after Friedrich Wilhelm Jähns the cataloguer of
music by Carl Maria von Weber (1786 1826); after Boris
Jurgenson the cataloguer of music by Pyotr Ilyich
Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Jabo
(Spanish) old triple-time dance (original spelling
Xabo)
Jácara
(Spanish) old song-dance (original spelling Xacara)
Jack
a rectangular device, usually made of pearwood, that
moves vertically (constrained by the slide and the jack
guide) when driven upward by the depression of a key,
that bears a small plectrum (usually made of leather,
quill or delrin) that 'plucks' the string as it passes
it, to produce the characteristic sound of harpsichords,
virginals and spinets
Jagdhorn
(German) hunting horn
Jäger
(German) hunter
Jaleadas
(Spanish) a vigorous seguidillas (a dance)
influenced by the cachucha
Jaleika
a wind instrument from Tver, Russia, made from
reed-tipped cow horn
in flamenco performances, the shouts of
encouragement by the audience to the performers
Jali
see jeli
Jalousieschweller
(German) the organ swell pedal
Jal tarang
a set of china bowls that are filled with water.
Each bowl is struck with a light wooden mallet to cause
it to ring. Jal tarang is not very common and is
normally found accompanying kathak dancers
Jambadon
a Mandinka rhythm for boys’ and girls’ circumcision
ceremonies
Jamisen
name used on the main islands of Japan to refer to
the shamisen of Okinawa
Jammernd, Jämmerlich
(German) lamenting, lamentable
Jam session
an informal performance, originally applied to jazz
Jangdan
(Korean) a generic term that refers to various
members of the Korean drum family
Janggoo
(Korean) also called seyogo which means
'hourglass shape'; an 'hour-glass' shaped Korean drum
more...
Janissary music (Eng.), Janitscharenmusik (Ger.)
a style of military music associated with the
Janissaries, the bodyguard of the Turkish Sultans
Japanese fiddle
a single string instrument seen played by English
street performers
Jarabe
traditional Mexican dance form with multiple
sections in contrasting meters and tempos, often
performed by mariachi ensembles
Jarana
a 5 to 8 string Mexican guitar from the Jarocho
region. Used to perform son jarocho; (literally
'merry chatter') folk dance of Yucatán, Mexico, the
verses of which are often in the Mayan language
Java
a finger pick made from a coconut shell (India)
Javalina
see requinto jarocho
Jaw harp, Jaw's harp
see 'Jew's harp'
Jazz
music that originated in New Orleans, characterised
by syncopations and reiterated rhythms
after Jenkins & Churgin the cataloguers of music by
Giovanni Battista Sammartini (1701-1755)
Je
(German) always, ever, each
Jedoch
(German) however, nevertheless
Jeel
Egyptian music of the younger generation
Jejy lava
a Malagasy one-string musical bow with a smaller
gourd resonator
Jejy voatavo
a Malagasy string instrument with two adjacent
faces, each with courses of strings, one with frets and
one without, mounted on a gourd resonator
Jeli
jelis are the Manding nomadic praise singers
and master instrumentalists from Mali, Senegal, Guinea
and the Gambia, whose traditions date back to the
thirteenth-century. They sing epic songs and family
histories. Another word used to describe jelis is
griot, a term used by westerners
Jembe
see djembe
Jentile
(Italian) pleasing, graceful or elegant
Jeong-ak
(Korean) classical or court music
Jetakh
Mongolian term for the Japanese koto
Jete
violin technique in which the performer lets the bow
skip or bounce across the strings of the instrument to
produce fast, staccato arpeggios
Jeu, Jeux (plural form)
(French) game, play, a stop on the organ
Jeu de Clochettes, Jeu de Timbres
(French) glockenspiel
Jeudg harp
(Dutch, literally 'youth harp') Jew's harp. Some
researchers believe the English term, jew's harp,
derives from the Dutch
Jew's harp (Eng.), Judenharfe (Ger.)
a musical instrument placed between the teeth
containing a freely vibrating metal strip that is
plucked with the finger and where the player alters the
note's timbre by modifying his or her oral cavity (i.e.
mouth shape) - it is neither a harp nor associated in
any way with Jewish cultural tradition
more...
Jhala
the final, fast movement of a raga
Jhanj
Indian cymbal
Jia hua
(Chinese, literally 'adding flowers') a style of
embellishment in Chinese music using various ornamental
figures
Jig
(English) gigue, a dance related to the hornpipe and
reel
Jigatch
Kyrgyz wooden Jew's harp. It is an older relative of
the temir komuz. Its tongue is vibrated by
forcefully pulling a string. The jigatch is
believed to be the oldest Kyrgyz musical instrument
Jigg
short comedic performance with few characters,
popular in England and continental Europe from the mid
sixteenth-century to the late eighteenth-century, sung
in verse to the tunes of popular songs and containing
lively dancing
Jig piano
in ragtime, the strict rhythmic patterns played on
the piano
Jing
large Korean bronze gong played with a padded stick
more...
Jinggong
the Jew's harp of the Bidayuh people of Borneo, hand
fashioned from brass
more...
Jinghu
a soprano version of the erhu
Jit
percussive Zimbabwean dance music
Jitterbug
a lively, improvisational, athletic style of dancing
performed to syncopated music which originated in 1940's
New York
Jive
a blues form popular in the 1940's; generic South
African term for popular music
Jodelling
yodeling
Joik
one of the song styles of the Sami people
Jondo, Jondura
a more serious flamenco style
Jongleresse (fem.), Jongleur (mas.)
(French) minstrel/entertainer of the twelfth- and
thirteenth-centuries
Jornaditas
traditional Christmas songs from Granada (Spain)
about the advent of Christ
Joropo
the national music and dance form of Venezuela. The
dancers are accompanied by harp, cuatro, maracas and
bandola or guitar
Jota
a quick dance with hopping steps in triple time from
Aragon, Spain performed by a couple accompanied by a
singer who plays the guitar
Jota de la vendimia
wine harvest dance from Ciudad Real, Spain, in which
guitar, bandurria and percussion accompany the
dancers
Jouer
(French) to play
Jouhikko
bowed lute of Finland and Russian Karelia. It has a
flat bridge. Drone strings and one melody string are
played simultaneously. The jouhiko normally
accompanies narrative and epic singing
Joyeux, Joyeuse
(French) joyous
Juan-hsieng
Taiwanese moon guitar
Jubelnd
(German) jubilant
Jubilate
the one hundredth psalm, very prominent in the
Anglican service
Jubiloso
(Italian) jubilant, exulting
Jubilus
an elaborate, joyful melisma on the final syllable
of the word Alleluia
Jugalbandi
Indian jam session
Juju
a popular style from Nigeria relies on the
traditional Yoruba rhythms, but, instead of being played
wholely on percussive instruments as tradition demands,
the instruments in Juju are more Western in origin, drum
kit, guitars, keyboards, often pedal steel guitar and,
some times, accordian used alongside the traditional
dun-dun, a talking drum
