Music appreciation TTU

Music

organization of sound over time

Rest

the musical term for silence

Rhythm

repeated patterns created in music over time

Beat

regularly recurring pulse in music

Meter

the organization of beats, and also rhythm, into regularly recurring patterns

Duple meter

involves beats grouped by two with a strong beat plus a weak beat (Sw)

triple meter

has beats grouped by three with a strong beat followed by two weak beats (Sww)

quadruple meter

consists of beats grouped by four with a strong beat followed by a weak beat and another strong beat followed by a weak beat. The second strong beat is not quite as strong as the first one (Swsw).

tempo

the speed of a beat in a piece of music

metronome

an electronic or mechanical means for generating a regular beat at any tempo desired

Accelerando

gradual speeding up of the tempo

Ritardando

gradual slowing of the tempo

presto

very fast tempo

vivace

lively or brisk tempo

Allegro

a fast tempo

Moderato

moderate tempo

Andante

a moderate, walking speed

Adagio

a slow and stately tempo

Largo

very slow or solemn tempo

Measures

duration of the sounds within a rhythm

Accent

results when a note is played with extra emphasis or energy and caused by playing the accented note louder, higher, or longer than the surrounding notes

Syncopation

special type of accent which deliberately confuses the meter

Pitch

refers to the relative highness or lowness of a sound and is the result of the number of vibrations per second made by the sounding instrument or voice

Staff

5 lines and 4 spaces

Clef

the key, or guide to knowing what pitches the lines and spaces represent

Bass Clef

lower pitches

Treble clef

higher pitches

Grand Staff

the two clefs combined are what piano players read

Interval

the aural and visual distances between two pitches

Octave

the interval between two pitches that have frequencies in a 2:1 ratio

Half step

smallest interval possible between two pitches

Whole step

equal to two half steps

Leap

any interval larger than a whole step

Flat

lowered by one half step

Sharp

raised by one half step

Scale

sequence of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order

Tonic pitch

primary pitch of key or scale

key

musical composition

melody

organized succession of pitches that seem to belong together

Range

interval distance between the lowest pitch and the highest pitch of the melody

Theme

a melody that serves as a basis for a composition or a section of a composition

Motive

a short musical idea

Contour

visual and auditory shape of the melodic line

Phase

an incomplete melodic idea

Harmony

result of pitches or notes heard simultaneously

Consanance

the harmonious or pleasant combination of two or more notes

Dissonance

results from the combination of two or more notes that sound harsh, bitter, unstable, and in need of resolution or movement toward a more consonant sound

Chord

a group of three or more pitches either sounded together or in a close succession and perceived as if sounded together

Tonic Chord

is the cord based on the tonic pitch of a scale or key

Chord progression

is the movement from one chord to another

Cadence

is a short series of chords that provide a musical point of rest

Texture

refers to how may layers or lines of sound are heard, what kinds of layers they are, and how they are related to each other

Homophonic texture

is music with one clearly dominant melody line accompanied by subordinate music that supports the melody

Monophonic texture

a single melodic line without any accompaniment

Polyphonic texture

music with two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest and importance that occur at the same time and move with their own distinct rhythms and contours

Accompaniment

the subordinate music that supports a melodic line

Binary form

is a two-part form made of two contrasting sections. Both the first and second parts are often repeated. Examples: AB, AABB, AAB, ABB

ternary form

(ABA) is consists of three major sections. It features an opening section (A), a contrasting middle section (B), and then a repeat of the opening section (A).

Rondo form

is based on the repeated return of the same theme or section in the tonic key that alternates with contrasting themes or sections. Examples: ABACA, ABACABA, ABACABA

Strophic form

is a vocal form in which each verse of lyrics is sung to the same melody.

Theme and variations form

involves presenting a theme and then following it with a series of variations of that same theme based on slightly altering the melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, accompaniment, dynamics, style, tonality, or texture of the original theme.

dynamics

refers to the loudness and softness of the music

crescendo

is a dynamic change that indicates gradually growing louder

decrescendo

is a dynamic change that indicates gradually growing softer.

Style

the features that characterize musical works or performances and make them unique

Timbre

refers to tone color or tone quality. It is the character of a sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another. Timbre can be influenced by the size, shape, and proportions of the instrument. It is also affected by what the instrument is made of and in what way the sound vibrations are caused.

Idiomatic

writing means composing a work that exploits the particular capabilities of the instrument(s) or voice(s) for which the piece was created.

Orchestration

is the art of utilizing instruments or voices and the sounds they can produce in various combinations while composing

Transcription

involves reworking or adapting a musical composition written for a particular instrument, voice, or group so that it may be played by another instrument, voice, or group

Ornamentation

to create a rich set of tone colors in a compostition

Pizzicato

is an indication that the player is to pluck the strings with the fingers instead of using the bow

Vibrato

is a small pitch fluctuation or pulsation caused by rocking the left hand back and forth on the fingerboard while still pressing a string down

Plectrum

a small piece of quill, wood, ivory, metal, plastic, or other material that is used to pluck the strings of an instrument

Valves

open up different lengths of tubing, allowing the player access to all the possible notes within the range of each instrument

Mute

inserted in or held against the bell to alter the timbre of their instruments

Pedalboard

keyboard of the pipe organ that is played with the feet

Sampling

digitally recording an external sound that can then be manipulated by a synthesizer

Conductor

usually required for larger musical groups, the conductor stands in front to direct the ensemble, usually on a podium, and often holding a baton to emphasize the beat and meter

Concertmaster

the principal first violinist of an orchestra

Composer

the person who crafts music by coming up with an idea and writing it down

Movement

a self-contained section of a larger work, typically separated from adjacent movements by a pause and differing in various musical elements