Untitled Flashcard Set

Program Music

Instrumental music that tells a story or depicts a scene, idea, or image, often explained by a written program.

Nationalism

Music that expresses a composer’s national identity through folk songs, rhythms, dances, or historical themes.

Exoticism

The use of musical ideas meant to evoke foreign or distant lands, cultures, or peoples.

Lieder

German art songs for solo voice and piano, often setting poetry to music.

Song Cycle

A group of related songs intended to be performed together, usually telling a story or following a theme.

Strophic Form

A song form in which the same music is repeated for each verse of text.

Through-Composed Form

A song form where new music is written for each section of text, avoiding repetition.

Nocturne

A short, lyrical piano piece that evokes a peaceful or night-like mood.

Rubato

Flexible tempo where the performer slightly speeds up or slows down for expressive purposes.

Etude

A short piece designed to improve technical skill, often also performed as a concert piece.

Polonaise

A stately Polish dance in triple meter, often used as a symbol of Polish nationalism.

Mazurka

A lively Polish dance in triple meter with accents on weak beats.

Symphonic Poem

A one-movement orchestral work that tells a story or depicts a scene or idea.

Idée Fixe

A recurring melody representing a character or idea, especially used by Berlioz.

Bel Canto

An Italian singing style emphasizing beautiful tone, smooth phrasing, and vocal agility.

Verismo Opera

Italian opera style focusing on realistic, often dramatic or tragic stories of everyday people.

Leitmotif

A short musical idea associated with a specific character, object, or idea, used repeatedly.

Gesamtkunstwerk

A “total work of art” combining music, drama, poetry, and visual elements into one unified work.

Impressionism

A musical style that emphasizes atmosphere, color, and mood rather than strong structure.

Ragtime

A late-19th-century American piano style characterized by syncopated rhythms.