Flashcards AP Music Theory Unit 2 Vocab

Tessitura

the comfortable range within which most notes lie

Contour

The shape of a melody or texture. Can be represented with a drawing.

Conjunct

a melody that moves in small, connected intervals

Disjunct

melody that moves by larger intervals

Register

"height" or range of a note, set of pitches or pitch classes, melody, part, instrument, or group of instruments

motive

a leading phrase or figure that is reproduced and varied through the course of a composition or movement

Syllabic

one note per syllable

melismatic

many notes per syllable

canon or canonic

a piece of voices (or instrumental parts) that sing or play the same music starting at different times

round

singer or instrumentalist carries the same melody, but begins and ends at different points.

counterpoint

The relationship between two or more musical lines which are harmonically interdependent yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour.

Alberti bass

An accompaniment derived from broken chords. (bottom top middle top)

Walking bass

a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting to that of the upper parts

imitation

the repetition of a melody in a polyphonic texture shortly after its first appearance in a different voice.

countermelody

accompanying melody sounding against the principle melody

Solo/soli

Individual performer (solo); or small

ensemble, one performer per line (soli)

tutti

everyone plays

accompaniment

A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading part.

doubling

Two instruments performing the same part in ensemble playing

Ostinato

short melodic phrase repeated throughout a composition, sometimes slightly varied or transposed to a different pitch

Syncopation

a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat

polyrhythm/cross-rhythm

two conflicting rhythmic patterns are present simultaneously

hemiola

a shift in the rhythmic pulse from a division of 2 to a division of 3, or vice versa. i.e. 6-8 time meter into 3-4 time meter (often seen as a tied note)

Agogic accent

An accent created by duration, rather than loudness or metrical position, recieves more emphasis

anacrusis

pick up note or partial measure

fermata

hold the note longer than its value

polyphonic

two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody (not harmony)

Monophonic

single-line texture, or melody without accompaniment

homophonic

One melody predominates while the other parts play either single notes or an elaborate accompaniment

chordal homophony

the melody is carried in one voice with a chord