Music Theory and History Flashcards

Flashcards for reviewing music theory and history concepts.

HARMONY

The simultaneous sounding of different pitches

CHORD

Combination of pitches, the basic unit of harmony

CONSONANCE

Stable or pleasant harmony

DISSONANCE

Unstable or unpleasant harmony

TEXTURE

The relationship between the different voices in a piece of music

MONOPHONY

Texture with a single melody

HOMOPHONY

Texture melody and accompaniment

POLYPHONY

Texture with more than one independent melody

ANTIPHONY

Texture with opposing forces

CANTUS FIRMUS

A chant melody sung very slowly in the lowest voice

ORGANUM

Faster new melody added above the cantus firmus

OVERTONE SERIES

The complex of pitches generated by a vibrating body, which form a harmonic series (1, 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, ….) and provide the basic building blocks of tonal harmony (octave, major triad).

RENAISSANCE

A movement during the 15th and 16th centuries that aimed at the rebirth of ancient Greek and Roman culture

POINTS OF IMITATION

The standard technique of Renaissance polyphony, in which each voice takes turns stating a motive

A CAPPELLA

Voices without instruments

MADRIGAL

A secular piece for solo voices

TEXT-PAINTING

Music that depicts images in a text

LIBRETTO

The text (lyrics) of an opera

RECITATIVE

Speech-like song, which advances the plot

ARIA

An elaborate musical piece, which expresses the character's emotions

DRAMATIC FUNCTION OF RECITATIVE

To move the plot forward

DRAMATIC FUNCTION OF ARIA

To express emotion and reflect on the plot

BASSO CONTINUO

A continuous bass line with improvised chords

TONIC

The first note of the scale (1)

DOMINANT

The fifth note of the scale (5)

TRIAD

A chord with three notes, the basic unit of tonal harmony

I, V

Triads built on the tonic (1) and dominant (5)

KEY

The pitch of the tonic

MODULATION

Moving between keys

MOVEMENT

A section of a larger work with a clear beginning and end

CONCERTO

A work for solo instrument(s) and orchestra, usually in three movements

RITORNELLO

An orchestral section that frames the solo sections

RITORNELLO FORM

Alternation of the orchestral ritornello with solo sections, in which the solo sections modulate to different keys

GROUND BASS

A bass line that keeps repeating throughout an aria