Musc 1100

Basso continuo

Baroque accompaniment made up of a bass part usually played by two instruments: a keyboard plus a low melodic instrument.

ars nova

Fourteenth-century French polyphonic musical style whose themes moved increasingly from religious to secular.

tenor

Highest male voice

motet

Polyphonic choral work set to a sacred Latin text other than that of the mass; one of the two main forms of sacred Renaissance music

Agnus Dei

Prayer for mercy and peace, solemn and elaborate, it is in triple meter, complex rhythmic patterns contribute to its intensity, based on a Gregorian chant

sacred music

Religious or spiritual music, for church or devotional use.

snare drum

indefinite pitch percussion instrument, dry rattle produce by vibration of snares- strings that are tightly stretched against the bottom head, often used in marches, aka side drum

gong

indefinite pitch percussion instrument, produces long lasting sounds that can seem solemn, mysterious, or frightening when struck, aka tam-tam

cymbals

indefinite pitch percussion instrument, round brass plates, struck together in sliding motion, and their sound penetrates like a sharp crash

percussion family

instruments that are struck by hands, with sticks, or hammers, shaken or rubbed, divided into definite and indefinite pitch

piano

invented around 1700s, produces sound through vibrating strings held under tension by an iron frame; striking a key causes a felt-covered hammer to hit a string, releasing the key ends the tone, two or three pedals, keyboard instrument, 88 keys, 7 octaves

melody

is a series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole, begins, moves, and ends, has direction, shape, and continuity

staff

is a set of five horizontal lines

harpsichord

keyboard instrument, has strings that are plucked by little wedges of plastic, leather, quill, controlled by one or two keyboards

pipe organ

keyboard instrument, wide range of pitch, dynamics, tone color, sets of pipes controlled from keyboards, and a pedal keyboard

alto

lowest female voice

bass

lowest male voice

tape studio

main tool of composers electronic music during the 1950s

theme

melody used as for the basis of musical composition

guitar

member of the string family, has six strings, plucked/strummed with fingers or a pick

viola

member of the string instrument family, range is low, tone color is darker, thicker, and less brilliant`

measured rhythm

music employing definite time values and precise meters

word painting

musical representation of specific poetic images

violin

often used as a solo instrument, body supports four strings & usually made of synthetic material, strings stretch from a tailpiece on one end over a wooden bridge to the other end, includes a bow

homophonic texture

one main melody accompanied by chords, attention is focused on melody

timpani (kettledrums)

percussion instrument, the only orchestral drums of definite pitch, calfskin head stretched over a hemispherical copper shell, varying tension of the head using adjustable screws around the head or a pedal changes the pitch

keyboard family

piano, organ, harpsichord are a part of the

electronic music

produce or amplify sounds through electronic means

musical texture

refers to how many different layers of sound are heard at once, to what kind of layers they are (melody or harmony), and how they are related to eachother

rhythm

refers to the ordered durations of sounds and silences, interrelated aspects, beat, meter, accent, syncopation, and tempo

harmony

refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow eachother

beat

regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time, represented by marks on a time line

pitch

relative highness or lowness of a sound

key signature

sharps or flats placed at the beginning of a selection indicating its key

polyphonic texture

simultaneous performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest, having many sounds

saxophone

single reed piece, tube made of brass, rich, husky, speechlike tone, woodwind family

monophonic

single-line texture, or melody without accompaniment

indefinite percussion instruments

snare drum (side drum), bass drum, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, gone (tam-tam) are

voices

soprano, alto, tenor, bass

MIDI

standard adopted by manufactures for interfacing synthesizer equipment

triangle

stuck with a metal beater and makes a tinkling, bell-like sound, indefinite pitch percussion instrument

musical notation

system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated

synthesizers

systems of electronic components that generate, modify, and control sounds

interval

the distance in pitch between any two tones

mass

the highlight of the liturgical day, a ritual reenactment of the Last Supper

double bass

the largest instrument of the violin family, having three or, usually, four strings, rested vertically on the floor when played, has very heavy tone, less agile, played with a bow

harp

the only plucked string instrument that has gained wide acceptance in the symphony orchestra, 47 strings stretched on a triangular frame, wide range of 6 octaves, member of the string family

church modes

the otherworldly sound of Gregorian chant results partly from the unfamiliar scales used, these scales are called, consist of seven different tones and an eighth tone that duplicates the first an octave higher

tempo

the speed of the beat is the basic pace of the music

Baroque period

the stylistic period between approximately 1600 and 1750

monophonic texture

the texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment, literally having one sound

definite pitch percussion instruments

the timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, chimes are

brass family

trumpet, french horn, trombone, tuba make up the

computer

used to generate music notation, to control synthesizing mechanisms, and to store samples of audio signals

string family

violin, viola, cello, double bass make up the

music

vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

a cappella

without instrumental accompaniment

oboe

woodwind instrument that has a nasal, expressive tone

Pope Marcellus Mass

written by Palestrina to save polyphony from being forbidden by the Catholic church

Renaissance

"rebirth"; following the Middle Ages, a movement that centered on the revival of interest in the classical learning of Greece and Rome

glockenspiel

a percussion instrument consisting of a set of graduated metal bars mounted on a frame and played with two small hammers, bright & silvery tone, definite pitch, aka orchestral bells

tambourine

a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides, indefinite pitch percussion instrument

tone

a sound that has a definite pitch

bassoon

a woodwind instrument that uses a double reed, tone is deeply nasal

form

associated with shape, structure, organization, coherence, the organization of musical elements in time

soprano

highest female voice

Renaissance

1450-1600

Baroque Period

1600-1750

Classical Period

1750-1825; this period focused on simplicity, directness, consistancy, images were created to be objective. This period correlates with Age of Enlightment. Popular music formats- Sonata, Concerto, String Quartet. Baroque stood aside to more efficient Classical

Romantic Period

1825-1900

20th century

1900-1999

Middle Ages

450-1450

humanism

A Renaissance intellectual movement in which thinkers studied classical texts and focused on human potential and achievements

cello

A bass instrument of the violin family, held upright on the floor between the legs of the seated player.

chords

A grouping of pitches played and heard simultaneously

tuba

A large brass wind instrument of bass pitch, with three to six valves and a broad bell typically facing upward, thick, heavy tone adds weight to the lowest register of an orchestra or band

Council of Trent

A meeting of Roman Catholic leaders, called by Pope Paul III to rule on doctrines criticized by the Protestant reformers.

Protestant Reformation

A religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches.

madrigal

A secular song for 2 or 3 unaccompanied voices (renaissance)

clarinet

A woodwind instrument with a single-reed mouthpiece, a cylindrical tube of dark wood with a flared end, and holes stopped by keys, produces tone very rapidly and has wide range of dynamics and tone color

Palestrina

Composer at the end of the Renaissance (died approx. 1600). Renowned for the purity and smoothness of his music. Spent most of his career in Rome. The Golden Age of Polyphony ends with him.

bass drum

Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, the largest of the orchestral drums

Kyrie

Lord have mercy, composed by Palestrina, sacred song from the mass

Polyphony

Music with two or more melodies blended together.

Secular Music

Nonreligious music; when there is text, it is usually in the vernacular.

sound

Vibrations that are transmitted, usually through air, to the eardrum, which sends impulses to the brain.

flute

Woodwind instrument, usually made of metal, with a high range, whose tone is produced by blowing across the edge of a mouth hole.

trombone

a brass instrument consisting of a long tube whose length can be varied by a U-shaped slide, brilliant and mellow mix tone

trumpet

a brass instrument with a flared bell and three buttons pressed to make different notes, highest range, sounds brilliant, brassy, and penetrating

French horn

a musical brass wind instrument with a long, coiled tube having a conical bore and a flaring bell, less brassy more mellow tone

Gregorian chant

consists of a melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without accompaniment, monophonic in texture, meant to enhance specific parts of religious services

xylophone

definite pitch percussion instrument, consists of a set of wooden bars that are struck with two hammers to produce a dry wooden tone

chimes

definite pitch percussion instrument, set of metal tubes hanging from a frame, struck with a hammer, sound like church bells, aka tubular bells

dynamics

degrees of loudness or softness in music, the second property of sound

timbre

described by words such as bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, and rich, the quality that distinguishes them, also known as tone color

Machaut

famous musician and poet, studied theology and spent life in the service of royal families, during the fourteenth century during the time of new art in France

woodwind family

flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon make up the