History of Music and Music Theory

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering music history eras, genres, instruments, music theory, scales, chords, and structural forms.

Ancient Era

Musical era from BCE–500CE (BC–500AD) characterized by modes, pentatonic scales, and no official written records, with music in Greeks, Romans, Far East, Africa, Americas, and Native Australia.

Medieval Era

Musical era from 500–1400 where most music occurred as sacred music in churches and monasteries, producing the first written records and notation.

Renaissance Era

Musical era from 1400–1600 where vocal music was most popular, featuring court music, sacred and secular music, and small instrumental groups of less than 20.

Baroque Era

Musical era from 1600–1750 characterized by highly ornamented music (trills, mordents), repetition of rhythm and melody, and instrument groups of 24–35.

Classical Era

Musical era from 1750–1820 featuring more complicated harmonies and forms, the beginning of modern orchestras with strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion (size @35–75), and the first symphonies.

Romantic Era

Musical era from 1820–1900 featuring large ensembles and orchestras (75–1,000), music telling a story, nationalistic themes, chromaticism, dissonance, and dramatic changes in volume and style.

Modern Era

Musical era from 1900–present characterized by complicated rhythms, atonal harmonies, mixed meters, folk music, whole tone scales, jazz, rock & roll, and film music.

Sacred Music

Medieval music that primarily occurred in churches and monasteries.

Monophonic

A musical texture consisting of one melody line only.

Gneumes

Early form of musical notation used during the Medieval period.

Gregorian Chant

Medieval vocal music with Latin texts, monophonic texture, and few, if any, instruments.

Madrigals

Popular Renaissance vocal music pieces often characterized by 'fa –la'.

Polyphony

A musical texture consisting of many voices or parts competing to be heard.

Homophonic

A musical texture featuring a melody supported by accompaniment.

Oratorios

Large Baroque works for orchestra and voices without costumes, usually based on a religious theme (such as Handel's 'Messiah').

Cantatas

Large Baroque musical works written for orchestra and voice.

Fugues

Baroque compositions using subject, countersubject, and episodes where a motive 'chases' itself across right hand, left hand, middle keyboard, and foot pedals on the organ.

Figured Bass

A Baroque practice of improvisation involving reading numbers.

Classical Symphony Movement Structure

A three-movement form established by Haydn consisting of I. Fast, II. Slow, and III. Faster.

Romantic Symphony Movement Structure

A perfected and elongated four-movement form consisting of I. Fast, II. Slow, III. Dance, and IV. Faster.

Ring Cycle

An opera series by Wagner consisting of 4 operas in total that takes 16 hours to perform.

4 min 33 sec

An outside-the-box Modern musical work composed by John Cage.

Enharmonics

Notes that sound the same but are spelled differently, such as C# and Db.

White Key Half Steps

The naturally occurring half steps between white keys on the keyboard: between E and F, and between B and C.

Concert Pitch (C) Instruments

Instruments pitched in C, including the flute, oboe, bassoon, trombone, euphonium, tuba, percussion, and piano.

Bb Instruments

Transposing instruments pitched in Bb, including the Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Sax, and Trumpet.

Eb Instruments

Transposing instruments pitched in Eb, including the Alto Sax and Bari Sax.

F Instruments

Transposing instruments pitched in F, including the English Horn and French Horn.

Order of Sharps

The standard sequence of sharp key signatures: F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

Order of Flats

The standard sequence of flat key signatures: Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb.

Key Signature Rule for Sharps

To identify the key, look at the last sharp (the one furthest to the right) and go up one note.

Key Signature Rule for Flats

To identify the key, look at the flat before the last flat.

Major Triad

A chord constructed using scale degrees 1, 3, and 5.

Augmented Triad

A chord constructed using scale degrees 1, 3, and a raised 5.

Minor Triad

A chord constructed using scale degrees 1, lowered 3, and 5.

Diminished Triad

A chord constructed using scale degrees 1, lowered 3, and lowered 5.

Conjunct

A melodic line that is smooth and moves by step.

Disjunct

A melodic line characterized by skips and leaps that is not smooth.

Relative Minor

A type of minor scale that shares the same key signature as its major counterpart.

Parallel Minor

A type of minor scale that shares the same starting and ending notes as its major counterpart.

Natural Minor Scale

A form of minor scale that uses the exact same notes as the key signature.

Harmonic Minor Scale

A form of minor scale created by raising the 7th note.

Melodic Minor Scale

A form of minor scale created by raising the 6th and 7th notes while ascending, and lowering them back to natural form while descending.

Syncopation

Rhythmic emphasis placed on the upbeat as opposed to the downbeat.

Recapitulation

The re-statement of the main theme, usually following a development section.

Musical Form

How music is organized, with structures such as Overture, Sonata, AB (binary), and ABA (ternary).