LINGOWISE: Popular music terms

There are some interesting musical terms that are being coined almost every week by music buffs explains Lamat Rezaul Hasan.

We dwelt at length on podcasts and everything podcastable in this column last week. There are some other interesting musical terms that are being coined almost every week by music buffs. They may or may not find an entry in the glossaries of musical terms, but these novel words do deserve a mention.

HT Image

Here’s a sample:ZZZfortzando. Yes three Zs and then the rest of the word follows. All that this difficult-sounding word really means is playing really loud to keep the audience awake. There are some others, which you may have already come across.
Reggaeton part Latin, part hip-hop, with liberal helpings of Dancehall and Caribbean music and Baile Brazilian dance music that has gained popularity. Rootkit and Live 8, also sound familiar to most of us.

The new coinages, which I am sure will never make it to the glossaries (or have they!), yet I really like are Tempo Tantrumo, Concerto Grossissimo and Appologgiatura. Okay so all that the heavy Tempo Tantrumo means is when a young band refuses to keep time with the conductor.

A really bad performance is Concerto Grossissimo; and Appologgiatura is a composition, solo or instrument, you regret playing. Here are some more terms which articulate the plight of both the audience and the performers: Mallade a romantic song that's pretty awful; Poochini Musical performance accompanied by a dog; Approximatura a series of notes played by a performer, not intended by the composer; and Molto Bolto head straight for the ending.

So what would you be called if you carried a cellphone to a concert hall? Any guesses? Anti-phonal!