Passacaglia See ground bass.

Pedal point (organ point) Single tone, usually in the bass, which is held while the other voices produce a series of changing harmonies against it; often found in fugues.

Pentatonic scale Scale made up of five different tones, used in folk music and music of the far east.

Percussion instrument Instrument of definite or indefinite pitch whose sound is produced by striking by hand, or with a stick or hammer, or by shaking or rubbing.

Performer Person who plays or sings music.

Phrase Part of a melody.

Pianissimo (pp) As softly as possible.

Piano Widely used keyboard instrument of great range and versatility, whose sound is produced by felt-covered hammers striking against steel strings.

Piano (p) Soft.

Piccolo Smallest woodwind instrument, having the highest range; a smaller version of the flute.

Pipe organ See organ.

Pitch Relative highness or lowness of a sound.

Pitch range Distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce.

Pizzicato Means of playing a string instrument by which the strings are plucked, usually with a finger of the right hand.

Plectrum Small wedge of plastic, leather, or quill used to pluck the strings of certain instruments, such as the guitar, koto, and harpsichord. (Plural, plectra.)

Polonaise Composition in triple meter with a stately character, often for piano solo; originally a Polish court dance.

Polychoral motet Motet for two or more choirs, often including groups of instruments.

Polychord Combination of two chords sounded at the same time, used in twentieth-century music.

Polyphonic texture Performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at the same time.

Polyrhythm Use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time, often found in twentieth-century music.

Polytonality Approach to pitch organization using two or more keys at one time, often found in twentieth-century music.

Postlude Concluding section; the section at the end of an art song which sums up its mood, played by the piano or orchestra, without the voice.

Prelude (1) Short piece usually serving to introduce a fugue or other composition; a short piece for piano. (2) See overture.

Prestissimo As fast a tempo as possible.

Presto Very fast tempo.

Primitivism Evocation of primitive power through insistent rhythms and percussive sounds.

Program Explanatory comments specifying the story, scene, or idea associated with program music.

Program music Instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene, often found in the romantic period.

Program symphony Symphony (a composition for orchestra in several movements) related to a story, idea, or scene, in which each movement usually has a descriptive title; often found in romantic music.

Progression Series of chords.

Prompter Person who gives cues and reminds singers of their words or pitches during an opera performance. The prompter is located in a box just over the edge of center stage, which conceals him or her from the audience.