Back to top T Tempo . The rate of speed at which a musical composition is performed. An important melody that occurs several times throughout a piece of music. The theme is usually a melody or melodic fragment . A single theme may be used as the basis for a set of variations.
Most music has more than one theme.
Theme and Variations . A musical form where the theme is played, then repeated in different ways. Listen to Mozart's Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star . Also see Form . It's the quality of sound that make one instrument or voice sound different from another.