Classical Era Flashcards
Text used in an opera
Libretto
A solo that is sung only by one person with or without instrumental accompaniment
Aria
Singer adopts rhythms of ordinary speech rather than the rhythm of the music (speak-singing)
Recitative
A group of people, large or small, singing in unison. The other meaning to the word is “climax of the song”
Chorus
This is played as an introduction to a larger musical piece.
Overture (Prelude)
A classical male singing voice that is equivalent to a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto, where the pitch is derived from the absence of hormones (Before purberty hits)
Castrato
A classical male singing voice that is equivalent to a female soprano, where the pitch of the voice is derived from well trained falseto (Not using their natural voice to sing)
Countertenor
A musical form of arias that was the most common in the Baroque era
Da Capo Aria
Rapid alternation between 2 notes a half or whole step away. Reffered to as “The Shake”
Trill
Free perfomance of a musical passage. It normally stays within the style of the piece, but stays free from following a written set of notes, most of the time
Improvisation (Extemporization)
A musical structure that has 3 main sections: An expostion, a development, and a recapitulation
Sonata Form
Presentation of the thematic material of a musical composition. It basically implies what material will be developed
Exposition
It is carried out upon portions of material treated in many different presentations and combinations at a time
Development
Occurs after the movement’s development section, and typically presents once more of the musical themes from the movement’s exposition.
Recapitulation
A passage that brings a piece to an end
Coda
