English Vocabulary

Week FourPerforming Arts Edition!

CuratorNoun-a person in charge of the artwork in a museum

CuratorIn the beginning of The DaVinci Code, the Curator of France’s Louvre museum is killed.

ArmatureNoun-a skeleton construction upon which a sculptor builds a sculpture

ArmatureIt is hard to believe that underneath the massive statue is an armature

TableauNoun-a stage picture created by actors posing motionless.

TableauAt the end of the first act, the performers froze in position, creating a dramatic tableau.

ForteAdjective-Strong, loud

ForteA piano can be played mezzo forte or forte depending on the desired effect.

Harlequin

Noun-masked, comic character.

HarlequinThe harlequin somersaulted across the stage before delivering the punch-line to his joke.

ScrimNoun-a curtain that may be transparent or opaque, depending on how it is lit.

ScrimDepending on how the scrim was lit, actors could be hidden without moving.

ContrappostoNoun-a pose in which the parts of the body are twisted or distorted into opposite directions.

ContrappostoMichelangelo’s David is a good example of contrapposto in art.

HamartiaNoun-a flaw in a tragic character.

HamartiaHamlet’s hamartia is his inability to act against those who killed his father before it is too late.

ImpresarioNoun-manger, promoter, or sponsor of performing arts.

ImpresarioThe impresario donated often to theatrical foundations and attended many productions.

Requim

• Noun-composition written for a funeral mass.