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nakers  Medieval percussion instruments resembling small kettledrums, played in pairs; of Middle Eastern origin.

neumatic  Melodic style with two to four notes set to each syllable.

neumes  Early musical notation signs; square notes on a four-line staff.

new age  Style of popular music of the 1980s and 1990s, characterized by soothing timbres and repetitive forms that are subjected to shifting variation techniques.

New Orleans jazz  Early jazz style characterized by multiple improvisations in an ensemble of cornet (or trumpet), clarinet (or saxophone), trombone, piano, string bass (or tuba), banjo (or guitar) and drums; repertory included blues, ragtime, and popular songs.

new wave  Subgenre of rock popular since the late 1970s, highly influenced by simple 1950s-style rock and roll; developed as a rejection of the complexities of art rock and heavy metal.

ninth chord  Five-tone chord spanning a ninth between its lowest and highest tones.

nocturne  "Night piece"; common in the nineteenth century, often for piano.

Noh drama  A major form of Japanese theater since the late fourteenth century; based on philosophical concepts from Zen Buddhism.

nonmetric  Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non-Western cultures.

audio example Example: Gregorian chant, "Kyrie eleison"
Real Audio: 28k | 56k | About this album
This chant has a free rhythm with no recurring metrical accents.

non troppo  Not too much.

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