MU-227 Terminology
instrumental
music by any number of instruments without vocals
cultural relativism
understanding the ways of other cultures and not judging these practices according to one's own cultural ways
a capella
vocal music without instrumentation
values
what people think is right and wrong, good and bad, desirable and undesriable
patriarchy
where a father figure and men have authority
matriarchy
where a mother figure and women have authority
symbol
an object, word, or action that stands for something
measure
-a cycle of meter -also called "bar"
legend
-a nonhistorical or unverifiable story handed down by tradition from earlier times and popularly accepted as historical -the body of stories of this kind, especially as they relate to a particular people, group, or clan
note
-a sound of definite pitch and duration -the notation of such a sound
melody
-a succession of notes that forms a recognizable unit, typically the principle part of a piece of music -often used synonymously with tune
syncretism
-blending traits from two different cultures to form a new trait -also called fusion
fusion
-blending traits from two different cultures to form a new trait -also called syncretism
history
-the branch of knowledge dealing with past events -a continuous, systematic narrative of past events relating to a particular people, country, period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account
composition
-the conception of a piece of music or the piece itself -sometimes used in contrast to improvisation, composition implies an activity done before performance or a work that is specified in sufficient detail to retain its essential identity from one performance to another -this opposition is not always clear-cut though, and the concepts vary widely with time and place
improvisation
-the conception of music in the course of performance -however tempting it might be to distinguish simply between composed music (determined precisely in advance) and improvisation (created at the time of performance), improvisation can exist in different kinds to varying degrees
bass
-the lowest sounding member of a family of instruments -the lowest sounding male voice -the double bass -the lowest pitch of any single chord and the succession of such lowest pitches
form
-the organization of a piece of music into sections -the shape of a piece of music as defined by all of its elements
meter
-the pattern in which a steady succession of rhythmic pulses (i.e., beats) is organized, e.g., four-four, three-four, six-eight, etc. -also termed "time"
volume
-the perceived characteristic of a sound that is a function of its intensity or the physical energy that the sounding body transmits to the surrounding environment -also called "loudness"
timbre
-the perceived quality of a sound that is a function of its harmonic spectrum -distinct from pitch, it enables the distinguishing between one instrument and another -also called "tone" and "color"
pitch
-the perceived quality of a sound that is chiefly a function of its fundamental frequency -we generally regard pitch as becoming higher with increasing frequency and lower with decreasing frequency
ethics
-the principles of conduct governing an individual or group -concerns what is right or wrong, and good or bad
harmony
-the sounding of pitches simultaneously -any particular collection of pitches sounded simultaneously -also termed "chord"
accompaniment
-the subordinate parts of a musical texture -everything except the melody
chord
-three or more pitches sounded simultaneously or functioning as if sounded simultaneously -two such pitches are normally referred to as an interval
tone
-timbre -pitch -note
gender
Individually and socially constructed attributions of masculinity, femininity, and sexuality based on behavioral, cultural, and psychological traits
imperialism
economic control gained through the corporate organization of nation states
tribe
a group that centers around kinship units and common-interest groups that cross kindred boundaries
racism
a belief that cultural and personal differences are inherent to race, and usually that one's own race is superior to that of others
genre
a category of music characterized by details of form, content, technique, etc.
scale
a collection of pitches typically arranged in ascending and descending order
text
a cultural object that can be "read" through a coherent set of symbols that are interpreted meaningfully
state
a culture that has a formal political organization with a central bureaucracy that has the authority to employ legalized force
diaspora
a dispersion or spreading of people belonging to a nation or a social group to a place outside of their perceived place of origin or home
theocracy
a form of state political organization in which government is based on religious offices
rite
a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use
syncopation
a momentary contradiction of the prevailing meter or beat
icon
a picture, image, sign or other representation that stands for its object by virtue of a resemblance or analogy to it, as a painted representation of a sacred personage, such as Christ or a saint or angel
race
a population related by common descent or an arbitrary classification of people based on physical characteristics (e.g., skin color, facial form, eye shape, etc.)
religion
a set of beliefs and practices concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs
myth
a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning a heroic being or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature
postmodern
a view that social and cultural reality, as well as social science itself, is a human construction
ritual
an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite
supernatural
characteristics of reality beyond the senses
ethnology
comparative analysis of cultural patterns to explain differences and similarities among societies
humanism
concern for human welfare, dignity, and values
nature-nurture
contrasting the biological verses cultural or environmental basis for behavior
holistic
cultures are integrated wholes, no dimension of which can be completely understood in isolation
ethnography
description of a culture, usually based on the method of participant observation
origin story
description of how a culture came into being
colonialism
forced change in which one culture, society, or nation dominates another
cultural transmission
how culture is passed on through learning from one generation to another
cosmology
ideas about the universe as an ordered system and the place of humans in the universe
cultural knowledge
information, skills, attitudes, conceptions, beliefs, values, and other mental components of culture that people socially learn during enculturation
ethnocentrism
judging other cultures by the standards of your own, which you believe to be superior
egalitarian
lack of formalized differences in the access to power, influence, and wealth within a society
fieldwork
living among a group of people for the purpose of learning about their culture
participant observation
living in a culture that is not one's own while keeping a detailed record of observations and encounters in order to learn about it
homophony
music consisting of a melody with accompaniment
monophony
music consisting of a single melody without an accompaniment
heterophony
music consisting of simultaneous variations of a single melody
polyphony
music consisting of the simultaneous performance of more than one melody
warfare
organized, armed conflict between groups, each of which is motivated by a common purpose
adaptation
patterns of behavior that enable a culture to cope with its surroundings
social class
people having the same rank in a system that differentiates people from high to low
peasants
people who produce for their own subsistence in preindustrial and industrializing societies--usually rural, lower class, primary producers such as farmers, artisans, or fishermen
multiculturalism
stressing the importance of different cultures and ethnicities
science
systematically acquired knowledge that is verifiable
beat
the basic pulse underlying the music
world view
the beliefs about the limits and workings of the world shared by the members of a society and represented in their myths, lore, ceremonies, social conduct, and values
sex
the biological and physiological characteristics that define males/men and females/women
canon
the body of standards, rules, laws, texts, or repertoire accepted as axiomatic, universally recognized, and/or authoritative in a religion, art, or field of study
repertoire
the entire stock of works in a particular artistic field or genre
notation
the graphic or visual representation of music
rhythm
the grouping or organization of musical sounds as a function of time
cultural construct
the idea that the characteristics people attribute to such social categories as gender, illness, death, status, and success are culturally defined
culture
the learned pattens of thought and behavior that characterize a social group and involve adaptation of the members to their surroundings
fundamental
the lowest and primary note of the harmonic series
wealth
the net gain in material wellbeing from economic activity measured according to the values of a given culture
neocolonialism
the policy of a strong nation in seeking political and economic hegemony over an independent nation or geographical area without extending the subordination of the nation or area to the legal status of a colony
status
the position one has in a social network
urbanization
the process by which people increasingly come to live in cities
acculturation
the process of adopting the cultural traits of another social group
enculturation
the process of learning one's own culture
socialization
the process of learning one's own culture
class stratification
the ranking of members of a society from higher to lower based on wealth, prestige, position, or education
interval
the relationship or distance between two pitches
anthropology
the scientific study of the origin, behavior, and physical, social and cultural development of humans
tempo
the speed at which music is performed, i.e., the rate of successive beats in a piece of music
cultural anthropology
the study of cultural variation and similarity; includes ethnology and anthropological linguistics, and may include archaeology
hegemonic
the use of power usually involving the control of a meta or master narrative by one culture against another culture
secular
things and actions not regarded as religious or spiritual
sacred
things and actions set apart as religious or spiritual and entitled to reverence