Music Terms – W
Wa-wa, wah-wah (yá-yá) – a technique of jazz performance (the trumpet of brass instruments is sometimes covered, then opened by a hand or a mute)
Wa-wa-mute (eng. wá-yá-mute) – play with a
Wagnertuba cup mute (German vágnertuba), Waldhorntuba (valdhorntuba) – Wagner tuba
Waldhorn (German wáldhorn) – 1) horn; 2) natural horn; 3) hunting horn
Walking bass (eng. walkin bass) – a rhythmically uniform bass line moving in seconds or arpeggios; literally, going bass (jazz, term)
Waltz (English wóls), Walzer (German walzer) –
Wand waltz (English wónd) – conductor’s baton; same as banana
Warble (English wóbl) – trill
Warm (German warm), mit Warme (mit verme) – warm, soft
Washboard (English wóshbood) – rhythmic (percussion) instrument of North American jazz ensembles; literally, a washboard
Wasserklappen (German Vásserklappen) – a valve for removing water
Wechseldominante (German Wexeldominante) – dominant to dominant
Wechselgesang (German Wexelgesang) – antiphonal singing
Wechseln (German Wexeln) – change; Bogen Wechseln (bogen wexeln) – change the bow
Wechselnote (German wexelnote), Wechselton (wexelton) – cambiata
Weg(German veg) – away, remove; Dämpfer weg (dempfer weg) – remove
the mutes Wehmütig (German vemyutih) – sad, sad
Weich (German Weich) – soft, gentle
Weich gesungen (German Weich Gesungen) – soft and melodious
Weise (German váyze) – melody, chant
Weite Lage (German wite lage) – a wide arrangement [voices]
Wenig (German Wenih) – a little, little
Weniger (Weniger) – less, less
Werk (German Werk) – composition, work
West coast jazz (English West kóust jazz) – one of the areas of jazz art of the 50s; literally, West Coast Jazz (USA)
Whip(English whip) – 1) scourge, whip (percussion instrument); 2) a short glissando, a sharp “entry” into the sound (jazz, term)
Whole (English hóul) – whole, whole
Whole bow (hol bóu) – [play] with the whole bow
Widerrufungszeichen (German viderrufungszeichen) – bekar; literally, the sign of the cancellation of
Widmung (German Widmung) – dedication
Wie (German Vi) – as
Wie aus der Feme, aber deutlich hörbar (German vi áus der ferne, áber deutlich herbar) – as if from a distance, but clearly [Berg. “Wozzeck”]
Wie eine Vogelstimme (vi aine fógelshtimme) – like bird singing [Mahler. Symphony No. 2]
Wie ein Hauch (German Wie Ein Hauch) – like a breath
wie ein Geflüster (vi ain gefluster) – like a whisper, rustle [Mahler. Symphony No. 8]
Wie ein Kondukt (German vi ain conduct) – in the nature of the funeral procession [Mahler]
Wie früher (German vi freuer) – as before
Wie gepeitscht (German vi gepáycht) – as if with a blow of a whip [Maler. Symphony No. 6]
Wie im Anfang (German: eu im ánfang) – as at the beginning of
Wie in Naturlaut (German: Wie ain Naturlaut) – like the sound of nature [Mahler]
Wie möglich ( German: Wie Möglich) – as far as
possible . vi náhkhorhand) – as if eavesdropping
Wie vorher (German vi forher), Wie vorhin (vi forhin) – as before
Wie wütend dreinfahren(German wi utend drainfaren) – as if furiously rushing in [Mahler. Symphony No. 6]
Wie zuletzt (German vi zuletzt) - perform as before
Wie zu Anfang (German vi zu ánfang) – as at the beginning
of Wieder (German vider) – again
Wieder breiter werden (German vider breiter verden) – again expanding
Wieder früheres Zeitmaß (German Wieder Fryueres Tsáytmas), wieder Tempo (Wider Tempo) – again at the same pace
Wieder lebhafter (German Wieder Lobhafter) – again livelier
Wieder schneller (Wieder Schneller) – again sooner
Wiederhall (German Wiederhal) ) – echo, echo
Wiederholen (German Wiederholen) – repeat
Wiederholung(German Wiederhólung) – repetition of
Wiederholungszeichen (German Wiederholungszeichen) – a sign of repetition
Wiegend (German Wiegend) – rocking, lulling
Wiegenlied (German Vigenlid) – lullaby
Wiener Walzer (German Wiener Walzer) – Viennese (fast) waltz
Wild (German wild) – wildly, violently, furiously
Wind (eng. wind) – wind instrument
Wind band (wind band) – brass band
Wind-instrument (wind instrument) – wind instrument
Windlade (German windlade) – windlada (air distribution chamber in the organ)
Windrnaschine (German windmashine) – an instrument that imitates the noise of
the Wirbel wind(German virbel) – 1) a peg for stringed instruments; 2) fractional drum; 3) tremolo on timpani
Wirbelkasten (virbelkasten) – a peg box for bowed instruments
Wirbeltrommel (German: wirbeltrommel) – cylindrical. (French) drum
With (eng. whiz) – with
With feeling (wiz owl) – with a feeling
With mute (eng. whiz mute), with muted strings (wiz mute strings) – with mute
Without mute (eng. whizout mute) – without mute
With the heavy end of a drum stick on the edge (eng. wize de heavy end ov e drum stick on di edge) – with the heavy end of the stick from the drum [hit] along the edge [cymbals]
With the thick end of the side drum stick(eng. uyz de tick and ov de side drum stick) – with the thick end of the stick from small. drum (indication for performers on a plate) [Bartok. Concerto for orchestra]
Wohlklingend (German Völklingend) – euphonious, consonant
Woh Item per iertes Klavier (German voltemperirtes clavier) – well-tempered clavier
Womöglich (German vomeglich) – if possible
Wood-block (English uudblok) – wooden box ( percussion instruments)
Wooden wind instruments (eng. uudn wind instruments), woods (uuds), woodwinds (uuduindz) – woodwind instruments
Wood-sticks (eng. uud sticks) – wood, sticks (for percussion instruments)
Work(English wek) – work, composition
Work song (English wek son) – labor, work song
Wort (German Worth) – the word
Worte (Vórte) – words, text
Wuchtig (German Vuhtih) – hard
Wut (German. wut) – rage; mit Wut (mit wut), wutend (wutend) – furiously
Wysokość nieokreslona (Polish high-pitched unbaptized) – indefinite height [sound] [Penderetskiy]