music appreciation exam

hyperinstruments

Are instruments that, with the help of computers, respond to live musicians

Musique Concrete

A system of electronic composition in which natural sounds are taped, edited and shaped into a composition recorded on a magnetic tape is

Sampling

Is the process of manipulating bits of pre-recorded sound to form new sounds

MIDI

Is a computer language that was invented to help synthesizers and other pieces of musical equipment communicate with one another

Telharmonium

A machine that used electrical current to produce musical sounds played on a keyboard and set through telephone lines is called a

Cue

Is the specific music for a particular scene in a film or television production

Music director

Is the professional responsible for selecting, commissioning and writing the music track for a film

Empathy

The sharing of another person‘s feelings or emotion

Dubbing

Putting all the elements of sound-dialogue, sound effects, and music onto one track

Scoring

Composing music expressing for a film

Character themes

Melodies associated with a particular character that recur throughout the film

Foreshadowing

To suggest actions or events before they happen

Soundtrack

A perforated strip along the films edged containing coated representations of the sound

Spot

To determine which scenes should have music

Opera

A staged drama that is sung, most often with orchestral accompaniment

Arias

A song for a solo singer and Orchestra

Opera seria

Serious form of opera with lofty heroic themes from history and mythology

opera buffa

Another name for comic opera

Libretto

The text of an opera or musical, including dialogue and lyrics

Verismo

A style of Italian opera with realistic portrayals of everyday life

Pathos

A quality and art that arouses feelings, a pity, sympathy, tenderness, or sorrow

Recitative

A sung conversation between characters to help advance the storyline

Minimalism

A style of music that stresses the element of repetition which changes dictated by a rule or system

New romanticism

A musical style that combines tonal melody with exotic textures and timbres

Dissonance

Means discord in music suggesting a state of tension

Tonality

Refers to the quality of a system of pitches

atonal

Means without tonality or a tonal center

Impressionism

Is a French style of atmospheric music of the late 19th century

Aleatory music

Music in which composers deliberately lead parts of the composition and performance undetermined

tone row

A series of notes comprising the 12 pitches of the chromatic scale

Expressionism

The music style that objectively explored deeper feelings

Program Symphony

A pectoral or descriptive orchestral work in several movements

tutti

Refers to a section of a Concerto in which all the instruments and voices perform together

Art song

A composition for solo voice and piano

Scherzo

A vigorous and sometimes lighthearted movement and triple meter with a middle section or trio

Tone poem

A type of program is written for textual material materials, including stories or plays

Lieder

German art songs

Coda

A short concluding section of a piece of music that essentially ties together the main thematic threads

Program music

Instrumental compositions that attempt to convey a specific idea without using lyrics

Sonata

A work in several movements for one or more instruments

Rondo

A composition consisting of a recurring theme, alternating with contrasting sections

Musical style

Refers to a form of expression within a musical genre

Popular music

The name of music intended for a wide audience featuring prominent, melodies and simple chordal accompaniment

Genre

Designate a particular type of music with a distinctive form or sound

Timbre

The distinct tonal quality of an instrument or voice, which is clearly identified by the ear

Music

The term that refers to the performance practices, means, traditions, uses, and beliefs about music of a group of people, either from a specific time or place

Traditional music

The oldest and most prevalent category music

Rhythm

Term means the way the beat or pulses and a musical selection are organized and subdivided

Classical music

A style of art music that stands apart from traditional or popular music

Broadway

A dramatic stage form that combines the arts of acting and singing

Soliloquy

A dramatic speech or song delivered by one character in a play

Vaudeville

An early stage variety show that includes songs, dances, and comedy skits

Dialogue

The word for the spoken lines of a play or musical show

Repertoire

An inventory of compositions mastered and performed by a musician

Oprettas

A stage play with songs and dance, intersperse with dialogue

Motive

A short musical idea that is easily remembered and helps unify a composition

Bebop

Refers to a complex and Sophisticated type of improvised jazz

Fusion

The term for a combination of jazz and rock

Polyrhythmic

Juxtaposing two or more different rhythms

Swing

The word for the special rhythmic character that jazz musicians add to the music

Break

A measure or two where everyone stops playing except the soloist

Scat singing

Known as a form of vocal improvisation on nonsense syllables

Jazz

A musical form distinguished by its reliance on improvisation and it’s rhythmic urgency

Chromatic

Describes a musical scale consisting entirely of half steps

Dorian mode

Designates a musical scale, with a pattern of whole step, half, whole, whole, whole, half, and hole

Bridge

The term for a connective part of a composition

Word painting

Music that portrays the meaning of the words of the text

Solmization

A method of assigning a syllabic name to each tone of the scale

Terrence dynamics

Layer dynamic levels within a composition

Motet

Polyphonic choral compositions based on sacred text

Parallel organum

A compositional method in which two voice parts sing the same melody, one a perfect fourth or fifth higher than the other

Neumes

Markings over or under the text to signal pitch changes

Plainsong

Music with no strict meter or accompaniment, sung by a single voice or unison choir

Score

Refers to written notation

Continuo

An accompaniment consisting of harpsichord sounding the chords in a viola da gamba reinforcing the baseline

Renaissance

A rebirth and revival of human creativity

Mariachi

Term designated musical group with several violins, two trumpets, large bass guitar, and special, five and six string guitars

Texture

Refers to the way sounds are woven together

Virtuoso

Is used to describe a performer with a brilliant, flawless technique

Monophonic

Means in unison with everyone sounding the same pitch or octave at the same time

Interval

The distance in pitch between two tones

Scale

Refers to a sequence of tones, arranged, in rising pitches

Aesthetic

Means characterized by a heightened sensitivity to the content, form, or emotional impact of an artistic Work or event

Aural

Refers to hearing-related experiences, such as listening

Beat

Steady recurring pulse

Form

The term for the structure and design of a composition, incorporating repetition, contrast, unity, and variety

Call and response

A question and answer pattern in which a group responds to a leader

Pitch

The highness or lowness of sound determined by its frequency of vibration

Melody

An intentionally organized succession of musical tones

Clave

A basic rhythmic pattern that provides the foundation for the complex rhythms played by multiple drums

Canon

The name for a musical form where parts enter are at different times, but had the same melody throughout