The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

parts; most often for string instruments.
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Aria
An aria is a vocal piece (a song, operatic in nature) that can be
either standalone, or part of a larger work. Over time, arias have become
longer and more complex, serving as a type of showcase for the vocalist.
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Canon
The canon is a musical form in which the melody is imitated by
various parts at regular intervals. Canons typically are instrumental in nature.
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Cantata
A cantata is a type of chamber music, Baroque in style. It comes
primarily from Lutheran church music, and is written for either soloists
and instrumental accompaniment or soloists, chorus, and instrumental
accompaniment.
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Choral symphony
A choral symphony is, quite simply, a symphony that
incorporates a choir. The most notable example of this form is Beethoven’s
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor,
an adaptation of Schiller’s 
Ode to Joy
.
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Chorale
A chorale is a congregational hymn of the Lutheran church,
originally written in unison but later adapted for four vocal parts or organ.
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Concerto
A concerto is a piece of ensemble music for voices and instru-
ments, typically with a solo instrument or voice in contrast with an orches-
tral ensemble.
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Fugue
The term 
fugue
describes a piece of music that incorporates imi-
tative counterpoint. (See Chapter 14 to learn more about counterpoint.)
Most fugues are instrumental in nature.
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Grand motet
This musical form is a motet for large ensembles of voices
and instruments, contrasting solo voices with the larger chorus.
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Lieder
The word 
lieder
is the plural of 
lied—
German for “song.” In pop-
ular usage, lieder is a non-operatic art song with lyrics based on a dramatic
poem; in performance, the vocal and the piano accompaniment are of
equal importance.
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Madrigal
A madrigal is a piece of vocal music based on a fourteenth-
century Italian form. The typical madrigal is a polyphonic composition for
four to six voices, typically unaccompanied, based on a poem or other sec-
ular text.
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March
A march is an instrumental piece, based on a regular and
repeated drum rhythm, originally developed for military bands.

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