S

Abbreviation for "segno", sign; "senza", without; "sinistra", left; "subito", suddenly.

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Sanft

Soft, gentle.

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Sans

Without.

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Scale

A succession of tones. The scale generally used in Western music is the diatonic scale, consisting of whole and half steps in a specific order.

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Scherzo

"Joke." A piece in a lively tempo. A movement of a symphony, sonata, or quartet in quick triple time, replacing the minuet.

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Schnell

Fast.

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Score

The written depiction of all the parts of a musical ensemble with the parts stacked vertically and rhythmically aligned.

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Secco

"Dry." Unornamented.

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Second

The second degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the next tone above or below it, e.g. c up to d, or c down to b. Interval of the second may be major, diminished, or augmented.

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Section

A division of a musical composition.

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Segno

"Sign."

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Sehr

Very.

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Semitone

A half step. The smallest interval on the keyboard.

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Sempre

Always. Used with other terms, e.g. sempre staccato.

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Semplice

Simple.

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Senza

Without. Used with other terms, e.g. senza crescendo.

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Septet

A piece for seven instruments or voices. Seven performers.

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Sequence

The repetition of a melodic pattern on a higher or lower pitch level.

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Serenade

A love song or piece, usually performed below someone's window in the evening.

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Sereno

Serene, peaceful.

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Seventh

The seventh degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the seventh tone above or below it, e.g. c up to b, or c down to d. Intervals of the seventh may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented.

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Seventh chord

When a seventh (above the root) is added to a triad (root, third, fifth), the result is a seventh chord, e.g. the dominant triad in the key of C major, g-b-d, with the added seventh becomes g-b-d-f and is labelled V⁷.

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Sforzando, Sfz, Sf

Sudden strong accent on a note or chord.

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Sharp

A symbol which raises the pitch of a note one-half step.

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Sheet music

An individually printed song, most often for voice, piano, guitar,or a combination of the three. Any printed music.

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Shifting meter

The changing of meter within a composition. Synonymous with changing meter.

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Simile

An indication to continue in the same manner.

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Sin'

Until.

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Sinistra

Left hand.

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Sino

Until.

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Six-four chord

The second inversion of a triad, made by placing the fifth of the chord in the lowest voice, e.g. Cis g-c-e.

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Sixteenth note and rest

A note and rest half the length of an eighth note and a sixteenth the length of a whole note.

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Sixteenth notes

Sixteenth notes beamed together. These 4, in 4/4 time, are equal to one

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Sixth

The sixth degree of the diatonic scale. Also, the interval formed by a given tone and the sixth tone above or below it, e.g. c up to a, or c down to e. Intervals of the sixth may be major, minor, diminished, or augmented.

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Sixth chord

The first inversion of a triad, made by placing the third of the chord in the lowest voice, e.g. C₆ is e-g-c.

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Skip

Melodic movement of more than one whole step.

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Slur

A curved line placed above or below two or more notes of different pitch to indicate that they are to be performed in legato style.

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Smorzando

Fading away.

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Soave

Sweet, mild.

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Sognando

Dreamily.

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Sol

In solmization, the fifth degree of the major scale.

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Solmization

The term for the use of syllables for the degrees of the major scale: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la ti, do. The minor scale (natural) is la, ti, do, re, mi, fa, sol, la.

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Solo

To perform alone or as the predominant part.

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Sonata

An instrumental piece, often in several movements.

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Sonatina

A short sonata.

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Sostenuto

Sustaining of tone or slackening of tempo.

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Spiccato

On string instruments, a bowing technique wherein the bow is bounced on the string at moderate speed.

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Staccato

Detached sounds, indicated by a dot over or under a note. The opposite of legato.

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Staff

The most frequently used staff has five horizontal lines, with four spaces, upon which the notes and other musical symbols are placed. The plural of staff is staves.

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Stanza

A selection of a song, two or more lines long, characterized by a common meter, rhyme, and number of lines.

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Stesso

Same.

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String instrument family

Instruements with strings that produce sound when plucked, bowed, or struck.

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Strophic

A term used to describe a song in which all the stanzas of the text are sung to the same music. The opposite of through-composed.

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Subdominant

The fourth degree of the major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the fourth degree of the scale, indicated by IV in a major key and by iv in a minor key.

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Subito

Suddenly.

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Submediant

The sixth degree of a major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the sixth degree of the scale, indicated by VI in a major key and by vi in a minor key.

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Sul

On the.

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Supertonic

The second degree of the major or minor scale. Also, the name of the triad built on the second degree of the scale, indicated by II in a major scale and ii^o in a minor scale.

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Sur

On, over.

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Suspension

The use of a nonharmonic tone to delay the resolution of a chord, frequently as it occurs in a cadence.

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Svelto

Quick, light.

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Symphony

A piece for large orchestra, usually in four movements, in which the first movement often is in sonata form. A large orchestra.

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Syncopation

Accent on an unexpected beat.