GCSE Music: Area of Study 3 - Music for Stage and Screen: Defying Gravity - Keywords

Leitmotif

a recurring musical idea which is associated with a particular theme, character or place

Motif

a short melodic phrase of just a few notes

Metrical shifting

the downbeat is shifted to a different part of the bar

Bitonal

refers to music in two keys at the same time

Augmented

a triad built on two major thirds

Tremolando/tremolo

rapid playing on the same note to produce a wavering, tremulous sound

Colla voce

'with the voice', an instruction to the band to follow to vocalist's tempo

Bare fifth

chords lacking the third and therefore ambiguous in terms of major/minor tonality

Polytonal chords

chords that are built from two or more keys simultaneously

Vocalisation

wordless singing using a vowel syllable such as 'ah'