ORCHESTRA: a large ensemble of musical instruments
OPERA: a drama where the text is sung, accompanied by an orchestra
FANFARE: a brief, festive instrumental piece involving brass instruments
VIOLS: bowed stringed instruments, forerunners of violins and cellos
VIOLA DA GAMBA: a large viol held between the legs
CHITARRONE: a gigantic lute-like instrument, used for continuo accompaniment
CONTINUO: light accompaniment for a singer by a bass instrument and perhaps a harpsichord or chitarrone [SG]
ORNAMENT: a decorative elaboration of a melody such as a mordent or trill, often improvised
RITORNELLO: in the Baroque and Classical eras, a passage (often repeated) played by all instruments [SG]
EPISODE: in the Baroque and Classical eras, a passage between ritornellos, for a soloist with light accompaniment; also, in a fugue, a passage between appearances of the fugue subject
RECITATIVE: narrative singing, in the irregular rhythm of speech, with light accompaniment [SG]
ARIA: an operatic song, usually more formal, self-contained, and metrically regular than recitative
HEMIOLA: in triple meter, the momentary grouping of six beats as three groups of two