Survey of Western Music Terminology (Medieval–Classical)

Vocabulary flashcards covering key musical terms and concepts from the Medieval through Classical periods, suitable for exam preparation.

Monophonic texture

Music consisting of a single melodic line with no harmony or accompaniment.

Polyphonic texture

Two or more independent melodic lines heard simultaneously; also called contrapuntal texture.

Modes

Medieval/Renaissance scale patterns distinguished by unique sequences of whole and half steps.

Neumes

Earliest Western notation symbols, indicating melodic direction and later specific pitches.

A cappella

Vocal music performed without instrumental accompaniment (Latin: “in the chapel”).

Plainchant

Monophonic, modal, unmeasured sacred chant with a narrow range.

Gregorian chant

Roman-Catholic plainchant tradition named after Pope Gregory I; sung in Latin.

Syllabic text setting

One note assigned to each syllable of text for clarity.

Neumatic text setting

Several notes sung on a single syllable of text.

Melismatic text setting

Many notes sung on one syllable; the most florid style.

Responsorial singing

Soloist (verse) alternates with choir (respond).

Mass

Central Roman-Catholic liturgical service, comprising Ordinary (fixed) and Proper (variable) prayers.

Mass Proper

Portions of the Mass whose texts change with the liturgical calendar.

Mass Ordinary

Unchanging prayers of the Mass (e.g., Kyrie, Gloria, Credo).

Gradual

Fourth section of the Mass Proper; melismatic psalm setting sung responsorially.

Organum

Medieval polyphony that adds one or more voices to a pre-existing chant (cantus firmus).

Organal style (sustained-note organum)

Lower voice holds long chant tones while upper voices move freely.

Discant style

Organum with rhythmic, note-against-note movement above the chant.

Cantus firmus

Pre-existing melody (often chant) serving as a structural foundation for polyphony.

Tenor

“Holding” voice in Medieval polyphony that carries the cantus firmus.

Rhythmic modes

Six repeating rhythmic patterns (late 12th–13th c.) that coordinated multiple voices.

Motet

13th–16th-c. vocal composition (sacred or secular) with newly added texted lines.

Polytextuality

Simultaneous use of two or more different texts in one composition.

Chanson

French secular song; monophonic in 12th–13th c., polyphonic thereafter.

Trouvère

Northern French aristocratic poet-musician (“finder”) composing courtly songs.

Strophic form

Same music repeated for each verse of text.

Haut instruments

“High” (loud) Medieval outdoor instruments such as cornetto, crumhorn, sackbut, shawm.

Sackbut

Renaissance brass instrument with slide; forerunner of the trombone.

Shawm

Double-reed woodwind, ancestor of the oboe, with piercing tone.

Bas instruments

“Low” (soft) indoor instruments (dulcimer, lute, psaltery, rebec, recorder, vielle).

Dulcimer

String instrument with struck strings over a wooden box, producing delicate sound.

Lute

Plucked, fretted instrument with rounded body; ideal vocal accompaniment.

Psaltery

Trapezoidal plucked string instrument of ancient origin.

Vielle

Bowed string instrument, ancestor of the violin, with figure-eight body.

Estampie

Early Medieval couple’s dance of stately character.

Heterophony

Simultaneous variants of the same melody by multiple performers.

Ars nova style

14th-c. French “new art” marked by rhythmic, melodic, and harmonic complexity.

Musica ficta

Performance practice of raising/lowering pitches by semitone to avoid dissonance; like modern accidentals.

Isorhythm

Ars nova device combining repeating rhythmic pattern (talea) with independent melodic pattern (color).

Hocket

“Hiccup” technique where two voices alternate rapidly to create one melody.

Renaissance

“Rebirth” period (c. 1450–1600) of renewed interest in arts and humanism.

Imitative counterpoint

Polyphony where a melodic idea is echoed successively in different voices.

Points of imitation

Series of thematic entries in imitative counterpoint.

Homorhythmic texture

All voices share the same rhythm, producing chordal effect and clear text.

Madrigal

16th-c. secular vocal genre uniting expressive music with poetry and word painting.

Word painting

Musical illustration of textual meaning (e.g., ascending line for “rise”).

Nonsense syllables

Meaningless vocal sounds (“fa-la-la”) common in English madrigals.

Chromaticism

Use of pitches outside the diatonic scale for color.

Ballett

Strophic, dance-like Italian/English song with “fa-la-la” refrains.

Variations

Form in which a theme is followed by altered restatements.

Harpsichord

Keyboard whose strings are plucked by quills; often with two manuals.

Virginal

Small English plucked keyboard; subtype of harpsichord, tabletop or lap-held.

Idiomatic writing

Composing to exploit an instrument’s unique capabilities.

Baroque

Period (c. 1600–1750) of ornate art; term from Portuguese barroco (“misshapen pearl”).

Figured bass

Baroque shorthand: numbers under bass line indicating chords for continuo realization.

Basso continuo

Baroque ensemble of bass instrument plus chordal instrument realizing figured bass.

The “Affections”

Baroque doctrine of projecting a single emotional state per movement.

Binary form

Two-part form (A || B ||) with each section usually repeated.

Rounded binary form

Binary form whose B section ends with return of opening material (Aʹ).

Ternary form

Three-part form (A B A) with contrasting middle section.

Opera

Staged drama entirely or mostly sung, combining music, theatre, scenery, and dance.

Libretto

Text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata, written by the librettist.

Monody

Early-Baroque solo song with simple accompaniment, emphasizing clear text and emotion.

Stile rappresentativo

Florentine “representational style”; speech-like melodic declamation of monody/recitative.

Concerto

Multi-movement orchestral work (fast-slow-fast) highlighting contrast; solo or grosso types in Baroque.

Castrato

Male singer castrated pre-puberty to preserve soprano/alto range; 17th–18th-c. operatic star.

Aria

Lyric, often virtuosic solo song in opera, oratorio, or cantata expressing emotion.

Ground bass

Repeated bass line over which melodic variations unfold (ostinato).

Opera seria

“Serious” Italian opera on historical or mythic subjects; sung throughout.

Da capo aria

Ternary (A B A) aria; returning A section ornamented by soloist.

Recitativo secco

Speech-like recitative with continuo only (“dry”).

Recitativo accompagnato

Orchestral-supported recitative for heightened drama.

Cantata

Multi-movement vocal work (sacred or secular) for soloists, chorus, and orchestra.

Chorale

German Protestant hymn tune, usually syllabic and stepwise, basis for many works.

Canon

Strict polyphony where voices enter successively with identical melody (round).

Fugue

Highly structured imitative composition built on a single subject entering in all voices.

Ritornello

Short recurring theme functioning as refrain in Baroque pieces.

Concerto grosso

Baroque concerto featuring a small solo group (concertino) against full orchestra (ripieno).

Concertino

Soloist group in a concerto grosso.

Ripieno

Full orchestral ensemble in Baroque concerto; a.k.a. tutti.

Ritornello form

Structure in which the ritornello alternates with contrasting episodes (often in concertos).

Suite

Baroque set of stylized dances in same key; core: allemande, courante, sarabande, gigue.

Ordre

French term for a Baroque suite.

Agréments

French ornamental embellishments in 17th–18th-c. keyboard music.

Notes inégales

French practice of rendering equal written notes unequally (long-short), like jazz swing.

Clavecin

French word for harpsichord.

Hornpipe

Lively triple-meter English dance associated with sailors.

Classicism

18th-c. artistic style valuing balance, symmetry, and proportion, inspired by ancient Greece/Rome.

Sonata cycle

Multi-movement pattern (fast-slow-dance-fast) typical of Classical sonata, symphony, concerto.

Sonata form

Three-section structure (exposition, development, recapitulation) used in first movements.

Monothematic exposition

Sonata-form exposition in which second theme is transposed version of the first.

Oratorio

Large-scale, usually sacred work for soloists, chorus, orchestra, without staging or costumes.

Double exposition

Classical concerto opening where orchestra presents themes, then soloist repeats and modulates.

Cadenza

Virtuosic solo passage in concerto or aria, often improvised, near the end of a movement.

Opera buffa

Italian comic opera with everyday characters and fast-moving plots; sung throughout.

Modified sonata form

Abbreviated sonata form lacking a development section (exposition + recapitulation only).

Terzetto

Musical number for three singers; Italian for “trio.”

Trouser role

Male character sung by female voice (mezzo/soprano), originally for castrato.

Sonata (genre)

Instrumental work for one or two instruments in several contrasting movements (Classical era).

Rondo form

Recurring main theme alternating with contrasting episodes (e.g., ABACA, ABACABA).