MUSI 1310 Prelude Flashcards

Beat

A steady pulse, like a heartbeat.

Tempo

The pace of the beat.

Rhythm

Flow of specific notes

Downbeat

First beat of a measure (down)

Meter

A grouping of beats to bars

Accelerando

A gradual speeding up of the tempo.

Ritardando

A gradual slow-down of the tempo.

Frequency

How fast a sounding object vibrates, heard as pitch.

Amplitude

How fast a vibrating object moves, heard as dynamic.

Crescendo

A gradual increase in volume

Decrescendo

A gradual decrease in volume

Melody

How pitches combine to make a specific tune

Contour

The shape of a melody

Conjunct

A melody with small steps in intervals (distances between notes)

Disjunct

A melody with large steps in intervals (distances between notes)

Range

The distance between a melody’s highest and lowest note.

Scale

Various pitches arranged high to low.

Major Scale

A more triumphant sounding scale, more cheery (WWHWWWH)

Minor Scale

A darker sounding scale (WHWWHWW)

Chromatic Scale

All 12 semitones of a scale (all half steps)

Consonant Chords

Stable & mellow.

Dissonant Chord

Harsh and intentionally displeasing.

Timbre

Where a same note sounds ‘different’ (ex: F on the high vs low register)

Monophony

A single melodic line, everyone plays or sings in unison.

Homophony

A primary melody with a supporting harmony or accompaniment.

Polyphony

2 or more independent melodic lines combined.

Binary Form

Two contrasting sections in a melody. A statement, and a departure.

Ternary Form

Statement, Depart, Return to statement

Strophic Melody

The same melody repeats.

Through-Composed Melody

A melody that constantly changes, never returning to original material.