Pop Music Terms Exam 1

General Terms

timbre

quality of sound, sometimes called tone color

lyrics

words of a song

dialect

musical genres strongly associated with particular dialects (identifiable culture)

riff

short, rhythmic phrase, backbone and memorable pattern

popular music

closely tied to stereotypes

mass media

gap between musicians and their audiences

dated technologies

collectors and subcultures

DAWs

digital audio workstations

radio, recording, movies

primary means for popularizing music

composer and lyricist

first creators of a work

arranger

reworked songs to complement a particular performers strenght’s

A&R

artist and repertoire, sought out talent

producer

convincing board of directors to back a project, shaping and development of new talent, intervening directly in the recording process

engineers

where to place everything and work with the flow of the artist and producer

public department and relations

work with producer and artist, gain interest

unpredictable nature of music business

first decade of 21st century: internet based digital technologies

ballards

type of song in which series of verses telling story, often about a historical event or personal tragedy

verses

series telling a story alternating with chorus

strophic

musical form with verses and chorus

broadsides

large sheets of paper that were the ancestors of music

chorus

repeated melody with fixed text inserted between verses

core of the tradition

musical forms and storytelling techniques

spirituals

body of sacred song which orginated in breakaway movements

gospel music

large body of sacred song with text that reflect the personal religious experiences

cantillation

chanting or scripture in sacred jewish tradition

old time music

made up of string band music, ballad, work, lullabies