Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
accompanist accompanyist | one who accompanies another e.g. on the piano. |
accordionist | one who plays the accordion. |
alto | orig. the highest adult male voice, properly counter-tenor; now more usually CONTRALTO, a low female voice > ALTOS. |
altoist | one who takes the ALTO part. |
bagpiper | one who plays the bagpipes. |
balladeer | one who sings ballads; (verb) to sing ballads. |
bandleader bandmaster | the conductor of a band. |
bandsman | a member of a band of musicians. |
bandurist | one who plays the bandura. |
banjoist | one who plays the banjo. |
baritonal | of or like a BARITONE. |
baritone baryton barytone | a deep-toned male voice between bass and tenor. |
bass | a low singing voice (the lowest of all except for basso profundo); one who sings this. |
bassist | a person who plays a double-bass. |
basso | the bass or lowest part; as, to sing basso > BASSOS or BASSI. |
bassoonist | a performer on the bassoon. |
beatboxer | one who practises beatboxing. |
bebopper | one who plays BEBOP, a kind of jazz music. |
bluesman | one who plays the blues. |
bongoist | one who plays the bongo. |
bugler | one who plays the bugle. |
busker | one who entertains esp. by singing or reciting on the street or in a pub. |
campanologist | a bell-ringer. |
cantabank | a strolling singer; a second-rate musician. [Ital. cantambanco]. |
cantatrice | a female singer > CANTATRICI or CANTATRICES. |
capellmeister kapellmeister | a choir or orchestra leader. |
caroler caroller | one who sings carols. |
castrato | a male singer castrated in boyhood to preserve his singing voice; this voice is higher than the counter-tenor and sweeter > CASTRATI. |
cellist | one who plays a cello. |
cembalist | one who plays a CEMBALO. |
chanter chaunter chantor | a singer; a precentor (leader of a choir). |
chanteuse | a female nightclub singer. |
chantor | see CHANTER. |
chantress chauntress | a female CHANTER or singer. |
charanga | a type of orchestra used to perform Cuban music. |
chaunter | see CHANTER. |
chauntress | see CHANTRESS. |
choirboy | a male member of a choir. |
choirgirl | a female member of a choir. |
choirman | one who sings in a choir. |
choirmaster | the leader of a choir. |
choralist chorist chorister quirister | a member of a choir. |
citharist | a player of the cithara, an ancient Greek musical instrument like a lyre. |
clavecinist | one who plays the clavecin. |
clavichordist | one who plays the clavichord. |
clavierist | one who plays the pianoforte. |
coloratura colorature | a highly ornamented, virtuoso (musical passage); a singer, especially soprano, of such music. |
combo | a small dance or jazz band > COMBOS. |
comprimario | a role of secondary importance; a singer or dancer playing such a role > COMPRIMARIOS. |
concertinist | one who plays the concertina. |
conductor | one who guides an orchestra. |
cornerman | the man at the end of the row in a negro-minstrel performance. |
cornetist cornettist cornist | one who plays the cornet or horn. |
countertenor | the highest alto male voice (not counting CASTRATO) (so called because a contrast to tenor). |
crooner | one who croons, i.e. sings softly in a sentimentally contemplative manner. |
crowder | a fiddler, spec. a player of the 'crowd' or CRWTH. |
cymbaler cymbalist cymbaleer | one who plays the cymbals. |
diva | a female opera singer. |
divo | a male opera singer. |
drummer | one who plays a drum. |
duettist | one who takes part in a duet. |
ensemble | a group of musicians playing together. |
executant | one who executes or performs; esp., a performer on a musical instrument. |
fagottist | a bassoon player. |
falsetto | a high-pitched voice (esp. of an adult male) forced to notes above its natural register; a person who uses such a voice > FALSETTOS. |
fiddler | one who plays on a fiddle or violin. |
fifer | one who plays the fife. |
fingerpick | to play the guitar with fingers rather than a plectrum. |
flautist fluter flutist | one who plays the flute. |
flugelhornist | one who plays the FLUGELHORN. |
folkie folky | a folk musician; a lover of folk music. |
fuguist | a person who writes or plays FUGUES. |
funkster | a performer or fan of pop music. |
gambist | a performer upon the viola di gamba. |
gleemaiden | a female GLEEMAN. (I regret to report that there seems to be no GLEEPERSON*). |
gleeman | an itinerant minstrel or musician. |
gongster | a person who gongs. |
guitarist | one who plays the guitar. |
guslar | a performer on the GUSLA, a one-stringed Balkan musical instrument. |
harmonicist | one who plays a harmonica. |
harper harpist | one who plays the harp. |
harpsichordist | one who plays the harpsichord. |
heldentenor | a TENOR with striking dramatic quality suitable for heroic roles. [G. Held, hero]. |
hornist | one who plays a horn. |
improvisator | an improviser. |
improvisatore improvvisatore | an (Italian) improviser; an improviser in an Italian manner > IMPROVISATORI or IMPROVISATORES; IMPROVVISATORES |
instrumentalist | one who plays a musical instrument, esp. as opposed to a VOCALIST. |
jazzer jazzman | a jazz musician. |
jodel yodel yodle | to sing in a style popular in the Alps. |
jongleur | a medieval wandering minstrel; a troubadour. |
kapellmeister | see CAPELLMEISTER. |
keyboardist | one who plays the keyboard. |
lutanist lutenist luter lutist | a lute-player. |
lyrist | a musician who plays on the harp or lyre; a composer of lyrical poetry. |
madrigalist | one who sings madrigals. |
manband | an all-male vocal pop group which was formed as a boy band, but whose members have reached maturity. |
marimbist | one who plays the MARIMBA. |
melodist | a composer of melodies; a person skilled in melody. |
mezzo | one who sings mezzo-soprano > MEZZOS. |
minstrel | a medieval musician, itinerant or attached to a noble household, who sang or recited his own or others' poems, accompanying himself on a stringed instrument. |
musician | a performer or composer of music, esp. professional. |
musicianer | a musician. |
musicker | a musician. |
muso | a musician > MUSOS. |
oboist | one who plays the oboe. |
organist | one who plays the organ. |
pannist | a person who plays a steel drum. |
percussionist | one who plays one or more percussion instrument. |
pianist | one who plays the piano. |
pianiste | a female PIANIST. |
pianolist | one who plays the PIANOLA. |
piccoloist | one who plays the piccolo. |
pifferaro | one who plays the piffero > PIFFERARI or PIFFERAROS. |
piper | one who plays the pipes. |
preluder | a person who plays or performs a prelude. |
prima | fem. of PRIMO: first, the first or principal part in a duo. |
prommer | one who attends a PROM. |
psaltress | a woman who plays the PSALTERY. Oddly, there seems to be no word for a man who plays the PSALTERY. Perhaps the instrument was regarded as a bit PSISSY? |
punker | a punk rock musician. |
qawwal | a singer of qawwali, devotional Sufi music. |
quirister | see CHORALIST. |
ragtimer | one who plays RAGTIME music. |
recitalist | one who gives recitals. |
reedman | one who plays a reed instrument. |
rhythmist | a person skilled in rhythm. |
ripienist | a supplementary instrumentalist. |
sarodist | one who plays the sarod, an Indian instrument like a cello. |
saxophonist saxist saxman | one who plays the saxophone. |
scop | an Anglo-Saxon poet and harpist > SCOPAS. |
scrapegut | a fiddler. |
septet septuor | a group of seven performers. Also SEPTET. |
shantyman | the solo singer in shanties. |
sideman | one of the members of a band other than the leader who does occasional solo passages. |
siffleur | a (male) professional whistler. |
siffleuse | a (female) professional whistler. |
sightsman | one who reads or performs music readily at first sight. |
singer | one who sings. |
sitarist | one who plays the SITAR, an Indian musical instrument. |
solo | a performance by one person > SOLOS or SOLI. |
songman | a singer, a member of a choir. |
songsmith | a composer of songs. |
sopranist | a SOPRANO singer. |
soprano | the highest singing voice; one who sings in this voice > SOPRANOS or SOPRANI. |
soulster | a singer of soul music. |
strummer | one who STRUMS i.e. sound the strings of a guitar etc with the sweep of a hand. |
succentor | a bass soloist in a choir. |
symphonist | one who plays or (rarely) conducts symphonies. |
taborer | one who plays on the TABOR. |
tabourer | a player on the TABOUR. |
tabrere | a TABORER, one who plays on the TABOUR. |
tenor | the adult male voice intermediate between BARITONE and ALTO; one who sings in this voice. |
tenorino | a high tenor. |
tenorist | one who sings tenor or plays a tenor instrument. |
tenorman | a person who plays tenor saxophone. |
tenour | (obs.) tenor. |
theorbist | one who plays on a theorbo, a double-necked lute. |
thrummer | one that THRUMS, strums rhythmically and monotonously. |
timist | a performer who keeps good time. |
timpanist | one who plays the TIMPANI. |
tooter | one who toots; one who plays upon a pipe or horn. |
tootler | one who tootles, makes feeble sounds on a flute. |
trombonist | one who plays the trombone. |
troubadour | any of a class of poet-musicians flourishing especially in southern France and northern Italy during the 11th, 12th, and 13th centuries. |
trumpeter | one who plays the trumpet. |
tubaist tubist | one who plays the tuba. |
tunesmith | a songwriter or composer of light music. |
twanger | a person who or thing which twangs; a person playing a stringed instrument. |
twangler | one who twangles, sounds with a slack twanging. |
tweedledee | a fiddler; (verb) to tweedle. |
tweedler | one who TWEEDLES, plays casually on an instrument. |
tympanist | one who beats a drum. |
vibist | a person who plays the vibraphone. |
vibraphonist | one who plays the vibraphone. |
violer | a viol player, a fiddler. |
violinist | one who plays the violin. |
violinistic | of or like a VIOLINIST. |
violist | a player on the viol. |
virginalist | one who plays on a VIRGINAL. |
virtuosa | a female VIRTUOSO > VIRTUOSE, VIRTUOSAS. |
virtuosic | exhibiting the qualities of a VIRTUOSO. |
virtuoso | a person who has special knowledge or skill in the technique of a fine art, esp. music > VIRTUOSOS or VIRTUOSI. |
vocalist | a singer, as opposed to an INSTRUMENTALIST. |
xylophonist | one who plays the saxophone. |
yodel | to sing or shout changing rapidly from normal to falsetto > YODELED/YODELLED. Also YODLE, JODEL. |
yodeler yodeller yodler | one who yodels, sings or shouts changing rapidly from normal to falsetto. |
zitherist | one who plays the zither. |