work usually consisting of multiple distinct sections or movements, often four, with the first movement in sonata form.
The usual order of the four movements was: An allegro, which by this point was in what is called sonata form, complete with exposition, development, and recapitulation. A slow movement, an Andante, an Adagio or a Largo. A dance movement, frequently Minuet and trio or—especially later in the classical period—a Scherzo and trio.
The dance suite was a collection of dance music popular in the Baroque era. It consists of the following movements in this order: Allemande. Allemande: Literally translates from French as "German”, but by the time of its canonization in the suite it was thoroughly French, and was archaic as an actual dance by the 17th century.
The standard structure for a string quartet as established in the Classical era is four movements, with the first movement in sonata form, allegro, in the tonic key; a slow movement in a related key and a minuet and trio follow; and the fourth movement is often in rondo form or sonata rondo form, in the tonic key.
A subset of musical gestures is what could be called music-related body movement, which can be seen from either the performer's or the perceiver's point of view: Performer - movements that are part of a music performance or a performance with music: Sound-producing: musician or actor creating musical sound.