Menuetto, menuet—same as minuet. (See [p. 68], [Sec. 151].)
Mezzo soprano—a woman's voice of soprano quality, but of somewhat lower compass than the soprano voice. Range approximately b to g''.
Minore—minor.
Nocturne (sometimes spelled nocturn, notturna, nokturne, etc.)—a night piece; a quiet, melodious, somewhat sentimental composition, usually for piano solo.
Nuance—delicate shading; subtle variations in tempo and dynamics which make the rendition of music more expressive.
Obbligato (sometimes incorrectly spelled obligato)—an accessory melody accompanying harmonized music, (usually vocal music).
The word obbligato (It. bound, or obliged) refers to the fact that this is usually a melody of independent value, so important that it cannot be omitted in a complete performance.
Offertory (sometimes spelled offertoire, or offertorium)—a piece of music played or sung during the taking up of the offering in the church service. The word is often applied by composers to any short, simple piece of music (usually for organ) that is suitable for the above purpose.
Opus—work; used by composers to designate the order in which their compositions were written, as e.g., Beethoven, Op. 2, No. 1.
Orchestration—the art of writing for the orchestra, this implying an intimate knowledge of the range, quality, and possibilities of all the orchestral instruments.