Civ Arts Exam 2 - Terms

Bronze/Gilt Bronze

A yellowish-brown alloy of copper with up to one-third tin; gilt bronze has a thin film of gold applied over the bronze to suggest the appearance of solid gold

Chiaroscuro

he use of light and shadow in painting, making it more realistic or dramatic

Contrapposto

in statues of the human form, a particular stance in which the body weight appears unevenly distributed, with one leg straight and the other leg slightly bent at the knee

perspective

a feature of painting and drawing that gives the picture 3D depth

pyramid configuration

figures within the outline of an imaginary triangle or pyramid on the picture plane

quatrefoil

an art shape that seems to outline or contain four leaves

Renaissance art

A period of European history of the arts covering much of the 14th-16th centuries, which embraced an new awareness of nature, a revival of classical learning, and a more individualistic view of man

Rilievo schiachiatto

a type of very low relief that is described as "painting with a chisel"

sfumato

a type of painting using thing glazes to create a sort of smoky effect

stucco relief

an aggregate of crushed stone, similar to plaster, that is applied over another rigid surface; when wet it could be molded or shaped into decorative figures

veneer

a layer of finish quality stone (or other materials) applied over a less attractive and generally less expensive structural material

polyphony

describes a section or piece of music with more than one independent melodic voice or line

monophony

a type of music that has only one part (voice) performed by one or more persons

homophony

a section or piece of music in which the lines or voices move in the same rhythm simultaneously

imitative entry

in polyphonic music, the use of a particular melodic phrase in the various lines at different times; the same melodic material beginning in each voice in succession

paired voices

in polyphony of more than two voices (lines), the use of two of the lines together as a single unit

chordal

the vertical structure of music creating chords (identifiable sonic structures), as opposed to the linear structure of music creating melodies

harmony

the chordal part of music

melismatic

vocal music that has many notes to one syllable of text

melody

the linear structure of music found in an individual part; the tune

overtones

higher tones that are part of a lower pitch, sometimes called partials

syllabic

vocal music in which each syllable of text has one note of music

tablature

a type of musical notation for instrumental music that shows the placement of the fingers on the instrument; a present-day system may be seen in guitar charts

timbre

the tonal quality of different types of instruments

tuning

the adoption of specific pitch (frequency of sounds waves) such as 440Hz

concerto grosso

a work from Baroque orchestra in which the main body of the orchestra plays a recurring theme and soloists play an intervening unrepeated section; the form includes alternation between full orchestra and soloist, and also alternation of the main theme with new material

consort

a group of musical instruments that are basically the same but are of different sizes

episode

1. in a fugue, a section of the music in which the fugue subject is absent

2. the part of concerto grosso form in which the ritornello is absent

equal temperament

a tempered system of pitches based on mathematically equidistance of pitch

fugue

a type of polyphonic composition or compositional technique based on a principal theme and melodic lines that imitate the principal theme

harpischord

a forerunner of the modern piano in which the strings were plucked by a mechanism connected to the keyboard; with the exception of the keyboard feature, it is more akin to a lute than to an organ

organ

a wind/keyboard instrument made up of many metal pipes that are supplied with air from a bellows; the type existed before the baroque, but in the baroque, the organ became a large build-in instrument and often a focus in the interior design of churches as well as a staple in church music

ritornello

the repeated, recurring theme of a Baroque concerto functioning in a way similar to a refrain

tutti

the terms means "all" and is used to designate the sections of the concerto grosso that include all of the instruments

solo

music that has only one person playing or singing the melody; can also be used to indicate that only one person is playing on each part, as in the Vivaldi Concerto grosso

standardized tuning

the adoption of specific pitch (frequency of sound waves) such as A=440Hz

Baldacchino

the pillared area around the altar in a large cathedral or bascillica

Baroque

the name applied to the stye period following the Renaissance. The word was originally used to describe an irregularly shaped pearl. The Baroque style period uses any curved lines and shapes

Canopy

the ceiling/covering over a baldocchino

Chiaroscuro

the use of contrasting light and shadow in painting

Colonnade

a long row of columns

Fleur-de-lis

a stylized lily or iris from European heraldry that is a symbol of France

French Baroque

the high Baroque style of France in the 17^th century that evidenced opulence and grandeur along with some classical restraint

Gesamtkunstwerke

a German term meaning “total art work” and used to refer to works that include several types of art within one work

Grotto

a small, picturesque cave (generally man-made) often used a tomb

Obelisk

a tall, slender, four-sided monument that tapers at the top. Earliest examples are from Egypt.

Piazza

an open square, especially in Italy

Pilaster

a rectangular column, especially one projecting from a wall

Rouge de Rance

a red limestone from the region of Rance, popularized by King Louis XIV

Solomonic column

a helical column with a spiraling or twisted appearance, named after columns of King Solomon’s temple

Stucco relief

relief made of stucco applications rather than carved into stone.

Sun god

the name Louis XIV gave himself; it included representing himself with images of the sun

Theater box

a small, separated area of seating in a theater for a group of people to watch the performance privately