Compositional Devices Flashcards
What is pedal point?
A note which repeats throughout an entire phrase, section, or piece.
The harmony of the chords may change, but the pedal note will not.
What is diminution?
When note values are made shorter than their original length
Brings sense of urgency and tension
What is augmentation?
When note values are made longer than their original length
Used to create sense of “majesty” or “climax” to a piece.
What is sequence?
When a melody repeats at a lower and higher pitch
A type of imitation
What is ostinato?
A short melody or rhythm that is repeated constantly.
(e.g. the snare line in Ravel’s “Bolero”)
What is imitation?
When the melody of a piece reappears in another part shortly after it is first heard
What is inversion?
When a melody is “turned upside down”. The starting note does not have to be the same, but the pattern of intervals must be.
What is a riff?
Any musical idea that exists within a piece.
What is a motif?
A short musical idea (melodic fragment, interval, rhythmic pattern) that dominates and characterises a piece.
(e.g. the “DA DA DA DUM” at the beginning of Beethoven’s fifth)
What is similar motion?
When parts move in the same direction. The notes can be at different intervals.
What is parallel motion?
When parts move in the same direction, and the interval between the notes is the same.
