Organisation of pitch and tonality

Arpeggio An arpeggio has the notes of a chord played in succession rather than together, strictly in continuously ascending or descending order. The term 'broken chord' is sometimes used as a synonym (the notes of the chord thus broken often occurring in any order.

Cadence The chords that conclude a musical phrase. The four main times are : perfect, with chords V

I; imperfect, with I (or other non

Bass (line) The lowest part in the musical texture, which often determines or generates the harmony. A Baroque 'figured bass' has numerals underneath to indicate the chords to be 'realised' by the continuo keyboard player. A 'murky' bass has a pattern of broken octaves (as in parts of Beethoven's Pathétique sonata)

Chord The simultaneous sounding together of two or more notes. Often used to refer to the triads in major and minor keys

Conjunct Synonym for 'stepwise'

Disjunct Opposite of conjunct (or its synonym 'stepwise')

Dissonance A note that does not belong to a common chord or triad

strict rules usually govern its approach and its resolution back to a non

Chord Sequence A series of chords, usually repeated (e.g. in a 12

bar blues)

Drone Especially in non

classical genres, the extended sustaining or repeating of a note or a harmonic interval (notably a perfect 5th)

Fanfare A flourish for brass instruments (frequently with percussion) for ceremonial or celebratory effect, or simply any short passage for brass in an orchestral work

Ground Bass A repeating phrase in the bass (a type of 'ostinato'), especially in some Baroque pieces, notably by Purcell

Harmony Successions of chords (or sometimes refers to single chords)

Interval The distance between two neighbouring notes or two heard simultaneously. Most intervals are stated as ordinal numbers (2nds, 3rds, etc.) with an adjective expressing their major, minor, diminished or augmented character

Leap A melodic movement to a note further than a tone or semitone away from the previous note. Opposite of 'step'

Melody A succession of single sounds

most frequently an individual strand or part within a fuller musical texture. It is usually 'tuneful' or otherwise prominent or memorable

Melodic Device A compositional method applying to a single melodic line rather than to the complete texture (for example melodic sequence)

Monotone Use of the same pitch repeatedly in a melodic part

Ornamentation The process of elaborating or decorating musical material (particularly a melody). Includes conventional ornaments such as trills and turns

Ostinato A short musical pattern repeated throughout a section or complete piece

Pedal ( or pedal point) A note (usually in the bass, and generally either the tonic or dominant of the key) which is sustained or repeated while chords change, often resulting in dissonance

Riff Similar to ostinato, but applied to popular styles of music

Roman Numerals Used to label chords in traditional harmony according to which degree of the scale is used as the root. Thus in C major, the chord D F A (with root D) is II

Scale A succession of pitches in stepwise order usually extending for an octave (e.g. C D E F G A B C is a (major) scale)

Sequence Repetition of a melody (or an harmonic progression) but at different pitch level(s) rather than at the same pitch

Stepwise Where a melody moves by steps (by tones and/or semitones) and not by leaps (of a 3rd or more)

Theme A melody (or occasionally some other form of musical material) on which part or all of a piece is based

Tonality The relationship of notes within a scale or mode to a principal note (the tonic or final). A wider term than key but often used synonymously with it

Atonal Absence of tonality or key

Chromatic Notes progressing by semitones, especially to a tone having the same letter name, e.g. C to C sharp

Dominant (key) The key a perfect 5th higher than the tonic ('home') key of a piece (e.g. D major in a G major piece)

Key A form of tonality based on major and minor scales

Major Based on major scales, with a major 3rd between scale degrees 1 and 3.

Minor Based on minor scales, with a minor 3rd between scale degrees 1 and 3

Modal Tonality based on modes (precursors of modern scales of several types, each with a different series of tones and semitones)

Modulation Change of key

Pentatonic Based on a five

note scale (often equivalent to scale degrees 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 of a major scale, or 1, 3, 4, 5, (flat)7 of a minor scale)Relative minor/majorMajor keys and their relative minors have the same key signature (e.g. Fmajor and D minor). Minor keys and their relative majors have the same key signature (e.g. E minor and G major)

Form, Structure The overall shape of a composition (e.g. binary. ternary, rondo). 'Form' and 'structure' are largely synonymous

Binary A form with two sections (often referred to as A and B), each usually repeated. The A section usually modulates from the tonic to dominant or relative major. The B section returns to the tonic, usually via other keys

Introduction An opening passage or section which clearly prepares for (or introduces) the first main idea (e.g. in a song where the piano has an introduction before the singer begins)

Phrase A short passage of music to some extent comparable to a phrase in speaking or writing. Many phrases are two or four bars long

Rondo A form comprising several statements of a main section interspersed with contrasting episodes. The simplest xyz structure was ABACA, where A is the recurring section, and B and C are the episodes

Sonata Form A large

scale form which evolved in the Classical period. It combines elements of binary form, and ternary form (in having exposition, development and recapitulation)

Ternary A form with three sections (often referred to as A B A). The opening section is repeated (exactly or varied), section B providing pronounced contrast

Strophic A song with the same (or similar) music for each stanza of the poem being set. (A song in which some or all stanzas are set differently is 'through

composed')

Sonority The nature and quality of musical sounds

Articulation The degree to which a note is separated from the note that follows it (ranging from minimal (legato) to much greater (staccato or staccatissimo)

Timbre The particular tone colour of an instrument or voice

Texture The number of parts in a piece of music and how they relate to one another.

Accompaniment Musical background to a principal part or parts (e.g. piano accompanying a solo singer)

Continuo / Basso continuo The bass line in many Baroque orchestral, choral and chamber works. Most commonly played by low string instruments (with or without bassoons) and with a chord

playing instrument (notably harpsichord, organ or lute) to complete the harmony by realising the figured bass

Heterophony Where two or more parts play the same melodic line simultaneously, but there are small variations between them.

Homophony A widely

used type of texture consisting of a melody part and other subsidiary (accompanying) parts.

Monophony Music in which only one note is heard at a time

a single melodic line.

Polyphony In one sense any texture with two or more parts, but commonly used as a synonym for 'counterpoint' where there are two or more simultaneous and largely independent melody lines.

Two

part Music for two 'parts' (i.e. for two melodic lines, and therefore with two notes sounding simultaneously except where one or both rest). 'Three

Imitation Two or more parts share the same melodic idea (not necessarily in full, exactly or at the same pitch). Each new part enters separately, the preceding one continuing with shared or new material

Tempo The speed of the music, (which may be, for example, slow, quick, or lively).

Metre Often indicated by a time signature, concerns the pattern and number of strong and weak beats (e.g. 2/4 metre has two crotchets per bar, the first 'strong', the second 'weak').

Rhythm The relationship between sounds and the passage of time, and often concerns conventional groupings.

Beat Most music has a regular beat rather as most people have a regular pulse. Small numbers of beats are generally grouped into bars. Some beats, notably the first of a bar, are 'strong' or 'accented', others, notably the last, are 'weak' or 'unaccented'. Some rhythms come 'off the beat' i.e. syncopation

Dotted rhythm Usually applied to a pair of notes consisting of a dotted note and a shorter note (the two making up a complete beat or number of beats), or to several successive such pairs of notes

Duration In rhythmic terms, the length of a note

Shuffle A rhythm based on the shuffle dance step, characteristically featuring alternately long and short notes (within triplet groupings)

Swing A jazz style that incorporates swung rhythms

Swung rhythm Two notes of the same value (usually quavers) are played with the first lengthened and the second correspondingly shortened (as often in jazz)

Syncopation A 'strong' or stressed note occurs on a part of a bar or beat that would normally be 'weak' or unstressed

Triplets Three notes of equal value taking the time normally occupied by two notes of the same written value (or by one undotted note of the next highest value)

Dynamics The volume of musical sound(s), and also the symbols used in a score to indicate volume (e.g. fand p)

Accent Notes given special prominence by the addition of accent marks (e.g. › )

Arpeggio

An arpeggio has the notes of a chord played in succession rather than together, strictly in continuously ascending or descending order. The term 'broken chord' is sometimes used as a synonym (the notes of the chord thus broken often occurring in any order.

Cadence

The chords that conclude a musical phrase. The four main times are : perfect, with chords V

Bass (line)

The lowest part in the musical texture, which often determines or generates the harmony. A Baroque 'figured bass' has numerals underneath to indicate the chords to be 'realised' by the continuo keyboard player. A 'murky' bass has a pattern of broken octaves (as in parts of Beethoven's Pathétique sonata)

Chord

The simultaneous sounding together of two or more notes. Often used to refer to the triads in major and minor keys

Conjunct

Synonym for 'stepwise'

Disjunct

Opposite of conjunct (or its synonym 'stepwise')

Dissonance

A note that does not belong to a common chord or triad

Chord Sequence

A series of chords, usually repeated (e.g. in a 12

Drone

Especially in non

Fanfare

A flourish for brass instruments (frequently with percussion) for ceremonial or celebratory effect, or simply any short passage for brass in an orchestral work

Ground Bass

A repeating phrase in the bass (a type of 'ostinato'), especially in some Baroque pieces, notably by Purcell

Harmony

Successions of chords (or sometimes refers to single chords)

Interval

The distance between two neighbouring notes or two heard simultaneously. Most intervals are stated as ordinal numbers (2nds, 3rds, etc.) with an adjective expressing their major, minor, diminished or augmented character

Leap

A melodic movement to a note further than a tone or semitone away from the previous note. Opposite of 'step'

Melody

A succession of single sounds

Melodic Device

A compositional method applying to a single melodic line rather than to the complete texture (for example melodic sequence)

Monotone

Use of the same pitch repeatedly in a melodic part

Ornamentation

The process of elaborating or decorating musical material (particularly a melody). Includes conventional ornaments such as trills and turns

Ostinato

A short musical pattern repeated throughout a section or complete piece

Pedal ( or pedal point)

A note (usually in the bass, and generally either the tonic or dominant of the key) which is sustained or repeated while chords change, often resulting in dissonance

Riff

Similar to ostinato, but applied to popular styles of music

Roman Numerals

Used to label chords in traditional harmony according to which degree of the scale is used as the root. Thus in C major, the chord D F A (with root D) is II

Scale

A succession of pitches in stepwise order usually extending for an octave (e.g. C D E F G A B C is a (major) scale)

Sequence

Repetition of a melody (or an harmonic progression) but at different pitch level(s) rather than at the same pitch

Stepwise

Where a melody moves by steps (by tones and/or semitones) and not by leaps (of a 3rd or more)

Theme

A melody (or occasionally some other form of musical material) on which part or all of a piece is based

Tonality

The relationship of notes within a scale or mode to a principal note (the tonic or final). A wider term than key but often used synonymously with it

Atonal

Absence of tonality or key

Chromatic

Notes progressing by semitones, especially to a tone having the same letter name, e.g. C to C sharp

Dominant (key)

The key a perfect 5th higher than the tonic ('home') key of a piece (e.g. D major in a G major piece)

Key

A form of tonality based on major and minor scales