K: 1. "Kochel", used instead of opus numbers to designate the works of Mozart. 2. "Kirkpatrick", used to designate the works of Domenico Scarlatti.

Kanon: Canon.

Kapellmeister: "Master of the chapel." Director of music for a church or royalty.

Key: The tonal center based on the tonic note of the scale.

Key signature: Sharps or flats written at the beginning of a staff line to indicate which pitches are to be raised or lowered from their natural state during the piece.

Klavier: 1. German term for a keyboard instrument, now primarily meaning piano, used as a descriptive term by composers in the baroque period.

Kreuz: (Gr.) A sharp.

Last updated: 3/6/2023