Fontanilla Reviewer - Music Content Update

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering music theory, elements, world music instruments, ensembles, and Western music history as detailed in the Fontanilla reviewer transcript.

Music

An art of organized sounds which expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, form, harmony and timbre-dynamics.

Pitch

The highness or lowness (or height or depth) of a musical sound.

Intensity

The quality concerned with the strength or weakness (or loudness or softness) of sound.

Duration

The length of time between the beginning (attack) and the end (decay) of a sound.

Timbre

The distinctive quality or tone color of each instrument/voice which makes one sound different from another even when producing the same pitch.

Beat

A regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time.

Meter

The organization of beats into regular groups.

Simple Meter

A division of time where the fundamental pulses subdivide into groups of two, four, etc.

Compound Meter

A division in which the fundamental pulses subdivide into groups of three, six, twelve, etc.

Time Signature

Consists of two numbers; the upper indicates the number of beats per measure and the lower indicates what kind of note receives one beat.

Syncopation

A musical process that involves adding an unexpected element to the basic beat; a dislocation of the strong accents within a measure.

Andante

Moderately slow.

Allegro

Fast.

Vivace

Lively.

Accelerando

Gradually becoming faster.

Fortissimo (ff)

Very loud.

Pianissimo (pp)

Very soft.

Crescendo

Gradually becoming louder.

Monophonic

A single unaccompanied melodic line.

Polyphonic

Consists of two or more melodic lines.

Homophonic

One main melody accompanied by chords.

Chamber Music Groups

Music intended for an intimate setting involving between one and approximately eight players, each playing an independent part.

Preparatory Beat

A beat that prepares singers to attack and allows them to breathe at the same time.

Attack Beat

The start of the phrase.

Release Beat

The end of the phrase or section which signals the cessation of sound.

Shomyo

Japanese Buddhist chanting based on sacred texts and hymns; sung acapella and monophonic.

Gagaku

The oldest traditional court music in Japan, including songs, dances, and a mixture of Asian music.

Noh

Japan's first theater form involving music, dance, poetry, design, and costumes.

Kabuki

An all-male theater combining melodrama and colorful dancing; literally means 'to act in an unusual manner'.

Koto

A famous Japanese zither with 13 silk strings laid horizontally on the floor.

LU

The twelve tone (12) pitch scale in Chinese music.

TIAO

The 60 pentatonic and eighty-four (84) heptatonic modes in Chinese music.

Peking Opera

A national art form of China combining singing, speech, mime, dancing, theater, and acrobatics; characterized by simplicity, symbolism, and synchronization.

Veda

Religious chants composed by a tribe of nomadic shepherds that mark the beginning of the study of Indian music.

Tala

The metrical cycles of beats in Indian music.

Laya

The tempo in Indian music, varying from fast (druta) to medium (maghya) or slow (vilmabita).

Shruti

The smallest interval tone in Indian music (microtones).

Wayang Kulit

Indonesian shadow puppetry using puppets made of animal skin painted with colorful designs.

Gamelan

An Indonesian musical ensemble consisting of metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs, and bamboo flutes.

Sog-ak

Korean folk music of the common people that portrays ordinary life.

Chong-ak

Korean Court music of the nobility; elegant, refined, delicate, and formal.

Pansori

Korean song for the stage and drama.

Habanera

A stately Latin American rhythm from Cuba, named after the capital city Havana.

Nicanor Abelardo

The Father of Kundiman and composer of 'Nasaan Ka Irog'.

Julian Felipe

The composer of the Philippine National Anthem.

Gregorian chant

Sacred Latin texts set to melody, sung without accompaniment in a monophonic texture.

Motet

A polyphonic choral work set to a sacred Latin text other than the ordinary of the mass.

Madrigal

A Renaissance piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love.

Fugue

A Baroque composition based on polyphonic imitative treatment of a short theme known as the subject.

Johanne Sebastian Bach

German composer who brought the Baroque period to its ultimate maturity with works like 'Branderburg Concerto' and 'Air on G-String'.

Sonata Form

A single movement form consisting of three main sections: exposition, development, and recapitulation.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Influential Classical composer and child prodigy who wrote 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik' and 'The Marriage of Figaro'.

Impressionism

A musical style stressing tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity; typically associated with Claude Debussy.

Minimalist music

Music characterized by a steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns to create a trancelike effect.

Ragtime

A style of composed piano music in duple meter with a highly syncopated right-hand melody and 'oom-pah' left-hand accompaniment.