Piano Theory
Date of Romantic Period
1830-1900
Root Position
A triad written in a position so that the note which names it is the lowest; written as root, R, or 5/3
Secondary Triads
The ii, iii, vi, and viio chords (in harmonic minor, iio, III+, VI, and viio)
Arpeggio
broken chord
What is 4/4 also written as
common time
Cantabile
in a singing style
Diminished chord
lowered third and fifth note
Molto
much, very
Damper pedal
press the pedal on the right
Lento
slowly
Sequence
when the motive is repeated immediately, on a different note, usually a 2nd or 3rd higher or lower
Spiritoso
with spirit
Dominant 7th
Chord built on the dominant (5th) note of a key which adds the 7th note above its root.
Cadence
a closing or ending for a phrase of music; made up of two or more chords
Poco
little
Imitation
when the motive is repeated immediately in another voice, such as in the bass clef following a statement of the motive in treble clef
Acronym for Flats
BEAD Gum Candy Fruit
Which intervals are Perfect
4, 5, 8
Presto
very fast
Vivace
quick, lively
Scale Degree Names (in order)
tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant, submediant, leading tone
Which intervals are Major/minor
2, 3, 6, 7
Half Cadence
I chord followed by a V chord
Plagal Cadence
IV chord followed by a I chord
Trill (Romantic Period)
begin on written note
Leggiero
lightly, delicately
Andante
moderate walking speed
Subito
suddenly; at once
-etto and -ino
suffix meaning little
Authentic Cadence
V or V7 chord followed by a I chord
Date of Baroque Period
1600-1750
Date of Classical Period
1750-1830
Bottom number of time signature: 2, 4, 8
Which kind of note gets one beat; 2--half note, 4--quarter note, 8--eighth note
Augmented chord
raise fifth note
Andantino
slightly faster than andante
Allegretto
slower than allegro, faster than andante
Dolce
sweetly
Primary Triads
the I, IV, and V chords; in minor, i, iv, and V
What note is raised in Harmonic minor
seventh
Trill (Classical Period)
begin one note above written note
Date of 20th and 21st Centuries Period
1900-present
Second Inversion
A triad written with the fifth as the lowest note; written as 2nd or 6/4
First Inversion
A triad written with the third as the lowest note; written as 1st, 6, or 6/3
Acronym for Sharps
Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bologna
Tenuto
Hold the note for its full value
Legato pedal
creating a seamless, unblurred legato by raising and quickly re-depressing the damper pedal at the same time as, or immediately after, the keys are struck
Allegro
fast or quick, cheerfully, merrily
Name the four periods of music history
Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and 20th/21st Century
Sforzando (sfz)
a sudden sharp accent
What is 2/2 also written as
alla breve
Fermata
hold the note longer than its value
una corda (u.c.)
press the left pedal (the soft pedal)
tre corde (t.c.)
release the una corda pedal (left pedal)
Adagio
slowly
Transposition
the shifting of a piece of music to a different pitch level
Repetition
when the motive is repeated immediately, exactly the way it was the first time it occurred, on the same note
