a cappella
Singing without instrumental accompaniment, with voices providing all musical parts.
In Depth
The term "a cappella" originally referred specifically to the style of the Sistine Chapel choir, which performed without instruments — making the Pope's chapel the namesake of all unaccompanied singing.
Related Terms
More in Techniques
Browse allThe musical background that supports a solo melody or voice.
At the performer's discretion — an instruction allowing freedom in tempo, ornamentation, or inclusion.
An accent created by slightly lengthening a note rather than playing it louder, using duration rather than volume to create emphasis.
A left-hand keyboard accompaniment pattern that breaks a chord into a repeated sequence of low-high-middle-high notes, creating a gentle, flowing texture.
A broken-chord accompaniment pattern in which the notes of a chord are played in the order lowest-highest-middle-highest
The ubiquitous left-hand keyboard accompaniment pattern of low-high-middle-high notes, named after Domenico Alberti, that defines the texture of Classical-era piano music.
A guitar picking technique that strictly alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes.
A direction to resume playing with the bow after a pizzicato passage on a string instrument