The New York Times web-based word game app Wordle has taken the world by storm, spawning many spin-offs from Jewdle for Hebrew and Yiddish words to Lewdle for expletives. Choral and classical music lovers very quickly requested their very own version: Byrdle.
What is Byrdle and how many letters can you use?
Byrdle is choral music’s answer to the web-based word game Wordle, which rose to success in late 2021.
Users are given six attempts to work out the word of the day. Each word is related to choral music, composers, classical music more broadly, religious ceremonies and Latin texts. Byrdle is refreshed at midnight every day, with a new word.
In Christmas 2021, Wordle captured the attention of the internet. On 11 January, the QuireMemes Twitter account posted a tweet that called for coders to help create the ‘Byrdle’ app.
Introducing…
— In quires and places where they meme (@QuireMemes) January 11, 2022
BYRDLE pic.twitter.com/bhfQrtvUhv
The next day, mathematician and singer Robert Brignall did just that.
Some of us are choir nerds. Some of us are coding nerds. @rbrignall is both.
— In quires and places where they meme (@QuireMemes) January 12, 2022
Introducing - for real this time - BYRDLE. Cheers, Rob! https://t.co/wuApQTMkPO
At the moment, Byrdle features five-letter words, but this is due to change on 3 May when the letter count is upped to six. Makes sense. There’s hardly a bottomless pit of five-letter words about niche choral music.
*** Byrdle announcement ***
— Robert Brignall (@rbrignall) March 2, 2022
There aren't lots of 5-letter choral terms. We've played 50 games, and we have 60 more.
Then, on May 3, https://t.co/6NWpgcBOQ6 will switch to 6-letter choral terms. Same game, longer words.
Look out for more Byrdle feature announcements soon! pic.twitter.com/lvtBn5gtA3
We’ve got our heads together to help come up with just a few though to help kick you off.
Five-letter classical music words for Byrdle and Wordle
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z.
A
Agnus
Greek translation of ‘pure’ or ‘holy’, most often heard in ‘Agnus Dei’, which translates as ‘Lamb of God’ and forms part of the Mass.
Altar
A table or raised platform used in religious ceremonies and services.
B
Breve
A note equivalent to two semibreves. Known as a ‘double whole note’ in the US, the breve is most often seen in early music.
C
Canon
A contrapuntal compositional technique in which an initial melody begins, and is then replicated by another part in imitation.
Carol
A festive, usually relgious, song predominantly performed at Advent and Christmas.
Chant
A simple song or melody, the word ‘chant’ comes from the Latin ‘cantare’ meaning ‘sing’.
Choir
An organised group of singers, performing together.
Chord
A group of notes played at the same time, often in harmony.
Clefs
Symbol placed at the left-hand end of the stave, indicating the pitch of the written notes.
Clerk
A professional adult singer in a cathedral choir.
Credo
Latin for ‘I believe’, or ‘creed’. It’s used as a statement of belief in religious services.
D
Dance
Music composed to accompany or facilitate the act of dancing.
Darke
Harold Darke was an English composer and organist, best known for his setting of Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘In the Bleak Mindwinter’.
Dolce
Direction for the performer to play sweetly.
Drone
A note or chord sounded continuously throughout most or all of a piece.
Dyson
Composer George Dyson is best known for his evening canticles in F and D.
F
Fifth
An interval spanning five letter names or positions on the stave.
Finzi
Gerald Finzi was a leading British composer of the early 20th century, most remembered for his choral writing.
Forte
Direction for the performer to play loudly.
Fugue
A contrapuntal compositional technique in which a melody is introduced at the beginning of a piece and then returns in imitation, building on a subject throughout the composition.
Fuoco
‘Con fuoco’ is a direction for the performer to play with energy or ‘fire’.
G
Glory
A term used to describe the manifestation of God’s presence. The term ‘Glory to God in the highest’ or its Latin translation ‘Gloria in excelsis Deo’ is a Christian hymn.
L
Largo
Direction for the performer to play slowly, with a dignified style.
Lento
Direction for the performer to play slowly.
Lyric
The text used within a song.
M
Major
A key or scale in which the third degree is a major third above the tonic note.
Metre
The beats or regular measures within bars.
Minim
A note worth two beats. In the US, this is known as a ‘half note’.
Minor
A key or scale in which the third degree is a minor third above the tonic note.
Molto
Translation: ‘much’. A direction for the performer.
Mosso
A direction for the performer to play rapidly or in an animated style.
Motet
A short piece of sacred choral music, often sung in Latin.
N
Neume
A term used in plainchant to describe a note or group of notes sung to a single syllable.
Noble
Thomas Tertius Noble was an English organist who was based at St Thomas Church in New York City for much of his career.
Notes
Symbols in music notation signifying a musical sound and pitch.
O
Octet
A group of eight performers or a piece written for eight performers.
Opera
A dramatic work set to music.
Organ
A keyboard instrument usually based in churches, used during religious ceremonies.
P
Pedal
Foot-operated drivers used on keyboard instruments, or a sustained bass note incorporated into a composition.
Piano
A direction for the performer to play softly; or a keyboard instrument.
Psalm
A sacred song or hymn, made up of a collection of religious
R
Rondo
A musical form with a refrain recurring in the original form, with one or more contrasting themes.
S
Scale
A sequence of notes placed into an octave.
Score
Notated music in a manuscript or printed form.
Sharp
A note is raised in pitch.
Sicut
Latin for ‘as’.
Sixth
An interval spanning six letter names or positions on the stave.
Slide
A musical ornament in which the performer rises between two notes without pausing on the notes in between.
Slurs
Notes played without separation, with legato articulation.
Solos
A piece or section of a piece written for a single voice or instrument.
Stave
A set of five parallel written lines on which musical notation is written.
Suite
Ordered set of pieces.
T
Tacet
A direction for the performer to remain silent.
Tempo
The speed at which a piece of music is performed.
Tenor
The singing voice part based between baritone and alto/countertenor.
Third
An interval spanning three letter names or positions on the stave.
Tonic
The first note of the scale and tonal centre of a piece or scale.
Triad
A chord made up of three notes: the root, third and fifth.
Trill
A musical ornament directing the performer to rapidly alternate between two adjacent notes.
Tutti
A direction for the performers to play together.
V
Verdi
Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi is known predominantly for his operas.
Z
Zadok
From ‘Zadok the Priest’, an anthem composed by Handel for the coronation of King George II.
Six-letter classical music words for Byrdle and Wordle
A
Accent
A direction for the performer to place particular emphasis on the note.
Adagio
A direction for the performer to play slowly.
Anthem
A song or hymn of praise or celebration.
A tempo
A direction for the performer to return to the initial tempo.
Atonal
Music that doesn’t conform to a tonal centre or key.
B
Ballad
Verse or narrative set to music.
C
Cantor
A singer who performs solo verses or passes to which the congregation/choir responds.
Choral
Music sung by a choir.
Chorus
A refrain that usually follows each verse, repeated each time.
D
Da capo
A direction for the performer to return to the beginning of the piece.
E
Encore
An additional performance given in a concert by the performer.
L
Legato
Musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected, often signalled by a slur.
Lieder
A German song that sets poetry to music.
M
Melody
A tune that brings together a series of musical tones that creates a line and can be considered as a complete entity.
N
Nobile
A direction for the performer to play in a noble manner.
O
Octave
An interval between one pitch and its higher counterpart, double its frequency.
P
Phrase
A musical unit that can exist on its own, bringing together motifs to create a longer section.
Piston
A valve in instruments that helps the user alter the pitch.
Presto
A direction for the performer to play fast.
Q
Quaver
A musical note that lasts for half a beat.
R
Repeat
A reinstatement of an existing theme.
Rhythm
Pattern of notes within time.
S
Septet
A group of seven performers or a piece written for seven performers.
Sextet
A group of six performers or a piece written for six performers.
Sonata
A musical structure generally consisting of an exposition, development and recapitulation of a theme.
Subito
A direction for the performer to do something immediately or suddenly.
T
Treble
Tones at the higher end of the range, the clef of which is used to notate such notes.
Troppo
A direction for the performer to do something ‘a lot’ or ‘excessively’.
U
Unison
Two or more musical parts performing material at the same pitch or separated by intervals of one of more octaves.
V
Vivace
A direction for the performer to play briskly.