Music Humanities Midterm

pitch

a number of vibrations a sound produces in a given period

phrase

part of the melody

key

group of pitches that form the musical composition in Western music

interval

distance between two pitches (notes)

major triad

chord made up of the root note, major third, and fifth intervals

minor triad

chord made up of the root note, minor third, and fifth intervals

half step

smallest interval

whole step

two half steps

meter

grouping of beats

tempo

number of beats per minute

motif

small melodic unit that is repeated, melodic theme

fast tempos

allegro, presto

slow tempo

andante, largo,

accelerando

getting faster

rallentendo

getting slower

ritardando

yellow light, before slowing down

arco

arched bow in strings instruments

pizzicato

plucked bow in strings instruments

basso continuo

bass notes under the melody that gives a sense of required harmony, player of the instrument build chords on top of this

pedal point

sustained note under the melody

motet

sacred choral music with a religious theme, uses imitative polyphony, in latin

no set number of parts

madrigal

a musical style like motet, non-religious theme, usually in vernacular language

has word painting

ritornello

passage that comes back (returns), usually performed by strings instruments

features in recitative, for example

oratorio

concert music, like an opera but unstaged, biblical

fugue

musical style composed of an exposition (with all four voices/instruments introducing the subject and playing usually 2 counter-subjects) and an episode (experimentation period)

imitative polyphonic composition based on a single subject (statement of a single line of melody), introduced by 4 voices

subject

compact musical line

counter-point

art of creating simultaneous melodies

picardy third

playing a major chord at the end of an otherwise minor piece

bel canto

singing style, smooth tone regardless of low or high, want to seem like its easy

associated with Italian style

word painting

composing music that reflects the literal meaning of a song's lyrics or story elements in program music

sonata form

exposition (A, transition, B, closing) x2 + development + recapitulation (ends with a coda)

symphony

usually played in four movements:

• 1st: sonata form, fast and furious
• 2nd: duller, slow in contrast
• 3rd: minute + trio or scherzo
• 4th: fast, return to the original (sometimes also in sonata form)

lied

German art form, music + lyrics are intrinsically connected (like word painting and mimesis)

often based in a poem

generally for a solo voice

concerto

solo instrument playing in front of the orchestra (orchestra also plays)

usually higher instruments perform the concerto

typically also divided into 3 movements, including a cadenza

for a virtuoso performer

cadenza

improvisation in concerto by the virtuoso, usually in the middle

can also have cadenza improvization in operas

virtuoso

individual performer with lots of technical talent, more emphasized on the performer than the composer/arranger

waltz

usually a dance-able melody written in triple meter

dynamic

loudness of the notes (forte - mezzo forte - mezzo piano - piano)

plainchant

biblical songs in Latin, usually monophonic and non-metrical

unaccompanied choir or a soloist

lacks harmony

melisma

one syllable is sung along lots of notes

sustained note organum

drone under music with someone singing over it (polyphonic music)

discant

polyphonic, parallel motion for plural voices

polyphonic texture

simultaneous combination of two or more tones or melodic lines

sustained, imitative, or discant (three types)

monophonic

one melodic line

homophonic

multiple voices harmonically moving together at the same pace

motif

musical theme, can have numerous in a piece

arrangement

melody is the same, different harmonies, dynamics, speeds, etc.

opera

sung theatre, typically includes an orchestra, a chorus, solo singers

includes arias and recitatives

recitative

style of singing with instrumental accompaniment that imitates the natural inflection of speech

can be dry or accompanied

aria

dramatic song in an opera, solo voice, homophonic, reflective moments of the characters (more sustained, melodic and virtuoso sections)

imitative polyphony

combination of melodic lines where the theme is passed through different voices