HMU126 Final Exam Study Guide

A collection of vocabulary flashcards derived from the study guide, focusing on essential terms and concepts in music history and theory.

Sonata Form

A musical structure consisting of three main sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation.

Galant Style

An 18th-century musical style characterized by elegance, simplicity, and clarity.

Opera Buffa

A comic opera, particularly prominent in the 18th century, usually featuring everyday characters.

Opera Seria

A serious opera genre that was popular in the 18th century, commonly characterized by noble or heroic themes.

Da Capo Aria

A musical form used in operas, characterized by an ABA structure, where the first section is repeated after a contrasting section.

Leitmotif

A recurring musical theme associated with a particular character, place, or emotion, commonly used in operatic and film music.

Impressionism

A late 19th-century movement in music characterized by mood and atmosphere, often using unusual scales and chords.

Expressionism

A musical style that emphasizes the expression of emotional experience, often using dissonance and unconventional techniques.

Twelve-Tone Method

A compositional technique devised by Arnold Schoenberg that uses all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale in a particular sequence.

Minimalism

A style of music that emphasizes simplicity and repetition, often with gradual changes over time.

Sprechstimme

A vocal style that combines speaking and singing, often used in 20th-century music.

Chance composition

A method of composing music where elements of the music are left to chance, allowing for spontaneous creativity.

Musique Concrete

A type of music that uses recorded sounds from the environment as compositional elements.

Prepared piano

A technique of inserting objects between the strings of a piano to create unique sounds.

Ballet Russes

A renowned ballet company known for its innovative and avant-garde productions in the early 20th century.

Twelve-bar blues form

A musical structure that is commonly used in blues music, typically consisting of 12 measures in a repeating pattern.