MUS200: Elements and Structures of Music

Melody

A combination of pitches and rhythms forming a tune or theme that the listener perceives as a single, musical line

Phrase

A relatively complete thought that exhibits trajectory toward a goal, arriving at a sense of closure

Cadence

Stop, pause, or sense of closure or resolution

Motive

A short, distinct, recognizable fragment of melody

Theme

The topic or main idea in a longer piece of music; can be a melody, phase, motive, tone color, etc.

Harmony

The sound of two or more notes heard simultaneously

Chord

3 or more pitches played/heard simultaneously

Consonance

A combination of notes that sound stable, pleasant, and at rest to the ear

Dissonance

A combination of notes that sound tense, unstable, or clashing when played together

Beat

A regular, recurring division of time

Meter

The organization of beats into regular groupings

Measure

A complete group containing a fixed number of beats

Time signature

Indicates how many beats are in each measure and what type of beats they are

Simple meter

Meters in which the beat divides into 2 and further divides into 4

Compound meter

Meters in which the beat divides into 3 and further divides into 6

Rhythm

The particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music

Syncopation

Occurs when a note is played off the beat

Tempo

The speed of the beat; the pace of the music. Measured in BPM.

Dynamics

Degrees of loudness and softness in music

Articulations

Symbols that describe the inflection or emphasis given to a note; how specifically to play it

Diatonic scale

Set of 7 pitches dating back to Ancient Greece. First note played again as the 8th (at a higher pitch) is an octave.

Chromatic scale

Set of 12 pitches made up of 5 pitches added in between notes on the diatonic scale.

Notations added to account for the chromatic scale

Flats and sharps

Interval

The distance between 2 notes

Octave

2 pitches that form a 2:1 frequency ratio

Half-step (semitone)

The distance between any 2 notes on the chromatic scale

Whole step (whole tone)

Equivalent to 2 half-steps

Tune

A simple, singable, catchy melody

Texture

The blend of various sounds and melodic lines occurring simultaneously in a piece of music

Monophony

A single, unaccompanied melody

Heterophony

Occurs when subtly different versions of the same melody are played simultaneously

Homophony

Occurs when one melody of real interest is played alongside other sounds such as harmony or accompaniment

Polyphony

Occurs when 2 or more melodies are played/sung simultaneously and melodies are independent and of equal interest

Imitative polyphony

Occurs when various lines sounding together use the same or fairly similar melodies with one coming in shortly after the other (round)

Tonality

The pull of melodies toward a specific note (tonic pitch)

Modality

A way of centering a musical piece around a certain pitch

Key

Position for the mode, specific group of notes and chords that form the tonal “home” of a piece of music

How many different major and minor musical keys are there?

24

What differentiates major and minor keys centers around the same tonic pitch?

The arrangement of intervals

Modulation

A change in key/tonic pitch with a piece of music