Music Appreciation exam 1 - terms

meter

duple/triple and single/compound

tempo

adagio - leisurely slow

andante - walking tempo

moderto - medium

allegro - fast

presto - very fast

dynamics

ff fortissimo - very loud

f forte - loud

mf mezzo forte - medium loud

mp mezzo piano - medium soft

p piano - soft

pp pianissimo - very soft

< - crescendo - gradually louder

> - descrendo - gradually softer

ostinato

repeating pattern

conjunct/disjunct

conjunct - stepwise

disjucnt - leaps

consonant

sounds that are pleasant, stable, and go well together (like notes that “fit”).

Dissonant

ounds that clash, feel tense, or unstable (like notes that “don’t fit” as smoothly).

monophony

music with only one melody line being played or sung, with no harmony or accompaniment.

pizzicato

special effects

text painting

when music matches the meaning of the words in a song

melisma

sing 1 syllable over many pitches

sacred

for/from the church

secular

outside of the church

imitation

when one voice or instrument copies the melody of another, often starting a little later

program music

music that tells a story or paints a picture without using words EX: spring

ritornello

a recurring theme in an instrumental piece

virtuoso

a techinically excellent musician

recitative

the manner of ordinary speech

aria

a beautiful melodic solo

basso continuo,

a steady, distinct bass line

da capo

borrows from a

fugue

a composition process in which a melody is imitated at different picthes, creating a musical layering effect

Picardy third

hen a song in a minor key ends on a major chord, making it sound happier at the very end

Fortspinnung

continuously exploiting simple melodies to create an entire movement

cadence

the harmonic changes at the end of a musical phrase

deceptive cadence,

a harmonic surprise 

plagal cadence

an “amen” ending