Lassiter high school orchestra semester exam study guide

Trill

An ornament consisting of the rapid alternation of a note with the note a second above

Vibrato

A wavering of the tonal center

A tempo

Back to original tempo

Restored the normal tempo of a piece after it had been interrupted

Acclerando

To gradually get faster

Allargando

“Getting broader”

Allegro

Fast tempo

Quickly and lively

Andante

Moderate “walking” tempo

Adagio

Slow tempo

Largo

Very slow tempo

Moderato

Moderate speed/tempo

Presto

Play very fast

Ritard or ritardando

Slow down

Stringendo

Gradually get faster to the end of the piece

Tempo

The rate of speed of a piece

vivace

Lively and quick tempo

Hemiola

Two groups of three beats replaced but three groups of two beats, an effect of a shift between triple and duple meter

Common time (C)

A shorthand version of the 4/4 times signature

Cut them

The shorthand version of the 2/2 time signature

Subdivision

The breaking down of the primary beat into its component parts

Syncopation

Placing the emphasis on a normally weak part of the beat

Time signature

Numbers indicting number of beats per measure/kind of note that gets the beat

Order of the sharps

F C G D A E B

Order of the FLATS

B E A D G C F

Relative minor key

Go down 3 half steps

Parallel

Major/minor share the same too note

Don’t have the same key signature just the same starting note

Renaissance period

1430-1650

Pachelbel

Baroque Period

1600-1750

Bach Handel Vivaldi

Bach’s Brandenburg

Classical period

1750-1820

Mozart, early Beethoven

Romantic period

1820-1900

Late Beethoven Tchaikovsky

Emphasis on feeling

20th century

1900 to present

Contemporary and modern

Natural half step

B-C

E-F

Accidental

Sharp, flat, or natural sign found in the music but not in the key signature

Animato

Full of life animated

Arpeggio

A broken chord, to play the notes of a chord one after the other

Bar Line

The line drawn through the staff to mark off the measures

Cantabile

To be played in a singing style

Cesura

complete break in the music sometimes called railroad tracks

Chromatic scale

A scale made up of only consecutive ½ steps intervals

Clef

Symbol used to indicate the instrument that will play the part due to its range

Coda

An added ending to a piece

Coda sign ()

Symbol used to direct you to the coda

D.C. Al Fine

Go back to the beginning and play to the “Fine”

Decrescendo/Diminuendo

Gradually get softer

Divisi

Divide the part, usually inside/outside players

Divisi a tre/Divisi a3

Divide the part into three parts, usually by stand

Dolce

Play “sweetly”

Double Bar Line

Marks the end of the piece

D.S. (Dal Segno)

Back to the sign ( )

D.S. Al Fine

Back to the sign and play to the “Fine”

D.S. Al Coda

Back to the sign and play the “Coda”

Duet

Piece for two instruments

Enharmonics

Notes that sound the same but have different letter name (ex.: C#-D flat)

Espressivo

Expressively

Fermata ( )

Instructs performer to hold the given note or rest

Glissondo

Slide finger on the string between notes marked for effect

Grazioso

Graceful

Harmonic Minor Scale

Minor scale with raised 7th scale degree ascending and descending

Key Signature

the shar-s or flats found at the beginning of the staff

Ledger Line

short line(s) placed above or below the staff to extend the staff’s range

Measures

units of music

Bar lines divide staff into measure

Melodic Minor Scale

Minor scale with raised 6th and 7th scale degree ascending and then lowered back down to natural minor descending

Meno

Less

Molto

Much

Morendo

To gradually die away to nothing (inaudible)

Natural Minor Scale

Only minor scale without alterations; built from major scale, starting on 6th scale degree

Octave

Distance between two notes with same letter name eight letter names apart Piano (p)

Play softy

Pit Orchestra

Group used to accompany musicals, operas, etc.

Piu

More

Poco a poco

Little by little

Quartet

Four ‘solo’ players; most popular string chamber group

Repeat Sign

Go back and play previous section again

Rests

Notation used to show periods of silence

Sempre

“Always”

“Still”

Senza

Without

Simile

To continue in the same manner

Soli

Entire section plays an important “solo”part

sostenuto

“Sustained” a direction to sustain the tone

staff

The five lines and four spaces in which music is written

Trio

Three ‘solo’ players

Tutti

All of the section plays, usually found after a polo

Tranquillo

Calm

Unison

Marking used to indicate that the divisi is over, all play the same part

8va

Play an octave higher (if above notes)

8vb

Play an octave lower than written

Accent

Extra emphasis placed on a note or chord (>)

Crescendo

Gradually get louder

Detaché

separate, broad bow strokes, but not staccato (or short)

Diminuendo (dim.)

Get softer

Same as decrescendo

Forte (f)

Play loud

Literally means “strong”

Fortissimo

Play very loud

Marcato

Marked, emphatic

“Military Staccato”

Mezzo Forte (mf)

Play medium loud

Mezzo Piano (mp)

Play medium soft

Piano (p)

Soft

Pianissimo (pp)

Play very softly

Sforzando(sfz)

With sudden emphasis

Staccato

Short, separated articulation/on the string

Tenuto

Dash under or above a note indicating the note should be played long

Arco

Played with the bow

Col Legno

To be played with the wood of the bow