MU 324 Midterm Vocab Terms
genre
a category describing the type of musical presentation
duo/duet
a piece featuring a pair of performers
adagio
slow
encore
to repeat a well-received number because of audience cheers; also, the repetition itself
presto
very fast
ff (fortissimo)
very loud
pp (pianissimo)
very soft
andante
walking speed
opera buffa
"comic opera"; an Italia genre, at its prime during the eighteenth century
The Black Crook
(1866) an Extravaganza/Scenery show. Had chorus girls (chorus line) in skimpy costumes
Evangeline
(1874) the first U.S. "musical comedy." and the first U.S. show to have an entirely original score (Edward E. Rice)
West End
London's theater district, equivalent to New York's Broadway
minstrel shows
a genre featuring performers in blackface (whether black or white themselves) who presented a variety of visual and musical entertainments, often satirizing the lifestyle of African Americans
musical theater
a genre label for sung dramatic works, usually more commercial than opera
musical comedy
a genre presented in modern costume with believable dialogue and popular tunes
ensemble
a group of two or more performers; also a term for the kind of piece they perform
rehearsal pianist
a keyboardist who accompanies the singers (in lieu of the orchestra) during rehearsals
extravaganza (spectacle)
a lavish production emphasizing elaborate stage sets and mechanical marvels
minor mode
a less common type of scale, often used to convey a dark, somber mood
compound subdivision
a rhythmic device that divides each beat into three equal subpluses
lieto fine
a "happy ending," usually when applied to a story that traditionally does not end happily
Singspiel
a German-language genre with spoken dialogue
operetta
a comic genre, usually in German or English, often featuring skilled singers in a fanciful plot
chorus girls
a female member of a chorus line
non-standard form
a form with clear-cut repetition that does not follow a standardized pattern
revue
a mixed-bill presentation in which a set cast of performers present the various entertainments; sometimes the skits are organized around a specific theme, such as a satirical re-examination of the previous year's events
blues
a musical style that laments some unfortunate situation, using swing rhythms and blue notes
monophony/monophonic
a musical texture in which a melody is presented without any accompaniment
opéra-bouffe
a nineteenth-century French comic genre with an emphasis on social satire and dancing
star turn
a number designed to feature a performer's special abilities
aria
a number featuring a soloist, usually in an emotional moment; usually tuneful and memorable
verse-chorus form (aBaB etc.)
a pattern diagrammed as a-B-a-B-a-B and so on, in which the a verses have differing text (but the same melody) each time, while the B choruses repeat the melody and words. Originally, an actual chorus of voices song the chorus sections, while soloists sang the verses
strophic form (a a etc.)
a pattern of repetition diagrammed as a-a-a and so on
alternation form (a b a b etc.)
a pattern related to verse-chorus form, but one is which the "chorus" has new words each time, resulting in a diagram of a-b-a-b and so on
authorized
a performance that has received its creators' (or their agents') approval, and that pays the copyright owner(s) the proper royalty for the performance
song plugger
a person who promotes the items in a publisher's catalog
solo
a piece featuring a single performer
octet
a piece featuring eight performers
quintet
a piece featuring five performers
quartet
a piece featuring four performers
septet
a piece featuring seven performers
sextet
a piece featuring six performers
trio
a piece featuring three performers
binary form (2-part form)
a piece structured in two distinct and contrasting sections, which could be diagrammed as a-b. Once the b section begins, the a melody is not heard again
refrain
a portion of a song that reappears with the same melody and words, such as the chorus in a verse-chorus form
tryout tour
a preliminary trip to some out-of-town location, giving a new show a chance to play in front of paying audiences before facing New York critics
scenery show
a production combining elaborate stage sets and effects with operetta characteristics
Can-Can
a risqué French dance in which the chorus line performs high kicks while lifting their skirts
simple subdivision
a sensation that each beat of a piece of music can be divided into two equal half-pulses
Princess show
a series of musicals written for New York's Princess Theatre
conjunct
a series of notes that are only slightly higher or lower than each other, as if the pitches were moving up or down the rungs of a ladder
Broadway show
a show presented in one of the main venues of the New York theater district
star vehicle
a show written to showcase the talents of a particular performer
arioso
a singing style that is more tuneful than recitative, but not as rhythmically steady as an aria
interpolation
a song by another composer added to an original score
showstopper
a song, dance, or production number that is received so enthusiastically by an audience that their continues applause "stops" the show; sometimes the number must be enforced before the show can resume
recitative
a speech-like manner of singing, usually without any steady beat and with limited accompaniment
song form (a a b a) (popular) (32-bar form)
a structure diagrammed as a-a-b-a
rondo form (refrain, episodes)
a structure that can be diagrammed as a-b-a-c-a; it is a flexible form that can have additional repetitions of a (the refrain) or the episodes (b, c, etc.), but it should contain at least three a sections and at least two different episodes
vocal introduction
a sung prefatory passage that differs from the remainder of the song; often called the verse
fermata
a symbol that indicates that a note (or silence) should be sustained longer than usual
disjunct
a term describing a series of notes that seem to leap up or down between successive pitches
melismatic
a text setting in which a single syllabus is sung to many different musical pitches
syllabic
a text setting in which each syllable of the poetry is sung to a single note of music
homophony/ homophonic
a texture in which a melody is supported by a subordinate accompaniment
imitative polyphony
a texture in which one melody is used for successive, overlapping entrances, sounding much like a canon or round
non-imitative polyphony
a texture in which two or more different melodies are heard simultaneously
patter song (patter singing)
a type of singing in which the text is delivered very rapidly for comic effect
vaudeville
a type of stage entertainment consisting of many short, unconnected presentation ("turns") by a large array of performers depicting a wide variety of skills, many unrelated to music
ballad opera
an eighteenth-century satirical English genre with a spoken dialogue and new poetry set to old tunes
episodes
an element found in music that is a digression from the main structure of the composition [b, c, etc.]
orchestra
an ensemble of instrumentalists, usually performing accompaniment or introductory music
touring company
cast of actors assembled to bring a hit play to a succession of regional centers after the play has closed in a theatrical capital.
impresario
equivalent to the modern position of producer; the person who organizes the financing and staffing of a theatrical production, often retaining the power to make some of the creative decisions as well
allegro
fast
crescendo
grow gradually louder
diminuendo
grow gradually softer
vocal coda
instrumental music (vocal is sung) played at the end of a song, giving the piece a sense of conclusion
coda (postlude)
instrumental music played at the end of a song, giving the piece a sense of conclusion
introduction
instrumental music played at the start of a song, before the singing starts
interlude
instrumental music played in the middle of a song, without any singing
f (forte)
loud
miscegenation
mixed race marriage
moderato
moderate
original score
music composed for a specific show, not borrowed from a pre-existing source
through-composed
music written without any clear-cut repetition
piracy
performing a show without permission and without paying proper royalties
topical references
pertaining to or dealing with maters of current or local interest
ritardando
slow down gradually
Florentine Camerata
society of poets, composers, and aristocrats
p (piano)
soft
mf (mezzoforte)
somewhat loud
mp (mezzopiano)
somewhat soft
accelerando
speed up gradually
opera
strictly speaking, a genre term for an Italian-language theatrical presentation with continuous singing. The same genre label has often been applied to works in other languages and works with spoken dialogue
subito
sudden[ly]
medium (performing medium or performing forces)
the combination of instruments and voices needed for a particular work
Baroque Era
the era of Western art music spanning roughly 1600-1730/1750
Classic Era
the era of Western art music spanning roughly 1730/1750-1815
meter (time signature)
the grouping of beats in a piece of music
soprano
the highest singing voice of adult females (or castrated males)
advance [ticket sale]
the income derived from ticker sales before a show has opened
mode
the kind of scale used in a piece; the mode helps to determine the mood of a piece
tenor
the label for the highest naturally occurring male voice type
primo uomo
the leading man in an opera
prima donna
the leading woman in an opera
bass
the lowest male voice type
major mode
the most common type of scale, often conveying an upbeat or positive mood
Romantic Era/Romanticism
the musical era ranging from around 1815 to the end of the nineteenth century
chorus line
the non-featured performers of a production who sing and/or dance as a group
duple meter
the organization of steady beats into a strong-weak-strong-weak pattern
triple meter
the organization of steady beats into a strong-weak-weak-strong-weak-weak pattern
bows (curtain calls)
the performers' acknowledgment of audience applause at the end of a show
composer
the person who writes the music
librettist
the person who writes the poetry (or, in musical theater, the spoken dialogue)
choreography
the planned dance steps and movements
libretto
the poetry of an opera; later used to mean the spoken dialogue and general plot of musical theater
text setting
the relationship of notes to syllables in vocal music
tempo
the speed of a piece of music
form
the structure or pattern of repetition in a piece of music
alto
the term for a lower-pitched female voice
dynamic level
the volume at which music is performed
score
the written music contributed by a composer
property
theatrical subject matter; the source on which a dramatic story is based