Music gcse key terms (edexcel)

Altered notes

notes in a chord that have been sharpened or flattened by a semitone, such as a flattened fifth.

Antiphonal

Music performed by two groups which are physically separated

Arpeggiated

Chord is spread, normally from bottom to top note

Answer

in a fugue, the subject repeated in response to its initial appearance, usually a fourth or fifth lower or higher than the preceding subject.

Anthemic, anthem

a song with a strong, memorable melody which has rousing or uplifting characteristics

Appoggiatura

Ornament often referred to as 'leaning in' note. It leans on the main note, commonly taking half its value and starting a semitone or tone higher

Added notes

notes that are added to a basic triad, such as a seventh or a ninth

Added sixth chord

a common chord in jazz and popular music, a triad with the sixth added above the tonic

Affection

the prevailing mood in a Baroque movement

Alberti bass

An accompaniment derived from broken chords

Articulation

the manner in which a note is performed, e.g, staccato, legato, etc

Atonal

music that lacks a tonal center; absence of key

Attack

How the note sounds when it comes in

Augmented chord

a triad built on two major thirds, such as A♭-C and C-E.

Background music, underscore, underscoring

non-diegetic music adding to the mood of the scene, reinforcing dramatic developments and aspects of character

Bar lines

the vertical lines that indicate bars

Bare fifth

chords lacking the third and therefore ambiguous in terms of major/minor tonality

Bars

the manageable chunks into which music is divided

Basso continuo

a continuous bass line that provided an underlying structure for the harmonies and was usually played by the cello, or bassoon, or double bass and harpsichord in the Baroque period

Binary form

a musical form consisting of two units (A and B) constructed to balance and complement each other

Bitonal

refers to music in two keys at the same time

Breakdown

when many of the parts drop out of the musical texture for a short period of time

Bridge passage

a linking passage often used to change the key of the music (to modulate) in preparation for the second subject.

Broken chord

when the notes of a chord are played one at a time rather than being sounded simultaneously.

Build

The gradual introduction of more instruments

Cadential

Progression of chords forming a cadence

Canon

Parts copy each other in exact intervals, often at a fifth or an octave

Cantata

An extended piece in several movements, comprising chorus, recitative, chorale and aria with an orchestral accompaniment

Capo

A clamp fastened across all the strings on a neck of a stringed instrument to raise their pitch

Chopin

Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, who wrote primarily for the solo piano

Chromatic

Ascending or descending by semitones

Circle of fifths

A chord progression moving down a fifth or up a fourth each time

Classical era

1750-1820

Clave

The rhythm closely associated with the Latin percussion instrument known as 'claves'

Coda

A section added at the end of a composition or passage as a conclusion

Codetta

a short coda

Colla voce

Instruction to the band to follow the vocalists tempo

Compound interval

distance between two notes that exceeds an octave

Compound metre

a metre in which the beat is dotted and subdivides into groups of three.

Compound time signature

when the bar feels like it needs to be split into groups of three (having a group of three 'mini' beats in a 'big' beat).

Concertino

The smaller group of soloists in a concerto grosso

Concerto grosso

A concerto for more than one soloist

Conjunct

Movement by step

Consonant

Intervals in chords that sound pleasant

Contrapuntal

when two melodies are played 'against' each other and interweave - almost the same as 'polyphonic'; written in counterpoint.

Counterpoint

The simultaneous combination of two or more melodies with independent rhythms

Countersubject

The melody played after the subject or answer has been sounded

Cover

A new version of an existing song

Crescendo

gradually louder

Cross rhythms

rhythms that cross the usual pattern of accented and unaccented beats, creating irregular accents and syncopated effects.

Cue

A section of music in film

Da capo aria

ABA Ternary form

Decay

How the note does away after being sounded

Dialoguing

instruments literally 'in dialogue', playing one after the other, swapping ideas.

Diatonic

Notes that belong to the key of the piece

Diegetic music

In film, music that is heard or performed by the characters themselves

Diminished seventh

a four-note chord made up solely of minor-third intervals.

Diminuendo

gradually quieter

Disjunct

movement by leap

Dissonant intervals

the intervals that are dissonant (clashing) are the minor and major second, the minor and major seventh and the tritone (augmented fourth or diminished fifth).

Distortion

An effect that increases the volume and sustain on electric guitar

Dominant preparation

A passage focused on the dominant chord to create expectation for a return to the tonic.

Dominant seventh

chord V with added minor seventh.

Drone

Continuously held note, usually low in pitch

Drum loop

Pre-recorded drum pattern repeated on a loop

Dynamics

Degrees of loudness or softness

Effects

Electronic devices designed to enhance or alter the basic sound quality

Enharmonic Equivalent

The equivalent sharp note as a flat and vice versa: e.g. F# is also Gb

Extended chord

a chord with at least one added note, such as the ninth.

Fanfair

A celebratory brass piece often marking the opening of an important event

Figured bass

in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note

First subject

the first theme or melody

Flanger

an effect creating a swirling or swooshing sound

Fortissimo

(ff) very loud

Forte

loud

Fugal exposition

The initial statements of the subject and answer

Fugue

A musical form comprising an exposition, middle section and final section. The music is contrapuntal

Fusion

The blending of two or more musical styles, usually from different cultures

Gavotte

A medium-paced French dance in 4/4 time beginning on the third beat of the bar. It was popular in the 18th century.

Glam/hair metal

A genre of rock known for over the top, glamorous dress sense.

Gospel

A musical style with roots in the black oral tradition in which vocal harmonies play a prominent role.

Groove

Rhythmic feel

Harmonic rhythm

Rate at which chords change

Harmonic sequence

when a chord sequence is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch.

Heterophonic

Two or more instruments playing the same melody at the same time, with each embellishing it in a slightly different way.

Hi-hat

a pair of cymbals mounted on a special stand so that they can be sounded by pressing a pedal that clamps them together as well as by striking.

Homophonic

Melody with accompaniment

Imperfect cadence

Cadence ending of chord V

Independent parts

The instruments or voices are each doing different things. Note that a part that is simply harmonising another (e.g. in thirds) throughout the piece is not considered independent.

Interrupted cadence

V-VI

Interval

The distance between two notes

Inversions

major or minor triads with either the third (first inversion) or the fifth (second inversion) in the bass.

Jukebox musical

when the score for a musical is made up of existing songs, usually all by the same artist or with a strong thematic link.

Key signature

a series of sharp or flat signs placed next to the clef sign on every stave, which tells us the key of the music in the following bars.

Kick drum

the biggest drum in a drum kit, set sideways-on to the audience and drummer. It is played by pressing a pedal which moves a beater to strike the drum skin.

Lament

A song with a sorrowful mood

Ledger lines

lines that extend the stave

Legato

smooth

Leitmotif

A recurring musical idea that is associated with a particular theme character or place

Loop

A short repeated passage, often involving electronic drums.