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pan - a highly UNfavorable review
patter song - a song in which the text is declaimed very rapidly
pianissimo (pp) - a very soft dynamic level
piano (p) - a soft / quiet dynamic level
piracy - performing a show for profit without permission (and without paying royalties to the copyright holder)
pitch - the frequency at which a particular note vibrates (its relative "highness" or "lowness")
polyphony - a kind of texture in which two or more melodies are heard simultaneously. Two types:
- imitative - a melody starts in one voice and is then overlapped by a second voice singing the same melody
- non-imitative - two or more different melodies performed at the same time
presto - a musical tempo that is very fast
preview - a dress rehearsal performed in front of an audience (often a paying audience!)
primo uomo (pronounced "PREE-moe WOE-mo") - literally "first man" = the starring male rôle
prima donna (pronounced "PREE-ma DON-na") - literally "first lady" = the starring female rôle
producer - a person who is responsible for finding the financial backers, making the programming decisions, assembling the performance forces, etc., for a musical. Analogous to the impresario of opera
production number - a song and/or dance section that features the whole cast (or a large portion of it)
quadruple - the beats are arranged in groups of four (often hard to distinguish by ear from duple meter)
quartet - a number featuring four singers
quintet - a number featuring five singers
range - the span of notes, from low to high, required in a particular song or which a particular singer is able to sing.
rave - a highly favorable review
recitative - a singing style that is a rapid, speech-like style of singing; usually conveys the storyline as quickly as possible
refrain (A) - The "A" section (which returns at least twice) of a rondo form
rehearsal pianist - a pianist who, during early rehearsals of a show or opera, duplicates the melodies and accompaniments to be played by the orchestra
reprise - the return to a earlier musical number later in a show, often with modified text.
review - a critic's written, published assessment of a show's strengths and weaknesses (usually published around opening night). Highly-favorable reviews are called raves, while a poor review is called a pan.
rhythm - the general term used to describe how music moves through time. Encompasses terms such as beat, meter, and tempo.
rhythm section is a small group of accompanying instruments, usually comprised of a piano, bass, drumset, and sometimes guitar
ritardando (pronounced "RE-tar-DAWN-doe") - the term used when the tempo grows slower in the course of a piece.
rock opera - a genre of the late 20th-century which tends to be sung throughout (like opera), but makes use of rock style in some or all of its score.
Romantic - the term for the musical era ranging from approximately 1815 to 1900.
rondo - a form that combines repetition and contrast. Layout is usually A - B - A - C - A (etc.) The repeated section is called the refrain (A), while the contrasting sections are called episodes (B); there have to be at least 2 episodes.
rounded binary form - a variant of binary form in which the opening A is repeated before moving on the B portion, and then a modified version of A follows the B. The B and A' sections are then repeated. The form is called binary because it consists of two parts: A and BA' (each of which is repeated; i.e., ||:A:||:BA':|| = AA BA' BA'); it is rounded because the A theme "rounds off" the B theme.