Circle of 5ths - Exposition

Circle of 5ths

a progression of chords or key changes where each new root or key is a 5th above or below the preceding one.

Coda

the closing passage of a piece, song or movement.

Codetta

the closing passage of a section in a larger structure

Colla parte

'with the part', an instruction to the orchestra to follow the soloist, e.g. in a concerto.

Coloratura

An elaborate melody, particularly in operatic singing of the 18th and 19th centuries, with runs, wide leaps and trills.

Conjunct

melodic movement up or down by one note; also known as stepwise movement.

Consonance

two or more notes that harmonize without tension, a concord.

Contrapuntal

A texture consisting of two or more melodies sounding together.

Contrary motion

a texture in which two or more parts move in opposite directions away from/towards each other.

Counter-melody

An extra melody heard in counterpoint against the main melody of the passage. In fugue this is known as a countersubject.

Cross-rhythm

A passage where the rhythm deliberately runs against the main pulse/metre of the piece

Dactylic rhythm

In poetry, a word describing a long syllable followed by two shorter ones. Rhythmically this can be seen, e.g., as a quarter note followed by 2 eighth notes.

Delay

a time-based effect which adds one or more echoes to the part being sung or played.

Development

the middle section of Sonata Form, or any section where thematic material is moulded and shaped through a variety of keys.

Diatonic

a melodic or harmonic passage or piece which uses only the notes of the prevailing key, with no accidentals.

Diminished 7th

a striking chromatic chord built up entirely with minor 3rds, e.g. G♯-B-D-F. Notice the outer notes in this example form the interval of the same value.

Diminution

a device for developing melodic material in a piece; the shortening of the rhythmic values of a given phrase or passage of music.

Disjunct

the opposite of conjunct; melodic movement by leaping to notes more than one step away.

Dissonance

two or more notes that clash, a discord creating tension. Up until 1900 most composers prepared and resolved dissonances , but since then they have been used with ever greater freedom on their own.

Distortion

an effect commonly used on electric guitar, but can also be used on any instrument or voice; it involves deliberately making the sound 'dirty' by overdriving the amplifier's gain control.

Drone

one or two fixed notes heard as a continuous bass, especially on bagpipes. Heard often in folk music and sometimes in Western Classical music.

Drum machine

An electronic instrument used to play and create percussive sounds and rhythm patterns by mechanical or digital means.

Enharmonic change

The changing of the name of a given note (its "spelling") but not its actual pitch: e.g. C# to Db. Often used by composers to effect subtle modulations.

Episode

in fugue, a passage of music used to separate and modulate between entries of the main fugue subject.

Exposition

the first section in a Sonata Form movement, and also the name given to the opening of a fugue.