Columbia Music Hum Midterm
Monody
1 melody + accompaniment
Rhythm
1- organization of time in music; 2- a pattern of beats and pulses; 3- refers to values or length of a note or series of notes.
Pitch
Frequency; measure in Hz
Tempo
How fast or How slow (rate) the speed of the pulse
Dynamics
Loud or soft; volume
Cadence
Solid ending at the end of a phrase. In the case of mozart, question and answer, antecedent and consequent.
Measure
a group o 2 or 3 beats. Weak and strong beats in a measure. Ex: Vivaldi's "Spring" Strong on 1 & 3, weak on 2 & 4
Sequence
a repeated melodic shape played at successively higher or lower intervals. A sequence helps with modulation between keys. Bach loves them.
functional harmony
a series of rules about consonance and dissonance that pushes the music forward through a series of tension and release
Madrigal
a setting for 4-6 voices of a poplar love poem Madrigalism- excessive use of things identified with madrigals--especially word painting.
Chromatic Scale
all 12 notes, black and white keys, all 1/2 steps in an octave (terrible for directing melody). Chromatic scale not used by itself in many pieces--usually utilized for color. Derive diatonic scales from chromatic scale.
Melodies
based on tonic (usually in title of song) (also typically begins and ends with that note. 2) Over-arching line that our ears are drawn to. Ex: Mozart's "Symphony No 40 in G minor" Pitch: low --> high interval
Interval
distance between two notes in terms of frequency
Octave
doubling or halving or a frequency. A = 220 Hz A = 440 Hz A = 880 Hz
Crescendo
getting louder
Decrescendo
getting softer
meter
grouping of measures over time
Conjunct Motion
means our melody move in steps or small intervals
Disjunct Motion
melody moves in leaps or large intervals
Polyphony
more than one note/melody at the same time Ex: Josquin's "Ava Maria" (pre Council of Trent)
Melisma
more than two notes per syllable Ex:Anonymous "Viderunt Omnes"
Tonic
note around which the scale is based.
Diatonic Scale
one tonic at bottom, one at top of scale--7 notes in the diatonic scale. The 8th being tonic repeat.
Note/Tone
pitch that we think is musical. In the 'west' we desire clarity of tone. This usually means a frequency with fewer obvious overtones mixed in.
Backbeat
placing emphasis on 2 and 4 instead of 1 and 3. Ex: Chuck Berry "Rock and Roll Music"
syncopation
plaing emphasis on a weak beat or weak part of beat--usually unexpected and throws you off. Ex: Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" -much more difficult syncopation.
Motet
prayer in Latin set to music for 4-6 voices
Texture
relationship between melodies in a piece.
Mimesis
representation of reality in art--imitation 1. poetry and music are twins...general mood, contrast 2. poetry is older twin 3. music is the hand maid of poetry
Imitative Polyphony
same or similar melodies following in succession with some overlap
Melody
series of pitches, plus rhythm--that forms a recognizable unit Ex: chant doesn't really have rhythm Ex: Mozart--changes, but sticks with same time.
Harmony
simultaneous sounding of 2 or more notes
Phrases
smaller units of melody with clear endings
Motives/motif
smallest recognizable unit of melody.
down beats
strong beats
Ritornello
theme repeated in whole or in part throughout a movement
Concerti Grosso
tutti + concertino (small group of soloist)
Terraced Dynamic
type of dynamics popular in Baroque- either or loud or soft
Beats and Pulses
underlies most music. Can have weak or strong sense of pulse. Ex: weak: Gregorian Chant Ex: strong: Rock & Pop Beats are normally divided into groups of 3 or 2 (or more). Ex: Vivaldi's "Spring" groups of 2 Ex: Austin Pitre's "Opelous Waltz" groups of 3 Ex: David Brubeck's "Take 5" groups of 5
upbeats
weak or weak parts of beats
Range/Taciturn
wide/narrow Ex: narrow: Gregorian Chant Ex: wide: Opera
Notation
Written representation of musical notes c: 1000 A.D. Ex: Hildegard of Bingen
