World Music Test 1: Foundations, Elements, and Instruments Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, musical elements, forms, and instrument classifications for World Music Test 1.

Duple meter

Beats grouped in 2s

Triple meter

Beats grouped in 3s

Odd meter

Irregular groupings, not 2 or 3

Monophony

A single melody, no accompaniment

Homophony

Melody with accompaniment

Polyphony

Multiple independent melodies at once

Heterophony

Different renditions of the same melody performed simultaneously

Ethnomusicology

The study of music in relation to the society and culture that created it

Interval

Distance between two notes

Accelerando

Gradually getting faster

Pitch

High vs. low notes

Dynamics

Loudness or softness

Contour

Shape and direction of a melody

Form

Organization of the music

Decrescendo

Gradually getting softer

Tempo

Speed of the music

Ritardando

Gradually getting slower

Motive

Short melodic fragment

Timbre

Characteristic sound of an instrument or voice

Key

Tonal center

Phrase

A musical sentence

Meter

The way rhythmic beats are grouped together

Duration

Note values and note lengths

Harmony

More than one note played or sung at the same time

Modulation

Changing keys

Sonority

Combination of timbres

Ornamentation

Adding notes to or decorating a melody for color and vibrancy

Drone

One or two constant background pitches accompanying a melody (common in Scotland and India)

Instrumentation

The instruments a composer "calls for" in a piece

Binary form

AB structure

Ternary form

ABA structure

Rondo form

ABACA structure

Theme and Variations

A theme is presented, then altered/varied in later sections

Chordophones

Vibrating strings — e.g., guitar, violin

Aerophones

Vibrating air — e.g., flute, saxophone

Membranophones

Vibrating membrane/skin — e.g., drum

Idiophones

The instrument itself vibrates — e.g., xylophone, cymbals

Electrophones

Sound generated or altered electronically — e.g., synthesizer