Accompaniment

(Ger. Beglei’tung; Fr. accompagnement; It, accompagnamen'to.) The acce ory part of parts attending the voices or instr.s bear in, the principal part or parts in a musical composition. Its intention may be to enhance the general effect, or to steady the soloists either as regards rhythm or pitch. Either one or more instr.s, or a vocal chorus, may carry out an acc.—An acc. is ad Li’bitum when the piece can be performed without it, and obdliga’to when of vital importance to the latter. —Acc, of the scale, the harmonies as signed to the succe ive tones of the ascending or descending diatonic scale. —Additional accompaniments, parts added to a composition by some other than its original author.