Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Classical Music > Basic Terms > Flashcards

Basic Terms Flashcards

0
Q

Bel canto

A

“Beautiful singing”; style that emphasizes the beauty of sound throughout the entire range, great agility, and smoothness

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

Aria

A

Lyric operatic number for solo voice, usually expressing intense emotion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Cadence

A

A musical punctuation mark that occurs at the end of a phrase, section, or composition. A harmonic or melodic formula that conveys a momentary conclusion

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Cantata

A

Poem set to music. Usually with several movements, airs, recitatives, and choruses

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Chord

A

Three or more notes played simultaneously

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Closed cadence

A

Ends on the tonic

Gives a sense of resolution; “a period or exclamation mark”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Coda

A

A closing theme that is not part of the main thematic groups

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Concert overture

A

Music preceding an opera or play

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Conjunct

A

Smooth melodic contour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Deceptive/False cadence

A

Resolves, but not to the tonic

“A semi-colon”

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Disjunct

A

Jagged melodic contour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Dominant

A

Note and the chord based on the note a fifth above

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Duplum

A

(In a 12th c. Organum) the part immediately above the tenor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Fugue

A

Baroque musical procedure based on a subject; developed by contrapuntal techniques

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Gesamtkunstwerke

A

Wagner’s projected all-inclusive art form

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Hocket

A

Medieval practice of dividing up a melody in one or two-note phrases that are traded back and forth between two voices

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Homophonic

A

One melodic line predominates; other material is secondary

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Idée fixe

A

A recurring theme that appear in many movements of the same composition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Intermezzi

A
  1. An instrumental interlude between the acts of a performance
  2. A comic play with music performed between acts
  3. A short lyric composition, often for the piano
  4. In the old dance suite, two to four dance movements between the sarabande and the gigue
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Isorhythm

A

Repeating rhythmic pattern of one or more voices, often in medieval motets

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Kanon

A

Strict counterpoint in which each voice exactly imitates the previous voice

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Klangfarbenmelodie

A

Schoenberg’s technique of using different tone colors (different instruments) for a single pitch or melody

22
Q

Leitmotif

A

A recurring motif in a composition (usually an opera) that represents a specific person, idea, or emotion

23
Q

Madrigal

A

Renaissance vocal piece set to love poem. A Capella, word painting. Each line has its own tune.

24
Melisma
A group of several notes sung melodically to a single syllable. Especially found in liturgical chant
25
Minuet
A dance (17th and 18th c.). Graceful and dignified in moderately slow 3/4 time
26
Monophony
Single, unaccompanied melody line | Example: Gregorian chant
27
Motet
Polyphonic vocal composition style popular in Middle Ages. It evolved from disparate texts to a more unified form in the Renaissance
28
Motif
A brief succession of notes; building block of a melody.
29
Musica reservata
"Serious music"; clearly articulated words
30
Octatonic scale
A scale of eight pitches per octave arranged by alternating half steps and whole steps
31
Open cadence
Pauses on the dominant Like a comma Creates tension and the need to continue
32
Oratorio
Similar to opera, but without costumes, scenery, or action
33
Organum
First polyphonic music (12-13th c). A voice was added a fifth above plainchant.
34
Pentatonic scale
A scale of five tones. African, Far East, Native American Also, some 20th century music
35
Pitch
A single fundamental frequency with timbre
36
Plagal cadence
"Amen cadence". Usually in a musical postscript following a closed cadence.
37
Plainchant
Monophonic melodies and unmeasured vocal lines
38
Polyphony
Two or more simultaneous melody lines of equal importance
39
Schmerz
Pain or sorrow
40
Singspiel
German language musical comedy with spoken dialogue. (Type of opera) popular in 18th century. Usually romantic or farcical. Example: Mozart's The Magic Flute
41
Sonata
piece in 3 or 4 movements. Piano or piano plus one instrument. Features one repeated exposition
42
Sprechstimme
A vocal style in which the melody is spoken at approximate pitches rather than sung at exact pitches. Developed by Schoenberg
43
Sturm und Drang
"Storm and Stress" | Pre-Romantic movement bent on expressing great personal feelings and emotions
44
Texture
The number of melodies present and the relationship between them Monophony, polyphony, homophony
45
Theme
Primary musical subject matter
46
Timbre
Tone color
47
Tonality
The sense that one pitch is central to a section of music
48
Tone poem
One-movement orchestral genre from Romantic era that develops a poem or mood
49
Tonic
The home note
50
Trio
1. Ensemble of 3 instruments 2. Composition for 3 instruments 3. Type of minuet, paired with another minuet " Minuet and trio"
51
Tune
Singable, memorable melody with a clear sense of beginning, middle, and end
52
Double Exposition form
Two separately composed expositions, neither of which is repeated, followed by development, recapitulation, and coda. Example: Mozart piano concerto No. 1 in G Major
53
Cadenza
Extended solo that "interrupts" the final cadence This practice was derived from opera singers who paused and added some vocal fluff before the end of an aria Mozart would often improvise his cadenzas and never notated them. Other performers would carefully practice them to show off their virtuosic prowess

Classical Music (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions