Ap music theory final review

cadence

a progression of chords (usually two) giving an effect of closing a 'sentence' in music

cadential extension

prolonging or delaying cadence with additional material

contour

shape of a melodic line

countermelody

a sequence of notes, perceived as a melody, written to be played simultaneously with a more prominent lead melody. Typically a counter-melody performs a subordinate role, and is heard in a texture consisting of a melody plus accompaniment

introduction

a short preliminary passage in a large movement or work

genre

a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other types of music

concerto

a musical work is a composition usually in three parts or movements, in which (usually) one solo instrument (for instance, a piano or violin) is accompanied by an orchestra

fugue

A contrapuntal piece of music wherein a particular melody is played in a number of voices. At the beginning of the piece, each voice is introduced in turn by playing the melody, after which it consists of a mix of counter-melodies, accompaniment passages, periods of rest, and returns to the main

sonata

A musical composition for one or a few instruments, one of which is frequently a piano, in three or four movements that vary in key and tempo

symphony

An extended piece in three or more movements for symphony orchestra

jazz

A style of music, native to America, characterized by a strong but flexible rhythmic understructure with solo and ensemble improvisations on basic tunes and chord patterns and, more recently, a highly sophisticated harmonic idiom

bridge

a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section

chorus

A body of singers who perform together as a group

A-A-B-A

Thirty-two-bar form uses four sections, most often eight measures long each (4×8=32), two verses or A sections, a contrasting B section (the bridge or "middle-eight") and a return of the verse in one last A section

rhythm changes

the first four chords of the jazz progression

turnaround

a passage at the end of a section which leads to the next section. This next section is most often the repetition of the previous section or the entire piece or song

twelve-bar blues

the basis of thousands of songs, not only formally identified blues songs. The vast majority of boogie woogie compositions are 12-bar blues, as are many instrumentals

verse

that part of a song following the introduction and preceding the chorus

melodic fragment

a short subset of a longer melody

motive

a short musical idea, a salient recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition

period

two or more phrases in antecedent-consequent relationship, ends in cadence

contrasting period

period in which phrase beginnings are not similar

double period

four phrases in two pairs, cadence at end of second pair is stronger than cadence at the end of the first pair

parallel period

both phrases begin with similar material

phrase

relatively independent musical idea terminated by a cadence

antecedent

"question," first phrase in a period

consequent

"answer," terminal phrase in a period

phrase group

group of phrases seem to belong together without forming period or double period

binary-small forms

movement with two main sections

rounded binary-small forms

A-B-1/2A-almost identical to ternary

ternary-small forms

A-B-A-statement-contrast-return

stanza

two or more sections of a song having similar music and different lyrics

theme

initial or primary melody

augmentation

the lengthening or widening of rhythms, melodies, intervals or chords

diminution

the shortening of rhythms, melodies, intervals or chords

extended version

phrase extended in the up-beat, body, or cadence portions of the phrase

fragmentation

division of a musical idea into segments

internal expansion

phrase extends beyond the expected phrase length

inversion

retains the rhythm and the basic contour of the material, but flips it upside down: where the original moves up, the new contour moves down just as down changes to up

melodic inversion

to render the inversion more palatable or melodic

literal repetition

sequences are repeated, indicated by repeat sign, capo, or segno

octave displacement

taking a melodic line and moving some of the notes into a different octave

retrograde

when a melodic line is performed backwards

rhythmic transformation

multiplication, rotation, permutation (i.e. transposition, inversion, and retrograde), and combinations thereof involving rhythm

sequence

pattern that is repeated immediately in the same voice but that begins on a different pitch class

sequential repetition

transposing a longer sequence to a different scale degree; may be diatonic or intervalically exact

shortened version

abbreviated reiteration of material already presented

transposition

to write or play music in some key other than the original

variation

material is altered during repetition

strophic-vocal forms

A-A'-A''-repetition of one formal section

through-composed-vocal forms

continuous, non-sectional, non-repetitive

authentic cadence

V or vii dim. -> I

imperfect authentic cadence

all ACs that aren't PACs

perfect authentic cadence

V7 -> I (tonic in soprano)

deceptive cadence

V -> anything but I, usually vi

half cadence

ends in V

Phrygian half cadence

iv6 -> V

plagal cadence

IV -> I

diminished seventh chord

diminished triad + diminished seventh, diminished-diminished

dominant seventh chord

major triad + minor seventh, major-minor

half-diminished seventh chord

diminished triad + minor seventh

major seventh chord

major triad + major seventh, major-major

minor seventh chord

minor triad + minor seventh, minor-minor

minor-major seventh

minor triad + major seventh

major triad

root, major third, perfect fifth

augmented triad

fifth is raised 1/2 step from major

diminished triad

third and fifth are lowered by 1/2 step from major

minor triad

third is lowered 1/2 from major

cadential 6/4

precedes the dominant, often at a cadence, embellishes dominant

neighboring or pedal 6/4

third and fifth of a root position triad are embellished by upper neighbor tones, bass is stationary, usually occurs on weak beat

passing 6/4

harmonizes as bass passing tone, usually on unaccented beat and upper voices move by step

deceptive progression

V -> vi, makes you think you're going to a I

dominant

Mixolydian, fifth degree of a scale

harmonic rhythm

rate at which chords change

leading tone

Locrian, seventh degree of scale (major or harmonic or melodic minor scale); a half-step below tonic

mediant

Phrygian, third degree of a scale

modulation

shift of tonal center that takes place within a movement

rate of harmonic change

the rate at which chords change

subdominant

Lydian, fourth degree of a scale

submediant

Aeolian, sixth degree of a scale

subtonic

7-flat, seventh degree of scale if natural minor (a whole step from tonic)

supertonic

Dorian, second degree of a scale

tonic

Ionian, first degree of a scale

nonharmonic tone

tone that is not a member of that chord/key

anticipation

moves by step or leap, to pitch contained in anticipated chord but not in preceded chord, left by same tone, or leap

appoggiatura, incomplete neighbor

accented, approached by ascending leap, and left by descending step

embellishment

melodic decoration, an ornament note

escape tone, Echappee

approached by step, left by leap in opposite direction

neighboring tone, auxiliary/embellishing/neighbor/neighbor note

used to embellish a single tone, which is heard both before and after the neighbor, may be diatonic or chromatic

lower neighbor

neighbor below tone

neighbor group, cambiata, changing notes/tones, double neighbor

combination of two NCTs in succession, the first being an escape tone, the second an appoggiatura

upper neighbor

neighbor above tone

ornament

musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony), but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line

passing tone

used to fill in the space between two other tones, approached and left by step in the same direction

accented passing tone

falls on stronger position than it resolves to

unaccented passing tone

falls on weaker position than it resolves to

pedal point

a compositional device that begins as a chord tone, then becomes an an NCT as the harmonies around it change, and finally ends up as a chord tone when the harmony is one more in agreement with it

retardation

suspension with an upward resolution, left by step up

suspension

holds on to, or suspends, a chord tone after the other parts have moved on to the next chord, left by step down

rearticulated suspension

suspension that is rearticulated on the beat