Studied by 4 people
Texture
A term in music referring to the way the different strands or layers of music relate to each other.
Homophony
A musical texture where all the parts move together at the same rate, with primacy given to the highest part
Chordal homophony
Also known as homorhythmic, this is a stricter type of homophony where the different parts move together, forming effectively a sequence of chords
Melody-dominated homophony
Also called melody-and-accompaniment, a looser form of homophony in which there is a clear focus on the main melody, with the other parts in a secondary, accompanimental role
Monophony/monody
(These words can be used interchangeably) A musical texture where there is a single line of music without accompanying harmony
Unison
When two or more musical parts play the same music as each other – can be specified as octave unison if the parts are in different octaves
Polyphony/counterpoint
(These words can be used interchangeably) A musical texture in which different and independent melodic lines are heard at the same time
Cadence
A pair of chords that marks the completion of a phrase or section of music, often used as a way of emphasising the sense of key
Perfect cadence
V-I cadence that has a sense of completion or finality
Imperfect cadence
A cadence ending on V (often moving from I but it could be from another chord) that has a sense of incompleteness
Plagal cadence
A IV-I cadence that has a sense of finality, historically associated with church music
Interrupted cadence
A cadence with a sense of incompleteness, moving from V to a chord that isn’t chord I – usually VI
Melody
A sequence of notes and pitches that listeners hear as a distinct line of music
Harmony
The effect of combining different pitches simultaneously to form chords and chord progressions
Rhythm
A sequence of note durations that listeners hear as a distinct pattern
Motif
A short melodic or rhythmic phrase that is repeated and subjected to change and transformation in a passage of music
Ostinato
A distinctive motif or rhythmic phrase that is repeated through a passage of music
Countermelody
A secondary melody heard at the same time as the main tune, which complements it (for example, a descant part in a carol)
Modulation
The process of changing from one key to another in tonal music
Basso continuo
A bassline played by a single-line instrument (most commonly cello and bass) accompanied by a chordal instrument improvising a harmony part. A key feature of the Baroque period
Soprano
A high (commonly female) voice category
Alto
A lower (commonly female) voice category
Tenor
A high (commonly male) voice category
Bass
The lowest (male) voice category
Dynamics
Musical loudness or softness
Major key
A tonal centre that uses the major scale (T-T-S-T-T-T-S) and triad
Minor key
A tonal centre that uses the minor scale (natural, harmonic or melodic) and triad
Natural minor scale
T-S-T-T-S-T-T
Harmonic minor scale
T-S-T-T-S-aug2nd-S
Melodic minor scale
Ascending: T-S-T-T-T-T-S Descending: T-T-S-T-T-S-T
Diatonic
Music that uses the pitches of the home key
Chromatic
The antonym of diatonic, meaning music that uses pitches from outside the home key (often resulting in dissonance)
Modal
A scale or pitch collection that occurred before tonal music emerged, and which is also found in folk music in Britain and elsewhere. Modal music does not cadence or modulate in the same way as tonal music because the leading-note is often flattened
Atonal/non-tonal
Music that doesn’t follow the tonal or modal system, without an identifiable home pitch. As an idea it emerged in the early 20th century and the music is often chromatic and dissonant
Metre
The time signature or beat grouping of a piece of music. Normally either duple (in 2s) or triple (in 3s)
Simple time
Music with a 4 at the bottom of the time signature, eg 4/4 (simple quadruple time)
Compound time
Music with an 8 at the bottom of the time signature eg 9/8 (compound triple time)
Irregular metre
Either: a time signature like 5/4 or 7/8 where the divisions of the bar are not all the same length. Or: a passage of music in which the time signature changes
Swung quavers/semis
A jazz technique of playing quavers in a long-short pattern
Dotted rhythm
Pairs of notes in a long-short rhythm, where the long note is three times the length of the short one
Triplet
Three notes in the time usually occupied by two: eg triplet quavers are three quavers in the time of twoTessitura
Tessitura
The main pitch range of an instrumental or vocal part
Articulation
The technical or characteristic way a note is sounded, particularly its attack and/or decay
Staccato
Notes articulated separately with a space in between
Legato
Notes articulated smoothly, without a gap in between
Melisma
The singing of more than one note to a single syllable of text
Syllabic word setting
A way of setting words so that each syllable has a single note
Secondary dominant
A chord which functions as the dominant of a chord other than the tonic
Binary form
two-part structure AB (possibly with repetition)
Ternary form
A three-part structure, usually ABA (possibly with repetition of each section)
Sonata form
A principle of music construction, most prevalent in the Classical period, based around music that moves from a home key to a second key and back again
Exposition
The opening section of a sonata form, which includes a first subject and second subject (in the dominant, or relative major)
Development
The section of a sonata form where the musical ideas are explored and a range of keys visited
Recapitulation
The concluding section of a sonata form in which the original first and second subject theme are heard, now both in the home key
Rondo form
A musical structure based on the repetition of a theme, separated by intervening ‘episodes’, often in the form ABACA or similar.
Symphony
A large-scale work for orchestra, usually in 4 movements, common from the Classical period on
Sonata
A multi-movement work for a single player, or a single player plus piano accompaniment
Concerto
A piece for solo performer accompanied by an orchestra, often the opportunity for displays of virtuosity by the solo player
Chamber music
Music for a small number of players, each player their own discrete part, usually without a conductor
Song without words
A short Romantic piece for solo piano with song-like qualities, pioneered by Felix Mendelssohn and his sister Fanny Hensel in the 19th century
Imitation
Where one line of music copies the melody of another, often at a different pitch and usually with the entry of the second part overlapping with the completion of the first
Canon
Repeating a melody but starting after a time delay (the second part either in starting on the same pitch, or potentially transposed)
Hemiola
The rhythmic phrasing of two bars of triple time music as if they were three bars of duple time, often used in Baroque music
A cappella
Choral music performed without instrumental accompaniment
Choir
A group of singers singing together, ranging from a chamber choir (from c.12 voices) to a massed choir (c.200)
Backing vocals
A term from pop music for supporting singers, often lower in the mix than the main vocal
Strings
A family of musical instruments characterised by the sound being produced by vibrating strings, which are either hit, plucked or bowed
Brass
A family of musical instruments characterised by being made of brass and the sound produced by the player’s lips vibrating in the mouthpiece
Woodwind
A family of musical instruments characterised by the sound being produced by air vibrating across a mouthpiece or by the vibration of a reed or reeds
Percussion
A family of musical instruments characterised by the sound being produced by the instrument being struck
Keyboard
A family of musical instruments characterised by the sound being produced via a player striking a key
Rubato
The varying of strict tempo for expression or musical phrasing
Clef
A symbol placed at the start of a line of music to indicate which notes the lines represent
Key signature
A symbol placed at the start of a line of music to indicate which notes should always be played as sharps or flats
Ornaments
Musical embellishments that are usually extra added notes not essential to the main line of the music that decorate the line for variety, expressiveness or performer virtuosity
Consonance/dissonance
When notes are sounded together and produce a sound associated with sweetness, pleasantness and lack of tonal tension. Dissonance is the absence of consonance and associated with harshness and unpleasantness, although there is a spectrum of dissonance from the mildly to extremely dissonant.
Transposition
Moving a passage of music up or down to be in a different key
Pedal point/pedal note
A sustained or repeated bass note over which the harmony changes
Arpeggio
Spreading the notes of a triadic chord so they are heard from low to high, or high to low
Circle of fifths
A harmonic progression where the bass moves progressively by the interval of a fifth
Verse / pre-chorus / chorus / middle-eight / intro / outro
Names given to sections of a pop song
Full score/reduction
A score in which all the instruments and their music appear in full / a version of the score that leaves out some information in order for the music to be more easily readable
Sequence
A melodic phrase that is repeated, getting progressively higher (ascending sequence) or lower (descending sequence).
Conjunct
Also called movement by step, when a melody moves up or down to the next nearest note within the scale
Disjunct
Also called movement by skip or leap, when a melody moves up or down by a larger interval than a step
Note 
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