Music Appreciation Part 1 (ch. 1-5)

Phrases

a self-contained portion of a melody

Chamber orchestra

a small orchestra suitable for performing chamber music

Dissonances

an interval or a chord that sounds harsh, as opposed to consonance

Consonances

an interval or a chord that sounds stable, as opposed to dissonance

Chords

2 or more notes sounded simultaneously

Ternary form

3-part form (A-B-A)

Measures (aka bars)

the basic temporal division of Western music, periodically indicated by vertical measure lines

Alto (contralto)

the low female vocal register also, a part that employs that register

Timbre (tone color)

the quality of sound that differentiates one instrument from another

Tempo

the speed of a musical composition

Harmony

the vertical combinations of pitches to produce chords the study of chord relationships

Frequencies

the vibrations produced by a particular pitch, calculated in the number of frequencies per second human ear - audible frequencies range from 20-20,000 vibrations per second

Quadruple meter

a basic meter with four beats per measure

Fundamental pitch

a basic pitch that generates a series of harmonies

Triad

a chord consisting of 3 pitches, constructed by adding pitches a third and a fifth above a fundamental pitch

Treble clef

a clef used to locate the higher-sounding pitches (flute, trumpet, violin use this)

Bass clef

a clef used to locate the lower-sounding pitches (trombone, tuba, string bass use this)

Theme and variations

a composition in which a theme is presented and varied, modified, or altered in some way in a series of variations common in Western music

Imitation

a contrapuntal technique in which one voice is imitated by one or more others

Minor scale

a diatonic scale with half-steps between scale degrees 2 and 3 and usually 5 and 6 and characterized by a minor third between degrees 1 and 3

Major scale

a diatonic scale with half-steps between scale degrees 3 and 4 and 7 and 8 and characterized by a major third between degrees 1 and 3

Mezzo soprano

a female voice range between alto and soprano

Rhythm

a fundamental aspect of music that concerns the organization of sounds into temporal relationships, also applied to a particular rhythmic pattern

Texture

a general term used to describe the blending of melodic lines and harmonies in a composition

Scale

a group of consecutive pitches filling out an octave, as in major scale, minor scale, or chromatic scale

Canon

a high style of counterpoint a composition in which the pitches of one part are strictly imitated by one or more other parts

Orchestra

a large ensemble of instrumental performers a contemporary orchestra typically has about 100 performers

Baritone

a male vocal register between tenor and bass

Metronome

a mechanical device that emits regular beats according to an adjustable scale

Common time

a meter with four quarter-note beats per measure, indicated by 4/4

Triple meter

a meter with three beats per measure, the first of which is accented (1-2-3, 1-2-3)

Duple meter

a meter with two beats per measures (1-2, 1-2)

Binary form

a musical form in 2 basic parts. often repeated

Clef

a musical symbol placed at the beginning of the staff that indicates which pitches are represented on the staff

Conductor

a musician who directs an ensemble of musicians, such as an orchestra or chorus

Eighth notes

a note 1/2 the value of a quarter note, 1/4 the value of a half note, and 1/8 the value of a whole note

Quarter notes

a note 1/4 the value of a whole note, 1/2 the value of a half note, and 2x the value of an eighth note

Half notes

a note half the value of a whole note, 2x the value of a quarter note, and 4x the value of an eighth note

Whole note

a note twice the value of a half note, 4x the value of a quarter note, and 8x the value of an eighth note

Dotted note (dot)

a note with a dot placed after it to increase its rhythmic value by 1/2

Tone

a pitch of definite height musical sound that is "pure" has no partials doesn't exist in nature, can be produced with a synthesizer

Meters

a regular arrangement of stressed and unstressed beats

Metrical

a regular arrangement of stressed and unstressed beats

Syncopation

a rhythmic device in which normally unaccented beats are accented (e.g. 1 2, 1 2, instead of 1-2, 1-2)

Triplets

a rhythmic grouping of 3 notes with the same duration at 2 similar notes

Staff (stave)

a series of 5 lines and 4 spaces used to notate music

Cadence

a series of notes or chords that suggests a musical pause or point of arrival in harmony, a series of harmonic progressions that serves to define a key

Repeat marks

a sign ( ||: :|| ) indicating that a passage is to be repeated

Natural sign

a sign used in notation to cancel a previous sharp or flat

Accidental

a sign used to alter a pitch: sharp, flat, or natural

Ensembles

a small group of instrumental or vocal musicians

Backbeat

a strong accent on a normally unaccented beat (typically the second and fourth), common in jazz, rock, and popular music

Melody

a succession of pitches with a memorable shape

Harmonics (partials, overtones)

a term in acoustics used to describe the various "partial" sounds generated by a vibrating medium in addition to the fundamental pitch; the frequencies of the partial are multiples of the fundamental pitch

Homophony

a texture characterized by a single melodic line supported by block-like chords, as opposed to polyphony "similar voices"

Polyphony

a texture in which 2 or more independent musical lines are contraposed, as opposed to homophony

Monophony

a type of music with a single melodic line, as opposed to polyphony

Measure lines (aka bar lines)

a vertical line across a staff to indicate the division of the music into measures

Choir

a vocal or an instrumental ensemble with more than one musician per part

Rounds

a vocal polyphonic work in canonic style with strict imitation between the voices

Upbeat

a weak beat that precedes a downbeat

Tempo markings

a word or metronome marking that indicates the speed of a composition

Flat

an accidental sign before a note (b) indicating that the note should be lowered one half-step

Sharp (#)

an accidental sign before a note indicating that the note should be raised one half-step

Non-imitative counterpoint

counterpoint in which the different parts are relatively independent and do not imitate one another

Imitative counterpoint

counterpoint that makes extensive use of imitation between the voices

Cut time

duple meter indicated by 2/2

Accents

emphasis placed on a note or chord, often indicated by a wedge-shaped mark (< or >)

Allegro

fast

Tie

in notation, a curved figure connecting 2 pitches to indicate that they should be held as one continuous sound

Time signature

in notation, a ratio at the beginning of the staff to include the meter of a composition

Tonic

in tonal music, the central or "home" pitch or triad the first degree of a diatonic scale

Conjunct motion

melodic motion by half-step or whole-step

Disjunct motion

melodic motion by skip, as opposed to conjunct motion

Compound meter

meter with subdivisions of the main beats into groups of three, as in (1-2-3-4 5 6) or (1-2-3-4- 5 6 7 8 9 -10- 11 12)

Chamber music

music intended to be performed in an intimate setting or with a small ensemble (piano trio, string quartet)

Rests

silence in music a notational sign, for example, specifying a momentary pause

Adagio

slow a movement in a slow tempo

Ledger lines

small parts of imaginary horizontal lines above and below the staff to accommodate extra pitches

Noise

sound with no discernible pitch rich with overlapping partials

Downbeat

the accented beat at the beginning of a measure

Counterpoint

the art of setting separate musical lines against each other also, a musical part composed to be set "in counterpoint" against another part

Key signature

the collections of sharps and flats at the beginning of a staff to indicate the key of a composition

Interval

the distance between 2 pitches

Beat

the fundamental pulse in a musical composition the basic subdivision within them measure lines of a composition

Tenor

the high male vocal register also a part that uses that register in medieval church polyphony, the tenor is the voice entrusted with the plainchant or other melody on which the composition is based

Soprano

the highest female vocal register a high musical part

Half-steps (semitones)

the interval between successive pitches of the chromatic scale the smallest interval in conventional Western music

Octave

the interval between the first and last pitches of a scale the ratio of frequencies in an octave is 2:1, with the high pitch vibrating twice as fast as the lower

Unison

the interval formed when 2 voices or instruments perform the same pitch

Whole-steps (whole tones)

the interval of a second consisting of two half-steps

Bass

the low male vocal register also, the lowest sounding part in a vocal or instrumental composition ("bass line")

Key

the major or minor mode of a composition (G major, F major, D minor, etc)

Middle C

the musical pitch C near the middle of the piano keyboard, typically found by striking the 40th key from the bottom of the keyboard

Notes

the notational symbol for a pitch

Tonality (adjective tonal)

the principal musical system in Western music from the Baroque period to the 20th century tonal music conveys a feeling of gravitational pull toward a tonic pitch, a tonic triad constructed on that pitch, and a hierarchy of triads around the tonic triad also, a key of tonal composition

Pitch

the relative height of sound in music (how high or low a musical sound is)

Notation

the system of symbols used in writing down music / musical elements

Chorus

a vocal choir