(See related pages)
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| Cartesian | of or relating to René Descartes or his philosophy |
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| concerto (Italian, "opposing" or "competing") | an instrumental composition consisting of one or more solo instruments and a larger group of instruments playing in "dialogue" |
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| concerto grosso | a "large concerto," the typical kind of baroque concerto, consisting of several movements |
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| deductive reasoning | a method of inquiry that begins with clearly established general premises and moves toward the establishment of particular truths |
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| deism | a movement or system of thought advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than revelation; deists describe God as Creator, but deny that God interferes with the laws of the universe |
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| equal temperament | a system of tuning that originated in the seventeenth century, whereby the octave is divided into twelve half-steps of equal size; since intervals have the same value in all keys, music may be played in any key, and a musician may change from one key to another with complete freedom. |
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| fugue ("flight") | a polyphonic composition in which a theme (or subject) is imitated, restated, and developed by successively entering voice parts |
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| geocentric | earth-centered |
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| heliocentric | sun-centered |
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| inductive reasoning | a method of inquiry that begins with direct observation and experimentation and moves toward the establishment of general conclusions or axioms |
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| movement | a major section in a long instrumental composition |
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| ritornello (Italian, "a little return") | in baroque music, an instrumental section that recurs throughout the movement |
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| sonata | an instrumental composition consisting of three movements of contrasting tempo, usually fast/slow/fast; see also Glossary, chapter 26 |
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| suite | an instrumental composition consisting of a sequence or series of movements derived from court or folk dances |
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| vanitas (Latin, "vanity") | a type of still life consisting of objects that symbolize the brevity of life and the transience of earthly pleasures and achievements |