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Music Terms Glossary - E
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

electronic music Music in which some or all of the sounds are produced by electronic generators. embellishment An ornamental addition to a simpler melody.

ensemble (1) A group of performers; (2) a musical number in an opera, oratorio, or cantata sung by two or more performers; (3) the extent to which a group of performers coordinate their performance.

entry In an imitative texture, the beginning of each statement of the theme.

envelope The graphic representation of a sound's attack, duration, and pattern of decay.

episode (1) In a fugue, a freer passage between full statements of the subject; (2) in ritornello form, a freer concertina passage between ripieno statements of the ritornello.

espressivo Expressively.

estampie A type of early instrumental (perhaps dance) music consisting of independent sections strung together.

Etude A musical piece designed to address a particular technical problem on an instrument.

exposition The first section of a movement in sonata form.

expression (I)The general character of a passage or work; (2) the blend of feeling and intellect brought to a performance by the performer.

Expressionism A short-lived Austro-German art movement at the beginning of the twentieth century, marked by a focus on the dark, mysterious side of the human mind.

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