Intro to Music Test 1

Sound

a mechanical vibration (pressure variations) transmitted through physical material (i.e., wood, metal, air, water)

Jazz big band

a medium size jazz performance ensemble (16-20 instruments) comprised of winds (trumpets, trombones, and saxophones), a rhythm section, and sometimes a featured singer. The jazz big band (or "big band") was most popular during the swing era (1935-45), also known as the big band era.

Polyphony

two or more contrasting melodies heard simultaneously (with or without harmonic accompaniment)

Polyrhythm

two or more contrasting rhythms sounded simultaneously

Timbre (tone color)

one of the main qualities of a musical sound that identify it as coming from a particular instrument

Tonic

the tone of focus in a system of tones

Chord

three or more tones are sounded simultaneously

Monophony

unaccompanied single melody (single line) music

Harmony

the simultaneous sounding of at least two tones

Romanticism traits

Dangerous adventures, the fantastic and marvelous, titanic characters, extreme emotions, indulgence in the abnormal, the macabre, or love of death, egoism and subjectivity, revolution against civilization or the ideal of the noble savage (primitivism), and nature worship.

Melody

In such the same way that we perceive the words of a sentence as a complete thought and not as increments, melody also is a sequence of single tones perceived as a whole. Unlike scales, which are constructed stepwise from lowest to highest tones, melody usually contains steps and "gaps" in the sequence of tones

Melody

In such the same way that we perceive the words of a sentence as a complete thought and not as increments, melody also is a sequence of single tones perceived as a whole. Unlike scales, which are constructed stepwise from lowest to highest tones, melody usually contains steps and "gaps" in the sequence of tones.

Classicism traits

Language should be universal, unlimited by political boundaries; language should be noble, as well as entertaining; it should be "natural" and free from needless complication; it should be capable of immediately pleasing any sensitive listener

Symphony

Large composition written for orchestra and usually containing 4 movements (sometimes 3 or 5)

Program music

Romantic era practice of using external sources for compositional inspiration (usually from folklore, poetry, literature, or mythology)

Art song

Romantic period songs that combine mostly pre-existing poetry with music composed for voice and piano. The music represented the poem's emotional intent and details.

Classical era

Western Europe from 1750-1820; result of Enlightenment's pursuit of "naturalness." Represented by the compositions of Beethoven, Mozart, or Haydn

Romantic era

Western Europe from 1820-1918. In what was mostly a reaction to classicism, the romantic "zeitgeist" consumed the arts with its emphasis on extreme emotionalism. Represented by the compositions of Gustav Mahler, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Franz Schubert, Richard Wagner, Richard Strauss and others

Beat

a beat marks musical time in terms of pulses, either audibly, mentally, or visually.

Concerto

a compositions written for orchestra and usually featuring one instrument (i.e., violin or piano)

Orchestra

a large performance medium comprised of bowed string instruments (chordophones), winds (aerophones), and miscellaneous instruments (idiophones and membranophones)

Orchestra

a large performance medium comprised of bowed string instruments, winds, and miscellaneous instruments

Wind band

a large performance medium primarily comprised of winds, and miscellaneous instruments

Orchestra with chorus

a larger performance medium comprised of orchestra and chorus (large group of singers)

Triple meter

a metric pattern of three pulses per measure of time

Duple meter

a metric pattern of two pulses per measure of time.

Rock/pop group

a performance medium comprised of rhythm section, vocals, and sometimes a section of background singers and/or horn section

Virtuoso

a person who excels in musical technique or execution

Tune

a simple melody, easy to remember and sing, like a Christmas or folk song. All tunes are melodies, however, all melodies are not tunes

Combo

a small jazz-styled ensemble comprised of a rhythm section (i.e., piano, bass, drum set, and guitar), a front line of wind instruments (usually one to four, i.e., trumpet and alto saxophone), and an optional vocalist. Rhythm sections are also called combos. Combos (jazz) differ from rock/pop groups (rock) in style of music performed

Chamber Ensemble

a small performance medium comprised of two to ten or so musicians. The repertoire performed is similar to that played by an orchestra

Chamber ensemble

a small performance medium comprised of two to ten or so musicians. The repertoire performed is similar to that played by an orchestra

Major

a term used to distinguish interval, chords, scales and tonality

Minor

a term used to distinguish intervals, chords, scales and tonality

Opera

an extended dramatic composition fused with singing (chorus and featured singers), dancing, costumes, scenery, and orchestral accompaniment

Tone poem

an extensive programmatic composition in one movement for orchestra and mostly from the Romantic period. Also called a symphonic poem.

String Quartet

chamber ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola, and cello

Movement

composition that is also part of a larger work (like a chapter in a novel)

Reverb

multiple reflections of sound combine to form a reverberant field

Conductor

director of a musical ensemble; responsible for the ensemble's performance

Solo performer

the smallest performance medium- comprised of one musician

Rhythm

how music moves through time

Rhythm sections

in context of rock/pop, jazz, blues, and other related music styles, a group of instruments within a larger ensemble that functions as a unit and not 3-4 independent instruments. This group of instruments is mostly comprised of a drum set, bass, keyboard, and guitar. The role of the rhythm section is not limited to providing a steady tempo (speed of music) or a beat. (A beat marks musical time in terms of pulses.) It also contributes to musical harmony, color, and melody. The rhythm section musicians also listen sensitively to those who may be improvising, playing, or singling melody, and anticipate and/or react musically to what they are hearing

Overture

orchestral introduction to an opera

Pitch

our brain interprets the frequency of a sound as its pitch, a quality we usually perceive as high or low

Sampling

refers to the practice of digitally recording sounds for storage, retrieval, editing, and/or performance

Scale

scales organize tons found in music. They are built stepwise from lowest to highest pitches

Syncopation

shifting the normal first pulse accent to a pulse commonly considered weak or unaccented (an "offbeat")

Homophony

single melody (or single line) music accompanied by harmony (chords) and most often rhythmic patterns

Tone

specific pitches produced by constantly sounded vibrations

Tonality

system of organizing tones in which one tone become the focus

Meter

the grouping of pulses into measures of time.

Notation

the method used to notate music, particularly the two main properties of musical sound: pitch and duration

Tempo

the rate or speed of music as it is experienced in time