| Term | Description |
|---|
| Cis | In music, cis is another name for the note C♯ (C-sharp). |
| Clarinet choir | A clarinet choir is an instrumental ensemble consisting entirely of instruments from the clarinet family. |
| Clarinet concerto | A clarinet concerto is a concerto for clarinet and orchestra (or concert band). |
| Classical music | Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of Western ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 9th century to present times.The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period. It is still played by many of today's musicians. |
| Classical period (music) | The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1750 to 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. |
| Clausula | A clausula (plural clausulae) is a polyphonic composition performed as a musical alternative to the original plainchant passage that it is intended to replace. |
| Clave | Clave (pronounced clah-vay) is a rhythmic pattern used as a tool for temporal organization in Afro-Cuban music such as salsa. |
| Clef | A clef (from the French for "key") is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes. Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the staff, it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff may be determined. |
| Close harmony | Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open voicing in that the former uses each part on the closest harmonizing note (such as - C4, E4, G4), while the latter uses a broader pitch array (like - C3, G3, E4) expanding the harmonic range past the octave. |
| Coda | Coda (Italian for "tail"), in music, is a passage which brings a movement or a separate piece to a conclusion through prolongation. |
| Coloratura | Coloratura has several meanings. It could mean coloratura soprano. This type of soprano has a high range and can execute with great facility the style of singing that includes elaborate ornamentation and embellishment, including running passages and trills. |
| Combo | In music, combo refers to a small musical ensemble, especially in jazz. |
| Comic opera | Comic opera, or light opera, denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending. |
| Common chord | The term common chord has more than one meaning. It could mean a simple chord constructed out of the notes of a triad; or alternatively a triad that is major or minor, but not diminished or augmented. |
| Common practice period | The common practice period, in the history of European art music (that is, what is popularly called "classical" music), encompasses those periods identified as Baroque, Classical, and Romantic. It lasted, therefore, from about 1600 until about 1900, and is most often contrasted with much of the music of the 20th century and with contemporary music. |
| Common tone | In music a common tone is a pitch class that is a member of, or common to, a musical scale and a transposition of that scale, as in modulation. |
| Composer | A composer is a person who creates musical art, usually in the medium of notation which is then interpreted and performed by musicians. |
| Composition | Musical composition is an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. |
| Compound meter | In music, compound meter, (chiefly British variation) compound metre, or compound time, is a time signature or meter in which each measure is divided into three or more parts, or two uneven parts (as opposed to two even parts, called simple metre), calling for the measures to be played with principal and subordinate metric accents (the latter called subaccents), causing the sensation of beats. |
| Computer music | Computer music is music generated or composed with the aid of computers. It also refers to a field of study that examines both the theory and application of new and existing technologies in the areas of music, sound design and diffusion, acoustics, sound synthesis, digital signal processing, and psychoacoustics. |
