Our Interactive Dictionary of Musical Terms.

janissary music
The music of Turkish ensembles of wind and percussion instruments during the Ottoman Empire. The instruments – such as cymbals, triangles and bass drums - sounded very exotic to European ears and were used by composers such as Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven.

Jazz
American-born music that uses syncopation, altered scales, specific harmonies, and improvisation.

Jig
An old, quick dance. The music in the second half of the dance is a variation on the music from the first half.