Music Appreciation Vocabulary

Flashcards for Music Appreciation Lecture Review

Music

Organization of sounds in time

Pitch

The highness or lowness of a sound

Interval

Distance between two tones.

Octave

Doubling/halving of frequency

Dynamics

Related to amplitude of vibration producing sound; relative loudness of a sound.

Crescendo

Gradually louder

Decrescendo/Diminuendo

Gradually softer

Tone Color (Timbre)

Quality that distinguishes tones; can be bright, dark, mellow, etc.

Listening Outline

Points out notable musical sounds.

Vocal Music Guide

Helps the listener follow the thought, story, or drama of vocal music.

Voices

Unique ability to fuse words and musical tones.

Musical Instruments

Mechanism (other than the voice) that produces musical sounds.

String Instruments

Sound produced by vibrating a tight cable.

Woodwind Instruments

Sound produced by blowing; player’s breath vibrates the air column.

Brass Instruments

Sound produced by blowing into a mouthpiece; vibration of player’s lips produces sound; pressure of player’s lips (together or against mouthpiece).

Percussion Instruments

Sound generally produced by striking, shaking, or rubbing the instrument.

Keyboard Instruments

Use piano-type keyboard for control.

Electronic Instruments

Produce or amplify sound using electronics.

Rhythm

Flow of music through time; particular arrangement of note lengths.

Beat

Recurrent pulsation.

Meter

Grouping of beats into patterns.

Syncopation

Emphasis placed on an unexpected note or beat.

Tempo

The speed of the beat, the pace of the music.

Music Notation

Written music that stores information; allows composers to communicate their ideas.

Melody

A series of single notes that add up to a recognizable whole; has a beginning, middle, and end.

Harmony

The way chords are constructed and how they follow each other.

Chord

3 or more tones sounded at once.

Consonant

Stable, restful chords.

Dissonant

Unstable, tense chords.

The Triad

Simplest, most basic chord; made up of three notes.

Key

Centering of a melody or harmony around a central note.

The Major Scale

Whole steps and half steps occurring in a predetermined order; often associated with a bright, happy sound.

The Minor Scale

Whole steps and half steps occurring in a different predetermined order; often associated with a dark, sad sound.

The Chromatic Scale

Utilizes all 12 notes within the octave; includes both black and white piano keys; this scale does not define a key.

Modulation

Change of Key

Tonic Key

The main key of a piece; return to tonic usually creats feeling of conclusion

Musical Texture

Layering of sound, how layers relate.

Monophonic Texture

Single, unaccompanied melody; literally “one sound”.

Polyphonic Texture

2 or more equally important melodies sounding simultaneously.

Homophonic Texture

One melody with chordal accompaniment.

Musical Form

Organization of musical elements in time.

Repetition

Restating musical ideas.

Contrast

Avoiding monotony with new ideas.

Variation

Reworking ideas to keep them new.

Musical Style

Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form.