Chapter 1 Flashcards
Pitch
Highness or lowness of a musical sound
Tone
A musical sound with a definite pitch
Staff
Five horizontal lines and four spaces on which music symbols are placed
Interval
Distance between two tones
Octave
An interval comprising the first and eighth notes of a major or minor scale
Dynamics
Loudness or softness of a tone
Forte
“loud”
Fortissimo
“very loud”
Piano
“soft”
Pianissimo
“very soft”
Crescendo
A gradual increase in the volume of sound
Decrescendo
A gradual decrease in the intensity of sound
Terraced Dynamics
Abrupt changes of dynamic level
Rhythm
Movement of music in time with recurring beats and accents
Beat
A recurring rhythmic pulse of music
Accent
Emphasis or stress placed on a musical beat
Meter
A term that denotes the organization of rhythm into patterns of strong and weak beats
Measure
A grouping of beats or pulses into a fixed order
Tempo
The rate of speed at which a musical piece is performed, or relative pace of the music
Accelerando
To gradually get faster
Rallentando
To gradually get slower
Melody
A succession of notes perceived as a meaningful line
Diatonic Scale
A scale that consists of five whole steps and two half steps
Minor Scale
An ascending patter of seven tones
Pentatonic Scale
A five-note scale often found in folk music and non-western music
Chromatic Scale
A scale that utilizes all twelve pitches
Sequence
Melodic phrase repeated at different pitch levels
Cadence
The close of musical phrase
Tonic
The first and most important note
Harmony
Simultaneous combination of notes which form chords
Chord
Three or more notes heard simultaneously
Triad
A chord consisting of three tones of intervals
Dissonance
Two or more notes sounding together to produce “unsettled” sounds
Consonance
Interval or chord that has a pleasing, stable sound
Monophony
A single unaccompanied melodic line
Homophony
A melody is accompanied by chords producing harmony
Polyphony
Two or more melodies played simultaneously
Heterophony
Two or more voices in which a melody is embellished by one voice and the others perform it simply
Timbre
The characteristic quality of a voice or instrument
Soprano
Highest female voice
Mezzo Soprano
Medium-range female voice
Alto
Low female voice, high male voice
Tenor
High male voice
Baritone
Medium-range male voice
Bass
Low male voice
Band
A large instrumental ensemble consisting of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments
Conductor
A person who leads performances of music ensembles such as bands, orchestras, or choirs
Concertmaster
A member of the orchestra, usually the principal violinist, who is the assistant to the conductor
String Family
A family of instruments whose sound is produced by vibration of the strings either by plucking or bowing
Violin
Highest range of the bowed string family
Viola
Lower range than violin
Cello
Lower than viola, higher than double bass
Double Bass
Largest member of string family, lowest range
Harp
Plucked-string instrument, triangular in shape
Pizzicato
Performer plucks the strings, rather than bowing
Col Legno
Play with the stick of the bow
Tremolo
The moving backwards and forward on a string instrument with the bow
Woodwind Family
Instrumental family made wood or metal whose sound is produced by vibrations of air in a tube
Flute
A woodwing made of metal, with a high range
Piccolo
Smallest woodwind with highest range
Oboe
A double-reed woodwind with medium-high range
Clarinet
A single-reed woodwind
Bassoon
Double-reed woodwind with a low range
English Horn
Double-reed woodwind, lower range
Saxophone
Single-reed instrument used in jazz
Brass Family
Family of instruments made of brass or silver whose sound is produced by buzzing the lips into a mouthpiece
Trumpet
Highest-pitched brass instrument that changes pitch by depressing of valves
Cornet
Brass instrument like a trumpet, but more mellow
French Horn
A brass instrument with medium range
Trombone
Brass range of a moderately low range with a movable slide to change pitch
Tuba
Largest brass instrument with the lowest range that changes pitch by depressing valves
Percussion Family
A family of instruments of either definite or indefinite pitch whose sound is made by striking with hammer/stick
Timpani
Percussion instrument shaped like large copper upside-down kettles; pedal mechanism changes pitch
Chimes
Percussion instrument of definite pitch, with suspended metal tubes that are struck with a hammer
Cymbal
Percussion instruments consisting of two large plates that are struck together
Triangle
A percussion instrument of indefinite pitch consisting of metal bent into a triangle shape
Tambourine
A percussion instrument of indefinite pitch consisting of a round frame with pairs of small metal plates that jingle
Xylophone
A percussion instrument of definite pitch consisting of flat blocks of wood laid on a frame
Snare Drum
A percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, small cylinder with skind stretched over the end
Bass Drum
A percussion instrument of indefinite pitch played with a large soft mallet
Piano
An acoustic, stringed musical instrument
Pianoforte
A keyboard instrument invented in 1700’s that uses a mechanism in which the strings are struck
Harpsichord
Popular Baroque keyboard; strings were plucked by small plectrum or quill
Pipe Organ
Large instrument having several keyboards and ranks of tuned pipes of various sizes
Opus
“work”
Score
Notated parts for all the voices and instruments of a music composition
Symphony
A large work for orchestra
Symphony Orchestra
A large instrumental ensemble consisting of strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion
