Enjoyment of Music Montana State University Test 1 2021

Scale

a group of consecutive pitches filling out an octave

Orchestra

a larger ensembles

Chamber Orchestra

for smaller ensembles with ten or more instruments

Cantus Firmus

a secular melody from a love song by the same name

Block Chords

four parts aligned vertically in homophony

Cadence

gives a sense of momentary rest or conclusion at the end of a melody

Decrescendo

gradually getting softer

Triplet

group of three notes marked by the numeral 3, indicating that they have the same duration as two notes of the same value

Ensembles

groups of musicians

Melody

a succession of pitches in a particular shape

Woodwinds

aerophones

Brass

aerophones made of metal

Imitative Counterpoint

after one line begins, it is imitated by other lines of music, typically one at a time

Dynamics

how loud or soft a pitch is

Texture

how melodic lines blend in a composition

Dissonance

an interval or chord that sounds harsh and unstable

Consonance

an interval or chord that sounds stable and pleasant

Disjunct Melody

by leap

Conjunct Melody

by step

Natural Sign

cancels a preceding flat or sharp

Tonic

central or basic pitch around which a melody develops

Key Signature

immediately after the clef sign, identifies which sharp and flat notes remain valid throughout a composition

Strings

chordophones

Octave

complete series of eight pitches

Canon

counterpoint that makes extensive use of imitation

Chorus

large group of singers, consisting of female and male musicians divided according to their range into parts

Percussion

membranophones and idiophones

Melody

memorable succession of pitches

Polyphony

multiple sounds lines

Neumes

dashes, dots, curved, hook-like figures that could be used to represent musical tones

Conductor

directs a large ensemble with a baton, making beats of the music

Dotted Note

dot placed after a not extends the note by half its value

Allegro

fast

Pentatonic Scale

features only five pitches per octave instead of seven

Downbeat

first beat of each measure where the natural accent falls

Eighth Note

flags attached to stems or beamed together, equal to half of a quarter note

Half Note

oval with stem attached, equal to half of a whole note

Partials or Overtones

partial sounds generated by a vibrating medium in addition to the fundamental pitch

Whole Tone Scale

scale in which the octave is divided equally into six whole steps

Measures or Bars

segments divided by a measure line

Staff

series of five lines and four spaces used to notate music

Choir

smaller vocal ensemble

Quarter Note

solid note head with stem attached, equal to half of a half note

Women

soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto

Time Signature

specifies meter

Crescendo

steadily increasing in volume or force

Syncopation

stress falls on the second and fourth beat of each measure

Men

tenor, baritone, alto

Homophony

texture with a single melodic line accompanied by block-like chords

Harmony

the combination of simultaneously sounded pitches to produce a pleasing effect

Non-Imitative Counterpoint

the different parts are relatively independent; the second part shares no material with the first

Interval

the distance between any two pitches

Beat

the fundamental pulse in a musical composition

Rhythm

the organization of sounds into time-related relationships

Form

the overarching plan that holds a piece together

Rhythm 2

the pattern of sound durations

Timbre

the quality of sound of a musical instrument or voice

Frequencies

the rates of vibrations produced

Half Steps

the smallest interval used in western music

Form

the structural organization of a composition

Texture

the type of fabric of sound that the composer chooses to use

Chromatic Scale

the western scale where the octave is divided into twelve half steps

Triple Meter

three beats per measure

Triad

three-note chord, constructed by stacking two thirds

Duple Meter

two beats per measure

Harmony 2

vertical combination of pitches to produce chords

Whole Note

oval shaped note, typically the longest value note

Phrases

melodic portions that are self-contained

Fundamental Pitch

a basic pitch that generates a series of harmonics

Minor Scale

a scale of seven different pitches using a succession of whole and half steps, with the eighth pitch duplicating the first one octave above: half step between the second and third pitches

Major Scale

a scale of seven different pitches using a succession of whole and half steps, with the eighth pitch duplicating the first one octave above: whole step between the second and third pitches

Upbeat

a weak beat that precedes a downbeat and prepares us for the next measure

Counterpoint

art of fitting one line of music against another different line

Tempo

basic pace of the music

Key

basic pitch and scale around which a melody is based

Beat 2

basic pulse of he music

Compound Meter

beats subdivided into smaller groupings of three

Electrophones

instruments that generate sound electronically

Aerophones

instruments that use columns of air to produce sounds

Chordophones

instruments with strings

Membranophones

instruments with tautly stretched membranes that produce sounds when played

Tie

joins two or more notes together to produce a rhythmic value equal to the sum of the individual notes

Idiophones

made of solid materials that produce sound when struck, rubbed or shaken

Chamber Music

music intended to be performed in small, intimate setting by nine or fewer musicians

Accents

naturally felt stresses that greater divisions of beats and establish sense of meter

Fantasia

polyphonic composition built around consecutive points of imitation

Timbre

quality of sound that differentiates one instrument from another

Meter

regular arrangement of stressed and unstressed beats

Pitch

relative height of a musical sound

Accidental

sharp, flat, or natural that indicates a momentary departure from the key signature by raising or lowering a note

Ledger Lines

short horizontal lines extending the staff to accommodate pitches outside the range of the staff

Clef

sign that appears at the beginning of the staff to help identify pitches

Rests

silence in measured quantities

Monophony

simple texture; one musician performs a single line of music, or several musicians perform a single line of music in unison

Sharp

slightly higher than a basic pitch

Flat

slightly lower than a basic pitch

Adagio

slow

Tonality

system of musical organization that depends on a network of harmonic relationships, all centered on consonant triads

Whole Step

the interval consisting of two half steps

Dynamics

the levels of loudness and softness in music