music history: fundementals quiz

tempo

the speed of a song or piece of music

rhythm

length and duration of sounds and silences in music.

beat

pulse that underlines rhytm

accent

stress on a note or syllable

meter

large-scale pulse to fit all rhythms that organizes beats into groups

measure/bar

dividing music into equal segments to organize beats and rhythms

duple meter

subdivide measures of beat into factors of two

triple meter

subdivide measures of beat into factors of three

compound meter

elements of both duple and triple meters at the same time

simple meter

subdivide measures of beat into factors of two or three, without the use of dotted notes

swing rhythm

a style of jazz characterized by a syncopated rhythm and a strong, swinging beat, often played with a slight delay in the off-beats and consisting of compound meters

nonmetrical

music not bounded by regularity

syncopation

accents on places that aren’t normally accented on the meter

dynamics

the variations in loudness and softness in music, affecting the expression and mood of a piece

tone color/timbre

the quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds, determined by the harmonic content and the way it is produced

register

the range of pitches that an instrument or voice can produce, often categorized as low, middle, or high

soprano

the highest vocal range, typically sung by women, characterized by bright and agile qualities

alto

the second highest vocal range, typically sung by women, characterized by a rich and warm quality

tenor

the third highest vocal range, typically sung by men, characterized by a powerful quality

bass

the lowest vocal range, typically sung by men, characterized by deep and resonant qualities

pitch

the perceived frequency of a sound, determining how high or low it sounds

interval

the distance between two pitches, measured by the number of steps between them

range/compass

the span between the lowest and highest notes that a voice or instrument can produce

scale

a series of notes ordered by pitch, typically within an octave

octave

a musical interval encompassing eight diatonic degrees, where the higher pitch has double the frequency of the lower pitch

diatonic scale

contains 7 pitchs per octave, defined by a specific pattern of whole and half steps

half step

smallest interval of music notes

chromatic scale

contains 12 pitches in an octave, defined by intervals of only half steps

whole step

equivalent to two half steps

pentatonic scale

a musical scale with five notes per octave

mode

a set of pitches arranged in a specific order to form a scale

major mode

a musical scale that is characterized by an upbeat and joyful sound

minor mode

a scale or arrangement of notes that are characteristic of a minor key or scale

conjunct

the melodic phrase moves in a stepwise fashion; that is the subsequent notes move up or down a semitone or tone

disjunct

a type of melodic motion where notes move in large intervals, or leaps, instead of in steps

melody

a succession of pitches in rhythm

motive/motif

a short, recurring musical idea that's important to a composition

tune

a series of musical notes that form a melody or air

parallell phrase

contains two phrases which are nearly identical in every way, except the cadence

antecedent phrase

the phrase ending with the less conclusive cadence

consequent phase

the phrase ending with the more conclusive cadence

contrasting

a phrase that starts and ends differently from another phrase

harmony

two or more complementary notes played or sung at the same time

consonance

when two or more tones compliment each other to produce a sound that is pleasant to the ear

dissonance

discordant sounds or a lack of harmony in music; oftening involving clashing pitches

resolution

the move of a note or chord from dissonance to a consonance

chord

the layering of several tones played simultaneously - usually built on superposed thirds

triad

a chord with three notes that can be set as thirds because their pitches work together

major triad

the root note, a major third, and a perfect fifth

minor triad

a chord made up of three notes: a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth

diminished triad

a triad consisting of two minor thirds above the root

chord progression

a sequence of chords played one after another

tonic

the first and last note on a major or minor scale

dominant

the fifth scale degree of the diatonic scale

subdominant

the fourth tonal degree of the diatonic scale

tonality

the arrangement of pitches and or chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived relations, stabilities, attractions, and directionality

modulation

a device in music that allows a transition from one key to another

texture

the density of and interaction between a work's different voices

monophony

using only one line of music, unaccompanied by any other voices or instruments

homophony

music that has one sound or line of melody being played by multiple instruments at the same time

polyphony

the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other

imitative polyphony

a single melody is heard in more than one voice, with staggered entrances

non-imitative polyphony

if the strands show little or no resemblance to each other