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      Q

       

      Quadrille

      The quadrille was one of the most popular ball-room dances of the 19th century, generally in a brisk duple metre.
       
       

      Quartal harmony

      Vertical sonorities (harmony) constructed in fourths, instead of the traditional thirds.
       
       

      Quarter-tone

      Divisions of the tone smaller than a semitone are occasionally found in art-music, particularly in the 20th century. Quarter-tones occur in the solo violin part of the Second Violin Concerto of Belá Bartók.
       
       

      Quartet

      A quartet is a composition for four players or the name for a group of four players.
       
       

      Quintal harmony

      Vertical sonorities (harmony) constructed in fifths, instead of the traditional thirds.

       

      Quintet

      A quintet is a composition for five players or the name for a group of five players.
       
       

      Quodlibet

      A quodlibet (Latin: what you please) is a light-hearted composition generally containing a combination of well known tunes. There is an example in Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations, where the composer combines the theme of the variations with two popular songs of the time.