Basic Music Terminology (Music 101)

Melody

line, or tune, in music, a concept that is shared by most cultures

Contour

how the melody moves up and down

Range

span of the pitches

Interval

distance between any two pitches in a melody

Conjunct

small connected interval

Disjunt

an interval that leaps

Phrases

units that make up a melody

Cadences

resting places

Countermelody

secondary melody

Rhythm

what moves the music forward in time

Meter

organizes the beats in music

Downbeat

the strongest beat in a measure, often the first beat

Simple meters

duple, triple, and quadruple

Compound meters

subdivide each beat into three, rather than two, subbeats

Harmony

simultaneous events in music

Upbeat

the last beat of the measure

Syncopation

deliberate upsetting of the normal pattern of accentuation

Offbeat

when the accent is shifted to a weak beat

Additive meter

grouping of irregular numbers of beats that add up to a larger overall pattern

Polyrhythm

simultaneous use of rhythmic patterns that conflict with the underlying beat

Chord

simultaneous sounding of three or more pitches

Scale

sequence of pitches

Triad

most common chord in Western music; three notes built on alternate pitches of a scale

Tonic

central tone around which a melody and its harmonies are built -tonality

Dissonance

created by an unstable, or discordant, harmony

Consonance

occurs with resolution of dissonance, producing a concordant sound

Drone

single sustained tone which constitutes the harmony

Texture

the interweaving of the melodic lines with harmony in music

Monophony

single-voiced music without accompaniment

Heterophony

multiple voices elaborating the same melody at the same time

Polyphony

many-voiced texture based on counterpoint

Counterpoint

one line set against another

Homophony

occurs when one melodic voice is prominent over the accompanying lines, or voices

Homorhythmic texture

homophonic sound in which all the voices move in the same rhythm

Imitation

when a melodic idea is presented in one voice, then restated in another (cannons and rounds)

Form

organizing principle in music- basic elements include repetition, contrast, and variation

Strophic form

common in songs, features repeated music for each stanza of text

Improvisation

music created spontaneously in performance

Binary form

A-B

Ternary form

A-B-A

Theme

melodic idea used as a building block in a large-scale work

Motives

small component fragments of the theme

Sequence

results when a motive is repeated at a different pitch

Call-and-response

repetitive style involving a soloist and a group

Ostinato

repetition of a short musical melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern

Movements

the sections that large-scale compositions, such as symphonies and sonatas, are divided into

Tempo

rate of speed, or pace, of the music

Allegro

fast pace

Moderato

moderate pace

Adagio

quite slow pace

Accelerando

speeding up the pace

Ritardando

slowing the pace

Metronome

device that indicates the tempo by sounding a pulse

Dynamics

describe the volume of the music

Forte (f)

loud sound

Piano (p)

soft sound

Timbre

tone color

Instrument

generates vibrations and transmits them into the air

Soprano

high female voice

Alto

low female voice

Tenor

high male voice

Bass

low male voice

Vibrato

throbbing effect

Staccato

short detached notes

Legato

smoothly connected notes

a cappella

choral groups with no accompaniment

Chamber music

ensemble music for small groups, with one player per part

Orchestra

eighty to one hundred instrument ensemble

String section

first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, double basses

Woodwind section

flutes, oboes, English horn, clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, double bassoon

Brass section

French horn, trumpets, trombones, tuba

Percussion section

drums, piano

Sacred music

music for religious functions

Secular music

music for non-religious functions

Oral transmission

transmission of music without the aid of written notation