Music national 5

Concepts

Allegro

fast

Adagio

slow

Andante

walking pace

Strophic

all verses are sung to the same music

Homophonic

Melody with accompaniments

polyphonic

many melodies together

grace note

an extra note added as an embellishment and not essential to the harmony or melody.

ornament

Musical decoration

aria

operatic solo

soprano

highest female voice

mezzo-soprano

middle female voice

Alto

low female voice

tenor

Highest male voice

baritone

Middle male voice

bass

low male voice

Concerto

a composition for orchestra and a soloist

Trill

A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes

glissando

rapid slide up or down a scale

symphony

a long piece of music to be played by an orchestra

con sordino

muted

Flutter tonguing

Rolling your 'r's whilst playing a brass or woodwind instrument.

Brass Family

trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba

Woodwind Family

flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon

Percussion Family

drums, triangle, cymbals, bells, xylophone

String Family

violin, viola, cello, double bass

Forte (f)

loud

mezzo forte (mf)

moderately loud

Fortissimo (ff)

very loud

Piano (p)

quiet

mezzo piano (mp)

moderately soft

baroque period

1600-1750

basso continuo

harpsichord improvises chords underneath

canon

parts enter at different times but have the same melody

Recitative

vocal line that imitates the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech

chorus

group who sing the same thing all together

melismatic

more than one note per syllable

syllabic

one note per syllable

mordent

ornament in which the written note is played, followed by the note above and the written note again

classical period

1750-1820

modulation

Change of key

binary form

AB

ternary form

ABA

rondo form

ABACA

cadenza

elaborate solo

coda

final part of a composition

alberti bass

broken chord pattern played repeatedly

major

happy

minor

sad

atonal

no key

arco

with the bow

accelerando

gradually faster

rallentando

gradually slower

simple time

2/4, 3/4, 4/4

compound time

6/8, 9/8, 12/8

tempo

speed of music

rhythm

repeated pattern of movement or sound

tonality

major/ minor/ atonal

dynamics

volume

descant

high melody above the main melody

ground bass

a repeating melody, usually in the bass, throughout a vocal or instrumental composition

anacrusis

when the music starts before the first beat in the bar

Cross rhythm

Two conflicting rhythms used at the same time.

mouth music

scots music where instruments are imitated with voice

broken chord

Notes of a chord played separately

middle 8

a change in the middle of the music to add variety before going back to the main melody

waltz

slow, 3/4

march

2 or 4 beats in the bar, snare drum, pipes

reel

fast dance, simple time, 4/4

jig

compound time

strathspey

4/4, includes dotted rhythms

scotch snap

dotted note

celtic rock

Celtic folk music and rock together.

scots ballad

Scottish song which tells a story

Waulking song

call and response, sung in gaelic by women

szfortzando (SFZ)

suddenly loud

Melismatic

many notes per syllable

Syllabic

one note per syllable

Minuet and Trio

Dance with 3 beats in a bar

vamp

oom cha accompaniment. bass note then chord

cadence

last two chords in a phrase

pedal

low note held throughout the piece

inverted pedal

high note held throughout the piece

mezzo soprano

middle female voice

moderato

moderate tempo

andante

walking pace

adagio

slow

allegro

fast

rubato

flexible tempo to suit the mood of the music

pp

pianissimo (very quiet)

p

piano (quiet)

mp

mezzo piano

mf

mezzo forte

f

forte

ff

fortissimo

cresc.

crescendo

crescendo

gradually louder

dim.

diminuendo

diminuendo

gradually softer

bothy ballad

tells a story, sang by men doing farm work

gaelic psalm

church, north of scotland, priest starts by singing what sounds like Yer Maw