melody

conjunct

moves by step

disjunct

moves by leap

diatonic

uses notes within a major or minor scale

chromatic

uses notes outside the specified scale

motif

a short musical idea

ostinato

a short musical pattern that repeats for a whole composition or a portion of it

retrograde

reverse of a previously stated musical line’s rhythm and contour

inversion

reverse of a previously stated musical line’s contour

tessitura

the pitch range that occurs the most in a piece

syllabic

one note for each syllable

melismatic

multiple notes for one syllable

pitch

the highness or lowness of a sound

antiphony

a musical “question” is “answered” by a different instrument

countermelody

a melody played at the same time as a more important lead melody

imitation

repeating a musical idea in a different instrument

sequence

restatement of a musical idea at a different pitch

improvisation

spontaneous music creation

phrase

a musical thought