Music Appreciation Test 4 Study Guide

This collection of flashcards focuses on key terms and concepts in music appreciation, covering various genres, movements, and influential figures.

Atonal

Music with no key center; avoids traditional tonality.

Expressionism

Intense, emotional, often dissonant music expressing inner psychological states.

Impressionism

Focuses on mood, color, and atmosphere; uses exotic scales and subtle harmonies.

Musique concrète

Music created using recorded natural sounds manipulated electronically.

Neoclassicism

20th-century return to classical forms, clarity, and balance.

Polytonality

The use of two or more keys at the same time.

Primitivism

Emphasis on rhythm, energy, and ancient/tribal themes; often very percussive.

Serialism

A system that organizes musical elements (pitch, rhythm, dynamics) into ordered series.

12-tone technique

Schoenberg’s method of organizing all 12 pitches into a tone row to avoid tonality.

Ballads

Narrative songs that tell a story.

Bebop

Fast, virtuosic jazz style featuring complex harmonies and improvisation.

Big Band

Large jazz ensemble style from the Swing Era; arranged music for brass, reeds, rhythm section.

Bluegrass

Acoustic folk style featuring banjo, fiddle, guitar, and high vocal harmonies.

Blues

African American musical style with a 12-bar pattern expressing sorrow or resilience.

Children’s Song

Simple melodies intended for teaching or entertainment of children.

Contemporary Country

Modern form of country influenced by pop, rock, and traditional country traits.

Folk Music

Traditional music passed orally, reflecting cultural or community stories.

Hillbilly Music

Early term for rural Southern folk/country music.

Honky Tonk Music

Country style with strong rhythm and lyrics about everyday hardships.

Improvisation

Music created spontaneously during performance.

New Orleans Jazz

Early jazz style featuring collective improvisation and strong brass influence.

Protest Song

Music intended to promote social or political change.

Ragtime

Piano style with syncopated (“ragged”) rhythms; precursor to jazz.

Rap

Spoken rhythmic lyrics over beats; a cornerstone of hip-hop.

Rhythm and Blues (R&B)

African American popular music combining jazz, blues, gospel, and strong rhythm.

Rock and Roll

1950s style combining R&B, country, and blues; strong backbeat.

Scratching

DJ technique moving a vinyl record back and forth to produce rhythmic sounds.

Swing

Jazz style with strong rhythmic “groove,” popular in the 1930s-40s.

Syncopation

Emphasis on off-beats or unexpected rhythmic accents.

Work songs

Songs sung by laborers to coordinate movement and pass time.

Claude Debussy

French Impressionist composer; known for tone color and atmospheric sound.

Arnold Schoenberg

Developed atonality and the 12-tone system; leader in Expressionism.

Philip Glass

Prominent minimalist composer; known for repetitive patterns and gradual change.

Aaron Copland

American composer known for open, “American” sound (e.g., Appalachian Spring).

Louis Armstrong

Trumpeter and vocalist; major figure in early jazz and improvisation.

Duke Ellington

Composer, pianist, and bandleader; elevated jazz through sophisticated arrangements.

Elvis Presley

“King of Rock and Roll”; fused country, blues, and R&B.

Bob Dylan

Influential singer-songwriter; key figure in folk and protest music.