Music Chapters 9-11

glissando

a finger of the left hand slides along the string while the right hand draws the bow, gathering all the pitches under the left hand finger in one swooping sound

trill

a rapid alteration between a note and one adjacent to it

english horn

alto oboe, wooden tube is wider and longer than that of the oboe and ends in a pear shaped opening called a bell

sousaphone

an adaptation of the tuba designed by the american bandmaster John Philip Sousa, features a forward bell and is coiled to rest over the shoulder of the marching player

bagpipe

an aerophone that has a raucous tone and built in drones for harmony

symphony orchestra

an ensemble of strings curled with an assortment of woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments

idiophones

bells or cymbals, these produce sound from the substance itself

triangle

bright tinkling sound

arpeggio

broken chord

electric guitar

capable of many specialized techniques, comes in two main types: the hollow bodied (or electro acoustic) , favored by jazz and popular musicians and the solid bodied used more by rock musicians

guitar

dates back to at least middle ages, probably originated in the Middle East,

french horn

descended from the ancient hunting horn and can be remote in soft passages and sonorous in loud ones; muted, it sounds distant

snare or side drum

do not produce a definite pitch, it owes its brilliant tone to the vibrations of the lower head against taut snares

bassoon

double reed instrument that sounds weighty in the low register and reedy intense in the upper, can sound humorous, highly expressive instrument

membranophones

drums, sounded from tightly stretched membranes, they can be strung, plucked, rubbed, or sung to to set the skin in the vibration

harmonics

eerie, crystalline tones in a very high register that are produced by lightly touching the string at certain points while the bow is drawn across the string

chamber music

ensemble music for a group of two to about a dozen players with only one player to a part

bugle

evolved from the military trumpet of early times, sends out a powerful tone that carries well in the open air. since it has no valves it is able to sound only certain pitches of the scale, which accounts for the familiar pattern of duty calls in the army

violin

evolved to its present form at the hands of the master instrument makers who flourished in Italy from 1600 to 1750

chorus

fairly large body of singers who perform together; their music is usually sing in several voice parts

aerophones

flutes or horns or whistles that produce sound by using air

castanets

for spanish dancing, moved by players fingers

bowed string family

four principal members: violin, viola, violoncello and double bass, each with four strings that are set vibrating by drawing a bow across them

piccolo

from italian flauto piccolo "little flute" is the highest pitched instrument in the orchestra

timpani or kettledrums

generally played in sets of 2 or 4, it first arrived in western europe from the middle east where turks on horseback used them in combination with trumpets

instrument

generates vibrations and transmits into the air

band

generic name applied to a variety of ensembles, most of which rely on winds a percussion

glockenspiel

german for set of bells, consists of a series of horizontal tuned steel bars of various sizes, which when struck produce a bright, metallic bell like sound

trumpet

highest in pitch of the brass family, asserts with ceremonial display, can also be muted with a pear shaped metal or cardboard device that is inserted in the bell to achieve a muffled buzzy sound

a capella

in the chapel, choral music was performed in this way without accompaniment

cymbals

in west from central asia during the middle ages

saxophone

invented by the belgian adolphe sax in 1840, is the most recent of the woodwind instruments, it was created by combining the single reed of the clarinet with a conical bore and the metal body of the brass instrument

celesta

kind of glockenspiel that is operated by means of a keyboard, resembles a mini upright piano, sounds like a music box

bell

largely accounts for its soft, expressive timbre

double bass (contrabass or bass viol)

lowest of the orchestral string instruments, it plays the bass part- the foundation of the harmony, its deep tones support the cello part an octave lower, core or heart of orchestra

acoustic guitar

made of wood and has a fretted fingerboard and six nylon strings, which are plucked with the fingers of right hand or with a pick

oboe

made of wood, player blows directly into a double reed which consists of two thin strips of cane bound together with a narrow passage for air, it is associated with pastoral effects and nostalgic moods

string quartet

made up of two violins, viola and cella

tambourine

middle eastern origin, associated with music of Spain

marimba

more mellow xylophone of african origin

harpsichord

much used in the baroque era and its a keyboard instrument

tom tom

name given to native american or african drums of indefinite pitch

staccato

notes short and detached

bass clarinet

one octave lower in range than the clarinet, has a rich dark tone and a wide dynamic range

organ

one of the earliest keyboard instruments, also a type of wind instrument

harp

one of the oldest of musical instruments, with home of many cultures outside Europe, it produces an ethereal tone

gamelan

orchestras of Bali and Java, made up largely of gongs, xylophone instruments and drums

piano

originally known as fortepiano, italian sound for loud soft, which suggest its wide dynamic range and capacity for nuance

properties of sound

pitch, duration, volume, and timbre or tone color

double stopping

playing two strings at once

pizzicato

plucked, is created when a performer plucks the string with a finger instead of using the bow

fugue

polyphonic from popular in the baroque era which is also based on purcells theme

violoncello

popularly known as the cello, is lower in range than the viola and is notable for its singing quality and its dark resonance in the low register ; enrich sounds

bass drum

produces a low heavy sound

contrabassoon

produces the lowest tone of the woodwinds

double something else

reinforce another part when it plays the same notes an octave lower or higher (viola)

chimes or tubular bells

set of tuned metal tubes of various lengths suspended from a frame and struck of tuned metal tubes of various lengths suspended from a frame and struck with a hammer are frequently called on to stimulate church bells

cornet

similar to the trumpet and very popular in concert bands in the early 20th century

vibrato

slight throbbing, is achieved by a rapid wrist and finger movement on the string that slightly alters the pitch

mute

small attachment that fits over the bridge, muffling sound

choir

smaller group is often connected with a church or with the performance of sacred music; soprano, alto, tenor and bass

legato

smoothly, connecting the notes

dua sonata

soloist with piano

viola

somewhat larger than the violin and thus has a lower range, its strings are longer, thicker and heavier, the tone is husky in the low register, somber and penetrating in the high

various female ranges

soprano or alto

flute

soprano voice of the woodwind family, its tone is cool and velvety in the expressive low register, and often brilliant in the upper part of its range

vocal ranges from highest to lowest for females

soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto

instruments of the western world (four categories)

strings, woodwinds, brass a percussion

various male ranges

tenor and bass

vocal ranges from highest to lowest for males

tenor, baritone and bass

euphonium

tenor-range instrument whose shape resembles the tuba

tuba

the bass instrument of the brass family, furnishes the foundation for the harmony, like the double bass and contrabassoon, this adds depth to the orchestral tone, and a dark resonance ranging from velvety softness to a rumbly growl

embouchure

the entire oral mechanism of lips, lower facial muscles and jaw

trombone

the italian word that means large trumpet offers a full and rich sound in the tenor range

tremolo

the rapid repetition of a tone through a quick up and down movement of the bow is associated with suspense and excitement

vibrato

throbbing effect

xylophone

used in Africa, southeast asia, and throughout the americas, it produces a dry crisp sound

vibraphone

used in jazz as well as art music, combines the principle of the xylophone with resonators, each containing revolving disks operated by electric motors that produce an exaggerated vibrato

clarinet

uses a single reed, a small, thin piece of cane fastened against its chisel- shaped mouthpiece, it is smooth and liquid and its range remarkably wide in both pitch and volume

fluegelhorn

valved bulge with a wide bell

chordophones

violins or guitars, they produce sound from a vibrating string stretched between two points

register

we describe a specific area in the range of an instrument or voice, such as low, middle or high