style
the characteristic way an artwork is represented
vernacular musics
ordinary everyday music
EX: pop or folk
oral transmission
the preservation of music without the aid of written notation
medium
the specific group that performs the piece
symphony
four-movement orchestral work
genre
more general term that suggest something of the overall character of the work as well as its function
secular music
music for entertainment purposes
sacred music
music for religious purposes
arpeggio
broken chord
harmonics
eerie crystalline tones
very high register
produced by lightly touching the string at certain points while the bow is drawn across the string
mute
small attachment that fits over the bride of a string instrument
muffles the sound
triple / quadruple stopping
playing three or four strings together
double stopping
playing two strings at once
trill
rapid alternation between two notes
tremolo
the rapid repetition of a tone though a quick up and down movement of the bow
associated with suspense and excitement
glissando
a finger of the left hand slides along the string while the right hand draws the bow
pizzicato
plucked
staccato
short and detached
legato
smoothly connecting the notes
vibrato
a slight throbbing effect
achieved by a rapid wrist and finger movement on the string
slightly alters the pitch
double bass
lowest of the orchestral string instruments
cello
AKA: violonecello
lower range then the viola
notable for its singing quality and dark resonance
in the lower register
viola
instrument larger than the violin
has a lower range
strings are longer thicker and heavier
violin
evolved to its present form from instrument makers in Italy
1600 - 1750
string instrument
bowed and plucked
instruments that are bowed and plucked are in the sting family
membranophones
drum type instruments that are sounded from tightly stretched membranes
idiophones
produce sound from the substance itself
chordophones
produce sound from a vibrating string stretched between two points
aerophones
produce sound by using air
vibrato
a throbbing effect on an instrument
voice types
vocal ranges from highest to lowest
EX: Female: soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto
EX: Male: tenor, baritone, and bass
register
the distance from the lowest to the highest note
the range of an instrument or voice
EX: low middle or high
timbre / tone
accounts for the striking differences in the sound quality of musical instruments
word-painting
emphasizing and capturing a words meaning through music
melismatic
the opposite of syllabic
a single syllable can be held out over the course of multiple notes
syllabic
a form for words to fit to music
using one syllable per note
refrain / chorus
a recurring part of music and words
strophic form
the same music is repeated for each stanza
stanzas / strophes
phrases in which rhymes are written
vernacular
language of the people
secular
nonreligious
vocalize
wordless melodies
EX: ahh
scat-singing
jazz singing technique
using wordless syllables
nonlexical
syllables sung with no meaning
EX: na na na
modifiers
molto (very)
meno (less)
poco (a little)
non troppo (not too much)
tempo
grave (slow)
largo (broad)
adagio (quite slow)
andante (walking pass)
moderato (moderate)
allegro (fast)
vivace (lively)
presto (very fast)
volume
pianissimo (pp)
piano (p)
mezzo piano (mp)
mezzo fotre (mf)
forte (f)
fortissimo (ff)
brio (vigor)
dynamics
describe the volume and intensity of the music
tempo
rate of speed or pace of music
movement
a complete comparatively independent division of a large-scale work
used to divide long pieces like sonatas
ostinato
a short melodic rhythmic or harmonic musical pattern
repeated throughout a work or a major section of a piece
responsorial music
call and response
a form of music based on repetition
a leader who is imitated or answered by an ensemble of followers
motive
a small fragment forming a melodic-rhythmic unit within a theme
sequence
restating of a theme or idea at a higher or lower pitch level
thematic development
the expansion of a theme by varying its melody rhythm or harmony
theme
a melodic idea that is used as a building block in the construction of a larger work
ternary form
AKA: A-B-A
a 3 part musical form
a statement a departure and a return to the first section
binary form
AKA: A-B
a 2 part musical form
based on a statement and a departure
no return to the opening section
improvisation
the spontaneous creation of music
variation
a musical form in which some aspects of the music are altered but the original is still recognizable
through-composed form
A musical form in which no main section of the music or text is repeated
opposite of strophic form
strophic form
a musical form in which the same melody is repeated with each stanza of the text
EX: folk song or carol
form
the organizing principle in music
round
simplest form of a canon
each voice or part enters in succession with the same melody
canon
a strictly imitative work
Imitation
when a melody is presented in one voice or part and then repeated later in another while the first part continues with new melody
Baroque Fugue.
homorhythm
a kind of homophony
all parts move together in the same rhythm
based on harmony moving in synch with a melody
homophony
most commonly heard texture
when the melodic voice is the strongest
accompanying lines are less prominent
the accompanying lines are usually chords
similar to polyphony: rooted in harmony rather than counterpoint.
counterpoint
one musical line set against another
polyphony
when two or more melodies are combined
based on counterpoint
heterophony
when the melody is played or sung by multiple musicians at once
each musician makes small variations to the melody or rhythm
individual interpretations result in variations of the same melody
monophony
when the melody is heard without any accompaniment or harmonies
may include rhythm / percussion
texture
the interweaving of the melodic lines with harmony
transposition
taking a piece of music and putting it into a new key
putting a piece into different ranges for other instruments
modulation
creating tension by temporarily changing the key
dominant
the leader of an active chord
the fifth scale step
dominant represents active harmony
will lead and encourage reaching a point of tonic
active chords
counterparts rest chords
gives a song direction
tonic
AKA: I Chord or Rest Chord
tonic is the point of ultimate rest
three note chord or triad built on the first scale step
a point of rest
inflection
Creates microtones
slight dip or rise in pitch
“Blue note” in jazz
microtone
could sound off key
tritonic
a three note pattern
pentatonic
a five note scale
diatonic
both harmony and melody are firmly rooted in its key
minor scale
has a lowered or flattened 3rd note
Sad and darker
W,H,W,W,H,W,W
chromatic scale
all twelve half steps that make up an octave
major scale
created by a specific pattern of hole and half step notes
W,W,H,W,W,W,H
can be created in any pitch
happier and upbeat
key
when a piece is set around a central tone of a specific note
uses harmonies from the scale of a particular note
microtone
mainly featured in non-western music
smaller than half steps
heard as “bent or inflected pitches” or sliding between pitches
flat
lowering a note by a half step
sharp
raising a note by a half step
whole step
the distance between two notes
half step
in Western music an octave has 12 half steps
even semitones
they are built on different scales.
octave
the interval spanning eight notes of the scale
notes that are exactly one octave apart share the same pitch
each note is lettered A-G.
drone
long sustained harmony note
consonance
occurs when dissonance is resolved into a stable or restful tonality.
dissonance
created by an unstable or discordant combination of pitches
creates tension
tonic
the tonic is the central pitch harmonies and melodies are built around
this principle is called tonality
the name of the key
EX: Key of G = Tonic is G = Tonic is Do
scale
a sequence of pitches within a major or minor key
usually 7 different pitches in a 12 tone scale
triad
a chord where 3 different pitches of a scale are played
chord
simultaneous sounding of three or more pitches built from a scale or sequence of pitches