MUL 2010 Assessment 1
counterpoint
(contrapuntal); the art of setting musical lines against one another
imitation
a contrapuntal technique in which one voice is imitated by one or more other voices
tie
a curved symbol connecting two pitches to indicate they should be held as one continuous sound
scale
a group of consecutive pitches filling out an octave
ensemble
a group of instrumental or vocal musicians
orchestra
a large ensemble of instrumental musicians
clef
a musical symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate which pitches are represented on the staff (see also bass clef, treble clef)
conduct
a musician who directs a large ensemble such as an orchestra or chorus
quarter note
a note fourth the value of a whole, one half the value of a half note, etc.
half note
a note half the value of a whole note, twice the value of a quarter note, etc.
eighth note
a note one half the value of a quarter note
whole note
a note twice the value of a half note, four times the value of a quarter note, etc.
dotted note
a note with a dot placed after it to increase its rhythmic vale by one half
phrase
a self-contained portion of a melody, theme, or tune
staff (stave)
a series of five lines and four spaces used to notate music
cadence
a series of notes or chords that suggest a musical pause or ending
middle C
fortieth of the 88 keys on the piano and is notated on the first ledger line below the treble staff or on the first above the bass
gapped scale
found in folk music of various cultures; similar to a major scale, one of the most common is the pentatonic scale
repeat marks
a sign (II: :II) indicating that a passage is to be repeated
crescendo
growing louder
accidental
a sign used to alter a pitch: sharp, flat, natural
natural sign
a sign used to cancel a previous sharp or flat
chamber orchestra
a small orchestra suitable for performing chamber music
melody
a succession of pitches with a memorable shape
soprano
high-range female voice
polyphony
a texture in which two or more independent musical lines are set against each other, as opposed to homophony
monophony
a texture with a single melodic line, as opposed to polyphony
homophony
a texturized characterized by a single melodic line accompanied by block-life chords, as opposed to polyphony
flat
an accidental sign before a note, indicating that the note should be lowered by one half step
sharp
an accidental sign before a note, indicating that the note should be raised by one half step
consonance
an interval or chord that sounds stable and pleasant
dissonance
an interval or chord that sounds unstable and harsh, as opposed to consonance
tonic
central or basic pitch
chordophone
class of musical instruments that use strings as the vibrating medium to produce their sound
canon
composition in which the pitches of one part are strictly imitated by one or more other parts: counterpoint that makes extensive use of imitation
allegro
fast, a movement in a fast tempo
whole tone scale
scale in which the octave is divided equally into six whole steps
semitone
see half step
overtone
see harmonic
partial
see harmonic
ledger line
small parts of imaginary lines above the staff to accommodate extra pitches
chromatic scale
the Western scale in which the octave is divided into twelve half steps
downbeat
the accented beat at the beginning of the measure
key
the basic pitches and scale around which a melody is based
beat
the basic pulse of a composition
rhythm
the branch of music that concerns durations of individual pitches
key signature
the collection of sharps or flats at the beginning of a staff to indicate which pitches should be raised or lowered
interval
the distance between two pitches
note
the notational symbol for a pitch
tonality (tonal)
the principal musical system in Western music from the Baroque period to the present. tonal music conveys a feeling of gravitational pull toward a principal tonic pitch, a tonic triad constructed on that pitch, and a hierarchy of triads around the tonic triad
frequency
the rate of vibration produced in sound
pitch
the relative height or depth of a musical sound
tempo
the speed of a musical composition
notation
the system of symbols used in writing down music
harmony
the vertical combination of pitches to produce chords; the study of chord relationships
chord
two or more notes sounded simultaneously
harmonic
used to describe the various "partial" sounds generated by a vibrating medium in addition to the fundamental pitch
disjunct
melodic motion by skip, as opposed to conjunct
fundamental pitch
a basic pitch that generates a series of harmonics
triad
a chord consisting of three pitches, constructed by adding pitches a third and fifth above a fundamental pitch
string
a class of instruments that produce sounds by means of vibrating strings. in the modern orchestra the strong section includes violins, violas, cellos, and double bass
idiophone
a class of music instruments that produce their sound by being struck or rubbed
aerophone
a class of musical instruments that employ a column of air as the vibrating medium to produce their sound
membranophone
a class of musical instruments that use a stretched membrane to produce their sound
electrophone
a class of musical instruments that use electronic means to produce their sound
percussion
a class of pitched and non-pitched instruments that are played by various means of striking or shaking
bass clef
a clef is used to locate lower sounding pitches
treble clef
a clef used to locate higher sounding pitches
metromene
a mechanical device that emits regular beats according to an adjustable scale
cut time
a meter used in marches, indicated as 2/2
common time
a meter with four quarter-note beats per measure, indicated by C or 4/4
compound meter
a meter with subdivisions of the main beats intro groups of three, as in 6/8 ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 ) or 12/8 ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 )
triple meter
a meter with three beats per measure, with the first accented
duple meter
a meter with two beats per measure
time signature
a ratio at the beginning of a staff to indicate the meter of a composition
meter (metrical)
a regular arrangement of stressed and unstressed beats
syncopation
a rhythmic device in which normally unaccented beats are accented
triplet
a rhythmic grouping of three notes, with the same duration as two similar notes
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; a marker of the major scale is the whole step between the second third pitches
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; a marker of the minor scale is the half step between second and third pitches
pentatonic scale
a scale that features only five pitches per octave instead of seven
measure line
a vertical line across a staff to indicate the division of music into measures
choir
a vocal ensemble generally smaller than a chorus
chorus
a vocal ensemble larger than a choir
round
a vocal work with strict imitation between the parts
upbeat
a weak beat that precedes a downbeat
decrescendo
becoming softer (also diminuendo)
whole step (whole tone)
interval consisting of two half steps
forte
loud (f)
alto
low-range female voice
bass
low-range male voice
baritone
male voice that lies between tenor and bass
conjunct
melodic motion by half step or whole step
chamber music
music intended to be performed in an intimate setting by a small ensemble
twelve-tone music
music where the 12 pitches of chromatic scale were used in various configurations before any were repeated
adagio
slow, a movement in a slow tempo
half step
the interval before successive pitches of the chromatic scale; the smallest interval in most Western music
octave
the interval between the first and last pitches of a scale, as in C-C, D-D, etc.
unison
the interval formed when two voices or instruments perform the same pitch
dynamics
the levels of loudness and softness in music