Definitions Flashcards
Cantus firmus
“Pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition.”
Dotted rhythm
“A type of rhythm where a beat is unequally subdivided into a longer dotted note and a short note.”
Syncopation
“Where the rhythm is off-beat by changing the where the accented notes are played within the bar.”
Hemiola
“Where a rhythm appears to be in two but is actually in three. This is because of the shift in accents.”
Dactyl rhythm
“A rhythm which consists of a long note followed by two short notes.”
Anapestic rhythm
“Opposite of a dactyl rhythm. Two short notes followed by a long note.”
Antiphonal
“Music performed by two semi-independent choirs in interaction.”
Polyrhythm
“Many different rhythms at once.”
Oral tradition
“The art of learning by listening and copying.”
Idiophone
“An instrument that creates a sound by vibrating as a whole.”
Aerophone
“An instrument that creates a sound by a vibrating column of air.”
Chordophone
“An instrument that creates a sound by a vibrating part such as a string.”
Portamento
“Sliding from one note to another.”
Tessitura
“The range of pitch of an instrument used.”
Tasto solo
“Without harmony” - used to indicate that a note in the continuo section should be played by itself.
Fugue
“A composition founded upon one subject, announced at first in one part alone, and subsequently imitated by all the other parts in turn, according to certain general principles.”
- Comes from Latin ‘fuga’, a flight, from the idea that on part starts on its course alone and those that enter later are persuing it.
Tierce de Picardie
“Ending a piece in a minor key with a major chord.”
Real answer
“In a fugue, the answer to the subject uses the same intervals as the first statement of the answer”
Ethnomusicology
“The study of different musical cultures.”
Rhythmic diminution
“Where every note gets smaller in a phrase by an equal amount - often a half.”
