Studied by 4 peoplemodulation
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
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
Note 
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