Music Appreciation

melody

main tune made up of pitch and rhythm

pitch

how high or low a sound is

frequency

the rate of vibration that determines pitch

countermelody

a secondary melody played with the main one

meter

organization of beats in a measure

duple meter

2 beats per measure

triple meter

3 beats per measure

quadruple meter

4 beats per measure

syncopation

accent on a weak or offbeat

harmony

combination of pitches sounding together

triad

the most common chord (1st, 3rd, and 5th notes)

octave

interval of eight notes between one pitch and the next

half-step

smallest interval between two notess

sharp

raises interval between two notes

flat

lowers a pitch by a half-step

major scale solfege

do re mi fa sol la ti do

monophony

one melodic line, no accopniment

polyphony

two or more melodic lines of equal importance

heterophony

same melody performed with slight variations

counterpoint

relationship between independent melodic lines

binary form

two-part structure

ternary form

three-part structure

strophic form

same music repeated for each verse

through-composed form

new music for each section

thematic development

expanding a musical idea throughout a work

ostinato

repeated musical pattern or phrase

dynamics

degrees of loudness or softness in music

p

piano (soft)

mp

mezzo piano (moderately soft)

mf 

mezzo forte (moderately loud) 

f

forte (loud)

timbre

tone color or unique sound quality

soprano

highest female voice

alto

lower female voice

tenor

higher male voicebas

bass

lowest male voice

aerophones

instruments producing sound by air (flute, trumpet)

chordophones

sound from vibrating strings (violin, guitar)

idiophones

sound produced by the body of the instrument itself (sylophone)

membranophones

sound produced by a stretched membrane (drums)

acappella

voices only, no instruments

nonlexical

without words 

syllabic

one note per syllable

neaumatic

new notes per syllable

melismatic

many notes on one syllable 

genre

category of music

symphony

large orchestral work in several movements

form

structure or organization of a piece

medium

the forces performing

canon

strict imitation between musical lines

ways to set words to music

syllabic or melismatic

musical periods (earliest to latest)

medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical

plainchant/Gregorian chant

monophonic sacred music in latin

liturgy

order of religious services

offices

daily church services

mass

main worship service in catholic tradition

paroper

parts of mass that change daily

ordinary

parts of mass that stay the same

tajweed

rules for reciting the quaran

leonin and perotin

early polyphonic composers, notre dame school

raimbaut de vaquerias

troubadour (composer of secular songs)

motet

sacred vocal work

madrigal

secular vocal work, often emotional or expressive

monteverdi

believed music should follow words, not harmony rules

john famer

english madrigal composer, active in dublin, london

los jilcatas

peruvian panpipes

hildegaurd: alleluia,

monophonic chant, female voices, medival