Key Musical Terms

revision for Y10 Mock Exams

modulation

key change

basso continuo

a part given to an instrument (usually harpsichord or organ) that plays a bass line and chords to accompany a melody

ornamentation

extra notes which decorate the music eg. trills, grace notes

figured bass

a system of numbers which indicate the pitches to add above a starting bass note

natural brass

brass instruments without valves, eg. horn

contrapuntal

(to describe texture) lots of different, busy lines

concerto grosso

a piece for a small group of soloists and orchestra

solo concerto

a piece for a single solo instrument plus orchestra

typically has 3 movements which are medium fast - slow - fast

has main themes which are repeated and developed

has a cadenza

melodies are often 4 or 8 bars with balanced phrasing and build on scales and arpeggios, frequently using sequences

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suite

a set of dances

fantasia

a piece with an improvised feel that doesn’t follow a set structure

prelude

a short, simple piece, often acting as an introduction to another longer piece

structure

order of parts in a song

metre

time signature

texture

layers of sounds/parts

timbre

quality of a sound

tonality

key eg. major, minor etc.

tempo

speed

dynamics

volume

greek chorus

a group of actors who described and commented on the main action of a play with song, dance and recitation

pizzicato

plucking (technique for string instruments)

conarco

bowed (technique for string instruments)

polyphonic

(texture) two or more parts move independently of each other

homophonic

(texture) all parts move in a similar rhythm creating a chordal effect

ground bass

a short theme in the bass which is constantly repeated as the other parts f the music vary

tutti

main body of the orchestra

vibrato

produced by trembling the left hand rapidly whilst playing a note, producing a rich, strong sound (technique for string instruments)

double stopping

playing 2 notes simultaneously (technique for string instruments)

roll

hitting a drum so quickly the individual sounds are almost indistinguishable

spread chord

playing the notes of a chord in quick succession

glissando

slide (on piano, trombone, violin etc.)

melismatic

lots of notes per syllable of lyrics

syllabic

one note per syllable of lyrics

ostinato

a repeated pattern

imitation

instruments copying eachother

sequencing

a pattern in a melody that repeats, ascending or descending each time

simple time

pulse can be divided into 2 beats

compound time

pulse can be divided into groups of 3 beats

irregular time

each bar contains both simple and compound pulse divisions

interval

the difference between 2 notes played together or one after the other

opera

a large choral work set to music that tells a story in 3 sections

secular (non-religious) lyrics

contains aria, recitative and chorus

uses singers and orchestra

oratorio

religious opera which tells Bible stories

not acted out

contain aria, recitative and chorus

use soloists, choir and orchestra

aria

long accompanied song for solo voice

recitative

narrative and dialogue sung in the rhythm of ordinary speech, in a monotone

word painting

the features of the music reflect the meaning of the lyrics

minuet trio

a fairly fast piece in 3/4

follows ternary form

uses upbeat

string quartet

2 violins, viola and cello

sonata

a piece that uses a solo instrument and piano

binary

AB structure

ternary

ABA structure

rondo

ABAC structure

cadenza

an unaccompanied passage where the soloist plays a very technical improvisation

sonata form

Exposition

• section A in main key

• section B in dominant or relative major

Development

Recapitulation

• section A and B, both in main key

lieder

a piece for piano and voice that tells a story, poem or emotion

strophic or through-composed with short repeated motifs

song cycle

a collection of lieders

requiem

a mass for the dead, performed at a funeral service

omit parts of mass deemed to joyful and replace them with more solemn sections

sung in Latin by a full SATB choir and accompanied by an orchestra

follow a set structure

SATB

Soprano Alto Tenor Bass (voices in a choir)

Nocturne

a piece with a slow, sad melody and broken chords

etude

a technically demanding study piece

strophic

verse chorus structure

through-composed

doesn’t follow any particular structure or pattern

scat

improvised singing using nonsense syllables

call and response

one part makes a musical statement which is immediately answered by another

riff

a short repeated rhythm or melodic pattern __**or**__ to improvise

walking bass

bass lines which feature a note on every beat and create a feeling of forward motion

underscore

music underneath dialogue in a film or video game to help create an atmosphere or to convey a theme

palm muting

a technique for guitar where the right hand is placed across the strings close to the bridge to create a muted effect

flam

a drumming technique where two strokes are played in quick succession (like a grace note)

rim shot

a drum stroke in which the stick strikes the rim and the head of the drum simult

cue

a complete piece of music within a film score

diegetic

music within the story that the characters and the audience can hear

non-diegetic

any sound which does not come directly from the world of the story onscreen (music which only the audience can hear)

anempathetic

when the mood of the music directly contrasts the mood of the scene it is playing in

leitmotif

a recognisable theme that represents a character in a film

sync. (syncopated) point

moments when the music reflects the action in a scene of a film

Klezmer

traditional Jewish folk music

syncopation

when the offbeats are given a greater emphasis than the main beats

tresillo rhythm

3 3 2 rhythm (123, 123, 12)

pentatonic

a 5 note scale