Name for a piece of music

Hi Marian, if it's only instrumental then call it an intro or a prelude.

If there are lyrics as well, then call it a verse. Fewer and fewer songs are written this way, mostly went out of style with R&R. Many of the standards were written with (intro) verses.

I usually just call it Bob. Or exercise. Or practice. But I'm not a musician.

Most musicians would call it a riff, into, setup or maybe Bob. Well, maybe not...

The real question is, what do you need for the story?

Jeff

Marian Perera said:

Does anyone know the name for the little trill of music that you play before you launch into the song itself? It's for a story where my character has to play Christmas carols on the piano.

Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

In that situation I've never heard it called anything except the introduction.

Disclaimer: I'm British and CofE - other nationalities and variants of Christianity might have other names for it. Googling "Christmas carol introduction" gets me lots of Dickens interpretation. But "hymn introduction" suggests it's the generic term.

Do you mean like a flourish before beginning? So just an arpeggiated chord so everyone knows what key to start singing in? That's called... well, a flourish is about the best word I could come up with to describe it. I don't think it has a proper term.

Or are you thinking of them playing the last few bars of the chorus before kicking in? e.g. if they played "and a partridge in a pear tree" - then a slight pause - then the first verse begins properly. That would be called a lead-in.

If it's just a couple of notes before the first measure, the term you're after might be anacrusis.

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Introit. Especially if a choir or soloist is about to sing.

Prelude. Somewhat long.

Arpeggio. Could be anywhere, but okay to use in this context if it's short.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Siri Kirpal said:

Sat Nam! (literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Introit. Especially if a choir or soloist is about to sing.

Prelude. Somewhat long.

Arpeggio. Could be anywhere, but okay to use in this context if it's short.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Click to expand...

To me an introit is very specifically the bit of music played while the vicar walks to the front of the church at the start of the service - it's associated with people physically (rather than musically) coming in. So you'd only have one per service.

She might well play an arpeggio to set the key, but that's specifically the tonic, third and fifth of the key. It isn't a little bit of the tune. Sometimes accompanists play an arpeggio and then the introduction.

I would understand what someone meant if they said "lead-in" but it's not the term I'd use and I can't find any hits for it in that context together with "hymn".

Doug.

caw

Marian Perera said:

Yes, that's it. She plays the music for "the babe, the son of Mary", there's a moment's pause, and then she launches into the carol "What Child Is This".

Just one more thing. skylark's reply made me realize I'd forgotten to mention that this is set in Britain in 1889. Would "lead-in" still be used?

Click to expand...

skylark said:

I would understand what someone meant if they said "lead-in" but it's not the term I'd use and I can't find any hits for it in that context together with "hymn".

Click to expand...

Mmm, "lead-in" is more a contemporary music term so I'd think unlikely to be used in 1889.

How about changing the line so you describe the action as a verb?

e.g.

instead of "She played the lead-in, then they began singing", "She led them into the hymn, and they began singing"?

That way you also avoid any risk of your readers not understanding the term (even if something like "lead-in" is relatively self-explanatory).

I'd say "introductory bars" myself.

Few other comments, most based on childhood experience, things you'd need to check.

1. They are usually played with emphasis and there is a (heavy) pause and/or the chord being held between them and the start of the hymn

2. Look up an old hymn book for popular period hymns.

3. The psalms are likely to be chanted with a tune. Some more melodic than others. The Lord's My Shepherd is one of the more melodic ones.

4. Hymn numbers displayed at the front of the church.

5. Why piano? Thought organ more likely if Cof E. If non-conformist could be piano. Depends on budget.

6. If C of E remember to "dress" the church according to the date. Different colours on the altar cloth and the vicar's stole depending on the point in the liturgical calendar.

7. Victorian and Edwardian period - the pianist/organist if female will have a curtain round to hide her legs. Especially when playing the organ and stretching out to press the pedals, her legs would show immodestly so they had a curtain round. (Note, some "proper" households would shroud the piano legs too on a grand piano.)

8. Check if there is a choir, and whether it would be male only, or male and female. I think that varied with the type of church in the period.


Ah, having just looked at the top of the thread again, realised the church thing crept in during replies. Well. Hope it is useful anyway.

The closing of a musical phrase is called a cadence.

If you said that so and so played the last bars and cadence to the piece as an introduction and then launched into the piece itself, people will understand and you'll be using accurate terminology for a musician too.

poetinahat said:

If it's just a couple of notes before the first measure, the term you're after might be anacrusis.

Click to expand...

This is what it made me think of.

We'd just say "pickup notes".

So someone might say "starting from measure 34 with the pickup notes", meaning include that little bit at the end of measure 33.