MUS 113 Global Musics Exam 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary study guide flashcards for MUS 113 Global Musics Exam 1, covering listening selections, musical terms, cultural traditions, instrument classifications, and historical periods.

Pope Marcellus Mass

A Renaissance sacred Christian work for the Catholic Mass by Palestrina, characterized by smooth, flowing polyphonic vocal music.

"Spring" from The Four Seasons

A Baroque concerto by Vivaldi for solo violin and orchestra; a piece of program music that imitates nature, birds, flowing water, and storms.

Symphony No. 40

A Classical instrumental symphony by Mozart for orchestra, known for its dramatic minor-key sound, balanced melodies, and famous opening string melody.

"Moonlight" Sonata

A Classical/early Romantic piece for piano by Beethoven, featuring repeating triplet arpeggiated patterns underneath a slow, expressive melody.

Romeo and Juliet

A Romantic program music orchestral work by Tchaikovsky based on Shakespeare's play, featuring dramatic contrasts and an emotional love theme.

Clair de Lune

An Impressionist/late 19th–early 20th century piano piece by Debussy emphasizing tone color, atmosphere, and dreamy, floating sounds.

"Api'chii Daanigamowaa"

An Anishinaabe/Indigenous North American piece by the Whitefish Bay Singers connected to Powwow traditions, featuring group singing and a strong pulse for dancing.

Katajjaq

Inuit throat singing usually performed by two facing people, featuring rapid breathing, short rhythmic vocal patterns, and imitation of nature sounds.

"Eanan"

A contemporary Indigenous work by A Tribe Called Red feat. Maxida Märak, combining traditional Indigenous vocal and percussive elements with modern electronic/club music.

"Oser inventer l'avenir"

A West African/Senegalese hip-hop track by Didier Awadi using rap vocals, beats, and social/political commentary.

"Nodod…nyama (Beware, Verwoerd!)"

A South African anti-apartheid political resistance song by Miriam Makeba addressing Hendrik Verwoerd, a major architect of apartheid.

"Zombie"

A Nigerian Afrobeat piece by Fela Kuti using long repeating grooves, layered rhythms, horns, and percussion to criticize the Nigerian military.

"Mbube"

An influential South African vocal piece by Solomon Linda and the Evening Birds that introduced a style of male group singing and strong harmonies.

Mass

A sacred musical setting of the Catholic Mass.

Madrigal

A secular vocal composition especially popular during the Renaissance.

Organum

An early form of Western polyphony in which a second melodic line is added to existing chant.

Plainchant

Also called Gregorian chant; sacred medieval music usually consisting of one melodic line without a strong regular beat.

Polyphony

Multiple independent melodic lines occurring simultaneously.

Hocket

A musical technique in which a melody is divided between different voices or instruments.

Fugue

A composition in which a musical subject is introduced and then imitated by different voices.

Concerto

A composition usually featuring a solo instrument or group of soloists set against an orchestra.

Symphony

A large-scale instrumental composition usually written for orchestra.

Opera

A staged drama primarily sung with instrumental accompaniment.

Rubato

A flexible tempo in which the performer speeds up or slows down for expressive purposes.

Incomplete Repetition

A musical technique where a musical idea is repeated, but some element changes rather than being repeated exactly.

Céilí / Ceilidh

A traditional Celtic social gathering involving music, dancing, and often storytelling.

Reel

A type of Celtic dance music characterized by a strong, energetic duple feel.

Jig

A type of Celtic dance music featuring a compound triple feel (ONE-two-three TWO-two-three).

Feis / Fleadh

Irish cultural/music festivals or gatherings where people perform, compete, and celebrate traditional Irish music.

Joik

Traditional Sámi vocal music used to evoke or represent a person, animal, place, or experience directly.

Ulla Pirttijärvi

A contemporary Sámi musician and singer associated with joik and Sámi musical traditions.

Sámi

Indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and parts of Russia whose traditional music includes joik.

Afrobeat

A genre developed by Fela Kuti combining West African rhythms, jazz, funk, highlife, repeating grooves, and social commentary.

Griot

A West African musical historian and storyteller who preserves and communicates history, genealogy, stories, and cultural knowledge.

Kora

A West African string instrument traditionally associated with griots; sounds like a combination of a harp and lute.

Jaliya / Jali

Jali refers to a West African hereditary musician/storyteller; Jaliya refers to the profession and tradition itself.

Isicathamiya

A South African a cappella vocal tradition featuring male vocal groups, harmony, controlled singing, choreography, and community performance.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Famous South African male vocal ensemble known for isicathamiya, vocal harmonies, and a cappella singing.

Angélique Kidjo

Beninese singer known for blending West African traditions with international popular music.

Powwow

An Indigenous North American social and cultural gathering involving group singing, drum rhythms, dance, and community participation.

Ghost Dance

A religious movement among Indigenous peoples of North America in the late 19th century in which music and dance played central roles.

Work/Labor Songs

Songs associated with physical labor that coordinate movement, establish a working rhythm, reduce monotony, and build community.

Idiophones

Sachs-Hornbostel instrument category where the instrument itself vibrates to produce sound (e.g., bells, xylophone, cymbals, maracas).

Membranophones

Sachs-Hornbostel instrument category where a stretched membrane vibrates to produce sound (e.g., drums, snare drum, bass drum).

Chordophones

Sachs-Hornbostel instrument category where stretched strings vibrate to produce sound (e.g., guitar, violin, kora, piano).

Aerophones

Sachs-Hornbostel instrument category where a column of air vibrates to produce sound (e.g., flute, trumpet, clarinet, organ pipes).

Electrophones

Sachs-Hornbostel instrument category where sound is produced or amplified electronically (e.g., synthesizer, electronic keyboard, theremin).

Polyrhythm

An element of African music where multiple contrasting rhythms occur simultaneously.

Middle Ages (~500–1400)

Western music period defined by church music, plainchant, organum, and early polyphony.

Renaissance (~1400–1600)

Western music period defined by polyphony, smooth vocal lines, madrigals, and sacred Mass settings.

Baroque (~1600–1750)

Western music period defined by contrast, ornamentation, fugues, and concertos.

Classical (~1750–1820)

Western music period defined by balance, order, symphonies, sonatas, and clear phrases.

Romantic (~1820–1900)

Western music period defined by emotion, individuality, program music, rubato, and large orchestras.

20th/21st Century (~1900–present)

Western music period defined by experimentation, technology, global influences, and genre fusion.