NRHS Band Midterm

Copied from the review packet.

Accidentals

sign that indicate whether a note is lowered or raised or lowered, such as a sharp, flat, or natural

Arpeggio

notes of a chord played one after another in order

Bar line

a vertical line through the staff, used to mark the music into sections, each with a set amount of beats within

Cadence

chords which provide a type of “punctuation” at the end of a musical phrase

Chord

two or more pitches sounded at the same time

Chromatic Scale

a scale consisting of 12 half steps (using all the sharps and flats)

Clef

a sign at the beginning of a staff that determines the name and pitch of notes on the staff

Coda

the finishing section or passage of a musical composition

Da Capo

abbreviated as “D.C.” – means the performer should jump back to the beginning of the piece

Dal Segno

abbreviated as “D.S.” – means the performer should jump to the “Sign” symbol in the music

Discord

a combination of harsh or unpleasant sounds

Dynamics

the term for levels of sound or volume in music

Flat

a symbol that means that particular note is lowered a half step

Fugue

a type of “round” where 2 or more voices enter one at a time, where all voices are of equal importance and is an
example of a polyphonic texture, and a theme is introduced and imitation recurs throughout

Half step

one half of a whole tone or whole step

Homophonic

a musical texture consisting of a prominent melody and a background or accompaniment - and it is the most
common texture in music

Improvisation

the creation and performance of music spontaneously

Interval

the musical distance between any two notes

Key Signature

sharps and flats shown at the beginning of each staff

Ledger Lines

short extra lines drawn above or below the staff, on which notes are written

M.M.

A musical marking which stands for “Maelzel’s Metronome” referring to the inventor of the metronome and the number it should be set to for performers to perform the piece at the intended tempo

Measure

a group of beats or division of time marked off by bar lines

Melody

a succession of tones forming a musical design, consisting of motion and rhythm

Meter

the pattern of beats in a composition, for example, 3/4 or 4/4 meter

Modulation

the change from one key center to another

Monophonic

a musical texture consisting of a single melodic line with no accompaniment

Natural

a symbol that cancels out any previous accidentals for that particular note

Octave

an interval of eight notes in the natural (diatonic) scale

Ostinato

a repeated musical motive or rhythm

Polyphonic

a musical texture consisting of multiple independent melodic voices, where all voices are of equal importance

Scale

a series of notes performed in ascending or descending order

Score

the written form of a musical composition

Sharp

a symbol that means that particular note is raised a half step

Step

the interval between two successive notes of a musical scale

Syncopation

the displacement of the natural accent in music

Tempo

the speed of a composition

Timbre

pronounced TAM-ber - is what makes a particular musical sound different from another even when they have the
same pitch and volume

Time signature

a set of numbers given at the beginning of a composition (or where the time changes in a piece) to indicate
meter

Trill

a musical ornament, consisting of the rapid sounding of two notes in quick succession

Unison

two or more instruments sounding the same note

Vibrato

a slight wavering of tone used to embellish longer sonorities

Larghissimo

very slow

Grave

slow and solemn

Lento

slowly

Largo

broadly

Larghetto

rather broadly

Adagio

slow and stately

Adagietto

rather slow

Andante

at a walking pace

Moderato

moderately

Allegretto

moderately fast

Allegro moderato

moderately quick

Allegro

fast, quickly and bright

Vivace

lively and fast

Vivacissimo

very fast and lively

Allegrissimo

very fast

Presto

very fast

Prestissimo

extremely fast

Pianissimo

Very soft

Piano

Soft

Mezzo-piano

Moderately soft

Mezzo-forte

Moderately loud

Forte

Loud

Fortissimo

Very loud

Sforzando

A forceful accent

Fortepiano

Indicates a forte followed immediately by a dynamic of piano

Crescendo

Gradually become louder

Decrescendo

Gradually become softer

Diminuendo

Gradually become softer

A neinte

to nothing - fade to silence

A tempo

resume previous tempo

Accelerando

gradually speeding up

Agitato

agitated

All marcia

the style of a march

Animato

animated

Appassionato

passionately

Brillante

brilliantly

Calmando

decreasing - becoming calmer

Cantabile

in a singing style – lyrical and flowing

Con amore

with love - tenderly

Con brio

with spirit, with vigor

Con forza

with force

Con moto

with motion

Con sordina

with a mute

Con spirito

with spirit; with feeling

Dolce

sweetly

Giocoso

playfully

Maestoso

majestic or stately

Marcato

marked with emphasis

Meno mosso

with less movement – slower

Molto

much

Morendo

dying away

Perdendosi

dying away

Pesante

heavy

Piu mosso

with more movement – faster

Poco a poco

little by little

Rallentando

rall. – gradually slowing down

Risoluto

resolutely

Ritardando

rit. – gradually slowing down

Rubato

a less strict tempo – allowing the tempo to be stretched and pushed and pulled with more freedom