Musicians and Their Music Pre-Departure Exam

What are the basic elements of music?

sound, rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre

harmony

simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones

timbre

unique quality or "color" of the sound of voices and instruments

pitch

highness or lowness of a sound

interval

distance between two pitches, e.g., octave, second, third

dynamic

level of volume, loud or soft

forte

loud

piano

soft

frequency

rate of a sound wave's vibration

register

a particular range of pitches

tone

sound with a specific pitch, produced by a constant rate of vibration of the sound-producing medium

staff

five lines and four spaces on which music is notated

octave

interval of an eighth, as from C to C

crescendo

becoming louder

decrescendo

becoming softer

tempo

The rate of speed at which a musical piece is performed

beat

basic underlying pulse of music

program music

music used to tell a story, linked to another body

absolute music

music for music's sake

accent

strong sound

meter

organization of rhythm into patterns of strong and weak beats

duple meter

two beats per measure

triple meter

three beats per measure

quadruple meter

four beats per measure

downbeat

first beat of a measure

upbeat

last beat of a measure

texture

The manner in which melodic lines are used in music

monophony

one unaccompanied melody line

polyphony

A combination of two or more simultaneous melodic lines

homophony

melody and accompanying chordal harmony

families

brass, woodwind, strings, percussion

brass family

trumpet, trombone, french horn, tuba

woodwind family

flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone

strings family

violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp

Percussion Family

drums, triangle, cymbals, bells, xylophone

What texture was Greek music most often?

monophonic

lyre

A small Greek harp used to accompany stories

What music scale system was used by the Greeks?

the modes

Medieval Period Dates

500-1450

theme

melody that recurs in the same form or an altered form throughout a piece or section of music

chord

meaningful combination of three or more tones

dissonance

active, unsettled sound

conssonance

passive sound that seems to be at rest

round

A melody that may be performed by two or more voices entering at different times, producing meaningful harmony

modes

seven-note scales within the range of an octave

Gregorian chants

In early forms of sheet music, the words of prayer are emphasized, and music to which portions of the Catholic service are sung. The texture is monophonic, the timbre that of unaccompanied voices.

syllabic

one note per syllable

melismatic

many notes per syllable

a capella

just voices, no instruments

Renaissance Period Dates

1450-1600

secularization

indifference to religious consideration

What was the business and cultural center of the Renaissance?

Florence, Italy

Characteristics of Renaissance-era music

complex, confident, modes close to today

What texture was Renaissance music most often?

polyphonic

word painting

music describing/representing the meaning of the words

imitative polyphony

technique in which each phrase of a composition is addressed by all the voices, which enter successively in imitation of each other

Palestrina

made polyphonic, Christian music

ostinato

A persistently ("obstinately") repeated melodic or

rhythmic pattern.

canon

A polyphonic composition in which all the voices

perform the same melody, beginning at different

times.

Josquin Desprez

Imitative polyphony, pairs of voices

the Madrigal

secular music produced in Italy, polyphonic in texture and expressive in mood

Instrumental music

used dance forms and rhythms

When was the Baroque period?

1600-1750

Who were the composers of the Baroque period?

Bach, Vivaldi, Handel, Monteverdi

Florentine Camerata

A group of musicians, philosophers, and religious people who convened to guide the arts; the beginning of the opera

basso continuo

Baroque accompaniment made up of a bass part usually played by two instruments: a keyboard plus a low melodic instrument.

Recitative and aria structure

singing to tell the story and emotional reflection

castrati

men who were castrated to be able to sing at a higher register

oratorio

similar to the opera, no scenography or costumes, just a religious concert

cantata

small orchestra or organ, based on a religious story and intended for church, shorter than an oratorio

fugue

a piece of music performed by an organ and four voices with a subject-answer format

concerto

developed in the Baroque period, lead soloist backed by a full orchestra

sonata

a musical composition with one or two soloists and 3 or 4 movements of contrasting forms

concerto grosso

ensemble + small group of solos

solo concerto

ensemble + 1 solo

chamber music

small number of instruments, four movements

When was the classical period?

1750-1800

What texture was most commonly used in the classical period?

homophony

Who were the composers of the classical period?

Mozart, Couperin, Haydn, Beethoven

symphony

Four movements, very structured

string quartet

two violins and a cello

When was the Romanticism period?

1800-1900

Who were the Romantic period composers?

Beethoven, Chopin, Berlioz, Paganini, Wagner, Schubert

chromaticism

A musical style employing all or many of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale much of the time