Music appreciation test 4

glisssando

rapid slide up or down a scale

polychord

two chords heard at the same time

fourth chord

tones are a fourth apart

tone cluster

chord made up of only a half step or a whole step apart

polytonality

using two or more keys at one time

bitonality

only two keys used at once

atonality

absence of tonality or key

polyrhythm

two or more contrasting, independent rhythms at one time

ostinato

motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch throughout a section

pentatonic scale

five-tone scales heard in Javanese music

whole-tone scale

six different notes each a whole step away from the next

tone-color melody

succession of varying tone colors used as a musical idea in a composition

sprechstimme

halfway between speaking and singing

twelve-tone system

technique of pitch organization

tone row

special ordering of the 12 chromatic tones

serialism

pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and timbre are organized into a series or row and then manipulated through transformations like retrograde and inversion

chance music

some elements of composition or performance are left to chance or the performer’s discretion

quotation music

represents conscious break with serialism, as well as an attempt to improve communication between composer and listener

polystylism

use of different styles or techniques in a composition

electronic music

using tapes, synthesizers, and computers (rock, chance music, and serial compositions)

microtones

intervals smaller than half-step

prepared piano

grand piano whose sound is altered by objects such as bolts, screws, rubber bands, pieces of felt, paper, and plasitc around the keys

vibraphone

tuned metal bars and tubular metal resonators that produce vibrato

marimba

large xylophone with resonators

tango

tango rhythm, four beats per measurebutton

bandoneon

button-box, bellows-driven, free-reed musical instrument, used in tango music

impressionism

stress on tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity

neoclassicism

emotional restraint, balance, and clarity

primitivism

deliberate evocation of primitive power through repetitive rhythms, harsh dissonances, and percussive sounds

expressionism

stressed intense, subjective emotion

minimalist music

steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns

claude deubssy

french composer, 1862-1918; founder and leading exponent of musical impressionism

maurice ravel

french composer, 1875-1937; masterful orchestration and innovative piano pieces (bolero)

lili boulanger

french composer, 1893-1918; first woman to conduct major orchestras in america and europe

igor stravinsky

russian composer, 1882-1971, innovative use of rhythm, orchestration, and harmony, and for their groundbreaking impact on musical thought. (the firebird, the rite of spring)

sergei prokofiev

russian composer, 1891-1953; wrote romeo and juliet

arnold schoenberg

austrian-american composer, 1874-1951,pioneering new methods of composition, particularly atonality and the twelve-tone technique (also known as serialism)

alban berg

austrain composer, 1885-1935,his contributions to 20th-century music, particularly as a member of the Second Viennese School, and his innovative use of 12-tone technique

anton webern

austrian composer, 1883-1945, extending the twelve-tone system made famous by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg.

bela bartok

hungarian composer, 1881-1945, Often considered one of the most important composers of the 20th Century, both he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hungary's greatest composers.

dmitri shostakovich

russian composer, 1906-1975, 15 symphonies, numerous chamber works, and concerti

charles ives

american composer, 1874-1954, employing techniques like polytonality, polyrhythm, and tone clusters, often blending them with familiar folk tunes and hymns

george gershwin

american composer, 1898-1937, blending classical music with jazz and popular music styles, particularly in his compositions like "Rhapsody in Blue

william grant still

american composer, 1895-1978, Afro-American Symphony (1931)

aaron copland

american composer, 1900-1990, His "vernacular" or "populist" style, characterized by open, slowly changing harmonies, is readily accessible and widely recognized. 

alberto ginastera

argentine composer, argentintian folk heritage music

john cage

american composer, 1912-1992, his 1952 composition 4”²33”³, which is performed in the absence of deliberate sound;

edgard varese

french-american composer, 1883-1965, father of Electronic Music

george crumb

american composer, 1929-2022, Crumb's music often juxtaposes contrasting musical styles, ranging from music of the western art-music tradition, to hymns and folk music, to non-Western musics

astor piazzolla

argentine composer, 1921-1992, tango composer

philip glass

american composer, 1937-now, Glass's Metamorphosis is widely considered to be his most popular album

john adams

american composer, 1947-now, works including the opera “Nixon in China” and concert pieces such as “Shaker Loops,” “Harmonielehre,” “Road Movies,” “Chamber Symphony” and “Short Ride in a Fast Machine.

characteristics of 20th century music

tone color - more individual sound, less blended

melody and harmony - not traditional, chords and tones explored, not predictable melodies

rhythm - generate power, drive and excitement; rhythmic irregularity and unpredictability