W

Waltz

Dance in 3/4 time probably derived from the German Landler which came into prominence in the last quarter of the 18, both among composers and in the ballroom. Other than Johann Strauss, composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Ravel are well-known for works using this structure.

Weak Beat

Opposite to strong beat for example, in a piece with four beats in a bar, beats 2 and 3 are the real beats.

White-note Scale

Series of notes based on the white notes of a piano keyboard.

Wordless Songs

Songs without lyrics - the voice simply hums or sings other syllables but never actual words. A well-known passage is the end of Neptune from Holst's Planets.