Chapters 1-3 Vocabulary Flashcards
Melody
Succession of single pitches perceived by the ear as a unity.
A line, or the tune, in music.
Contour
The overall shape of a melodic line. It can move upward or downward or remain static.
How it moves up and down
Range
Distance between the lowest and highest pitches of a melody, an instrument, or a voice.
Span of pitches
Interval
The distance between any two pitches.
The distance and relationship between two pitches
Conjunct
Smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals.
A melody that moves in small, connected intervals
Disjunct
Disjointed or disconnected melody with many leaps.
A melody that moves by leaps
Phrases
A musical unit; often component of a melody.
Units that make up a melody
Cadences
Resting place in a musical phrase; a musical punctuation.
Phrases end in resting places
Countermelody
An accompanying melody sounded against the principal melody.
A melody may be accompanied by a secondary melody.
Against a melody
Pitch
Highness or lowness of a note, depending on the frequency.
Frequency
Rate of vibration of a string or column of air, which determines pitch.
Number of vibrations per second
Note
A musical symbol denoting pitch and duration.
Each pitch with a symbol called a note on a staff
Staff
The five parallel lines on which notes are written
Five parallel lines
Duration
Length of time something lasts; e.g., the vibration of a musical sound.
Length of time of the pitch
Volume
Degree of loudness or softness of a sound.
Loudness or softness
Tone Color and Timbre
The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another. (Also Tone Color)
Rhyme Scheme
The arrangement of rhyming words or corresponding sounds at the end of poetic lines.
The way the last syllables in each line rhyme.
Climax
The high point in a melodic line or piece of music, usually representing the peak of intensity, range, and dynamics.
The high point in a melodic line.
Rhythm
The controlled movement of music in time.
What moves music forward in time.
Meter
Organization of rhythm in time; the grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns, notated as measures.
Measures/Bars
Metric grouping of beats, notated on the musical staff with bar lines.
Beats
Regular pulsation; a basic unit of length in musical time.
The basic units
Downbeat
First beat of the measure, the strongest in any meter.
Measures often begin with a strong downbeat
Simple Meters
Meter in which the beat is divided into two, as in duple, triple, and quadruple meters.
Duple, triple, and quadruple– are the most common.
Compound Meters
Divides each beat into three rather than two.
Offbeats
A weak beat or weak portion of a beat.
Syncopation
Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat of an offbeat.
Poly-rhythm
The simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns or meters, common in twentieth-century music and certain African musics.
Non-metric
Music lacking a strong sense of beat or meter, common in certain non Western cultures.
Accent
The emphasis on a beat resulting in its being louder or longer than another in a measure.
Measure Lines/Bar Lines
Vertical lines on a staff that separate measures, or bars.
Regular vertical lines through the staff
Duple Meter
Basic metrical pattern of two beats to a measure.
Alternates a strong downbeat with a weak beat
Triple Measure
Basic metrical pattern of three beats to a measure.
One strong beat and two weak ones.
Quadruple Meter
Basic metrical pattern of four beats to a measure. (Also Common Time)
Primary accent on the first beat and a secondary accent on the third
Sextuple Meters (Compound Duple)
Compound metrical pattern of six beats to a measure.
Has six beats to a measure, or two main beats that each divides into three
Harmony
The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuing relationships of intervals and chords.
Describes the vertical aspects of music: how notes (pitches) sound together
Chord
Simultaneous combination of three or more pitches that constitute a single block of harmony.
The simultaneous sounding of three or more pitches
Scale
Series of pitches in ascending or descending order, comprising the notes of a key.
Sequence of pitches
Triad
Common chord type, consisting of three pitches built on alternate notes of the scale (e.g., steps in 1-3-5, or do-mi-sol).
Three alternate pitches of a scale
Major Scale
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-W-H-W-W-W-H). Differs from the minor scale primarily in that its third degree is raised half a step.
Minor Scale
Scale consisting of seven different pitches that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps (W-H-W-W-H-W-W). Differs from the major scale primarily in that its third degree is lowered half a step.
Tonic
The first note of the scale, or key; do.
The central pitch around which a melody and its harmonies are built.
Tonality
Principal of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale.
Principle of organization
Dissonance
Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
Created by an unstable, or discordant, combination of pitches.
Consonance
Concordant or harmonious combination of pitches that provides a sense of relaxation and stability in music.
Occurs with a resolution of dissonance, producing a stable or restful sound.
Upbeat
Last beat of a measure, a weak beat, that anticipates the downbeat.
Octave
Interval between two notes eight diatonic pitches apart; the lower note vibrates half as fast as the upper and sounds an octave lower.
An interval spanning eight notes.
Drone
Sustained sounding of one or several pitches for harmonic support, a common feature of some folk musics.
