Music Appreciation Terms
intervals
(Pitch) the distance between two pitches
forte
(music) with great loudness
piano
(p) soft
Harmony
-the organization of simultaneous pitches into intervals and chords
Chord
3 or more pitches sounded simultaneously or functioning as if sounded simultaneously
theme and variations
A basic musical idea - the theme - is repeated over and over and is changed each time.
Fugue
A musical form in which a theme is echoed and imitated by voices or instruments that enter one after another and interweave as the piece proceeds
call and response
A musical form in which one or more musicians perform a musical phrase (the call) and another soloist or musician answers with another phrase or statement (the response). Example: highly characteristic of African-American music. "Be My Baby" by the Ronettes
ostinato
A musical phrase repeated over and over during a composition
Melody
A series of single notes that add up to a recognizable whole
through composed
A song form that really has no form but rather unfolds in an unpredictable manner as the story of the song is told.
beat
A steady and regular pulse
pitch
A tone's experienced highness or lowness; depends on frequency.
rhythm
Definition: A musical quality produced by the repetition of stressed and unstressed syllables (meter) or by the repetition of words and phrases or even whole lines or sentence - WHEN the notes are played
allegro
Fast tempo 120+ bpm
Sacred
Holy- part of a church/holy service
dynamics
How loud or soft the music is
homophony
Like or same sounds, same time, different pitches (SATB)
polyphony
Music with two or more melodies blended together.
secular
Non-religious
consonance
Repetition of a consonant sound within two or more words in close proximity.
leaps
Skips - any larger move than one step
tempo
Speed of the music
Ternary
Three-part (A-B-A) form based on a statement (A), contrast or departure (B), and repetition (A). Also three-part form.
Polyrythm
Two or more layers of different meter sounded simultaneously
dissonance
a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
minor chord
a minor chord is a chord having a root, a minor third, and a perfect fifth. - sounds sad
binary
a musical form in two related sections, both of which are usually repeated. Is also a structure used to choreograph dance. In music this is usually performed as A-A-B-B
monophony
a musical texture consisting of a single unaccompanied line of melody
major chord
a triad composed of a root, major third and perfect fifth - sounds happy
range
how high and low --- the distance between the highest and the lowest pitch
moderato
medium tempo 108-120 bpm
round
one melody - sang by different "voices" at once but coming in at different times
adagio
slow tempo - "____" for strings 60-72 bpm
steps
two consecutive notes in a piece of music where there is only one note difference - one "____"
phrases
when a section of a melody is "tied" together like a sentence
