Definitions Flashcards
Define Programatic writing
Music with a descriptive element that is inspired by extramusical associations, like a story or painting
Define Concerto
a popular instrumental genre of the Baroque era for soloist(s) and orchestra
• generally in three movements: fast–slow–fast
• frequently employs ritornello form
• intended to showcase the virtuosity of the soloist(s)
Define ritornello form
a structure employed in the first and third movements of a baroque concerto
Define ripieno
Italian for “full” or “complete”
• a term used to denote the use of the full orchestra in the Baroque concerto
• often juxtaposed against the concertino
Define idiomatic writing
highlights the unique technical capabilities of an instrument through the style of writing
• developed in the Baroque era
Define ostinato
A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm
Define pedal point
a note, or a series of notes, sustained through harmony changes in other parts
Define subject
the initial statement of the main theme of a fugue
Define answer
the second statement of the main theme of a fugue
Define countersubject
a recurring countermelody, accompanies entries of the subject and answer
Define real answer
an exact transposition of the subject
Define counterpoint
a combination of two or more melodic lines also referred to as polyphonic texture
Define tonal answer
a statement of the subject in which one or more intervals is adjusted to accommodate the harmony
Define Clavier
A clavier is a German word for any keyboard instrument but the organ
Define equal temperament
a method of tuning keyboard instruments
• the octave is divided into twelve equal semitones
• facilitated the composition and performance of music in all keys
Define French Overture
a Baroque orchestral genre, often the orchestral introduction to an opera or oratorio
• first developed at the court of Louis XIV by Jean-Baptiste Lully
• generally in two parts
• first part—slow tempo, homophonic texture, features dotted figures
• second part—fast tempo, imitative texture
Define recitative
a speech-like style of singing used in opera, oratorio, and cantata
• follows inflections of the text, resulting in rhythmic flexibility within the music (to accommodate the text)
• usually used to advance the plot or storyline; moves through text quickly
Define recitativo secco:
Italian for “dry recitative”
• a speech-like, declamatory style of singing
• supported only by continuo
• employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata
Define recitativo accompagnato
Italian for “accompanied recitative”
• a speech-like, declamatory style of singing
• supported by instrumental ensemble or orchestra
• allows for greater connection with the text
• employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata
Define word painting
musical pictorialization
• the music mirrors the literal meaning of the words
• achieved through melody, harmony, or rhythm
Define libretto
the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata
• usually written by someone other than the composer
Define melisma
a group of notes sung on a single syllable/vowel
• demonstrates vocal virtuosity and often serves to highlight key words
Define aria
Italian for “air”
• a solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata
• highly emotional and often virtuosic
• may have lyrical or dramatic qualities; often serves to reveal the characters’ most intimate emotions
Define oratorio
a large-scale work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra
• serious subject, generally based on biblical texts
• consists of recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses
• developed in the Baroque era
Define chamber music
Chamber music is music for small ensemble (two to ten players)
In chamber music, there is one player per part
Chamber music is usually performed without a conductor
Define String quartet
String quartets are the most important chamber music genre of the Classical era
The performing forces in a string quartet are: first violin, second violin, viola, and cello
String quartets are usually in four movements: fast–slow–moderately fast–fast
Define theme and variations
a work featuring a statement of a melody (theme) followed by a series of transformations (variations)
• changes can be made to melody, harmony, rhythm, or (orchestration)
Define serenade
a multi-movement orchestral genre
• for small orchestra or chamber ensemble
• popular instrumental genre in the Classical era
• often performed in aristocratic circles
Define rondo form
Classical formal structure often used in sonata cycle
• Section A recurs after each alternating section, creating contrast
• Section A is heard three times or more in the tonic key
• ABACA or ABACABA
Define menuet and trio
menuet: a stylized dance of French origin developed in the Baroque era in triple meter with a graceful, elegant character
• trio: contrasting middle section
• ternary form (ABA or Menuet–Trio–Menuet)
Define sonata-rondo form
combines elements of sonata form and rondo form
• typical section order: ABACABA (ABA functions as the exposition, C functions as the development, second ABA functions as the recapitulation)
• also known as “rondo–sonata” form
Define rocket theme
rapidly ascending melody outlining an arpeggio
• often used as a dramatic opening motive in Classical-era works
Define rounded binary form
two-part form: A || B + A1 ||
• opening material from Section A returns after B material
• key structure similar to binary form
Define symphony
a multi-movement orchestral work originating in the 18th century
• usually in four movements: fast–slow–moderate–fast
• at least one movement is in sonata form
Define cyclical structure
material heard in one movement recurs in later movements
• creates structural unity in a multi-movement work
Define motive
a short melodic or rhythmic fragment used to build a melody
Define scherzo and trio
Italian for “jest” or “joke”
• Beethoven substituted the scherzo in place of the menuet as the third movement in the sonata
Define cycle
also in triple meter, but generally more dramatic than the elegant menuet
• could be humorous or ironic
• as with the menuet and trio, it contains a contrasting middle section
Define art song
the musical setting of a poem
• for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
Define Lied
plural Lieder
• the musical setting of a German poem
• for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
• flourished in the 19th century
Define durchkomponiert (through-composed)
a song structure that does not repeat entire sections of the music
• as a result, melody, harmony, and piano accompaniment are able to reflect the meaning of the text as the story unfolds
Define polonaise
stately Polish dance in triple meter, transformed by Chopin into a virtuosic piano composition
• often proud and majestic in character
• often includes characteristic rhythmic figures called “polonaise rhythms”
Define nationalism in music
important element of 19th-century musical style
• patriotism expressed through music
• is influenced by folk song and dance, myths and legends, landscapes and historical events
Define rubato
Italian for “robbed time”
• rhythmic flexibility—speeding up or slowing down
• an expressive device for interpreting music
Define idée fixe
French for “fixed idea”
• devised by Berlioz
• a recurring theme that undergoes transformation
• serves as a unifying thread in a multi-movement composition
• in Symphonie fantastique, it represents “the beloved”
Define Dies irae
Latin for “day of wrath”
• a monophonic chant melody dating from late Middle Ages
• drawn from the Roman Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead)
• 19th-century audiences would have associated the tune with funeral services
Define program symphony
a 19th-century multi-movement orchestral work
• modeled after the 18th-century symphony with programmatic elements
• includes a descriptive title
• the accompanying text often outlines the program
Define col legno
Italian for with the wood
• novel string effect used by Berlioz
• players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows
Define Habañera:
Cuban dance–song
• characteristic rhythmic motive, often used as an ostinato
Define exoticism in music
important element of 19th-century musical style
• fascination with foreign lands and cultures
• evoked through melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration
Define modal scales
the use of scales (modes) in which the pattern of whole steps and half steps is different from conventional major and minor scales; for example, Dorian, Lydian, and Mixolydian
• common in music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance; rediscovered by 20th-century composers
Define whole-tone scale
a non-traditional scale employed by composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries
• consists of six different pitches, all spaced a whole tone apart
Define pentatonic scale
scale consisting of five different pitches
Major- 123, 56
Minor- 1, 345, 71
• common to the folk music of many European and Asian cultures
Define Symbolism
a French literary movement of the late 19th century
• symbolist writers include Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé
• authors sought to suggest subject matter rather than specifically depict it
• stresses the beauty of the word itself
Define symphonic poem
one of the most important forms of orchestral program music
• a single-movement work, generally free in form, with literary or pictorial associations
• invented by Franz Liszt
Define impressionism in music:
paralleled the French movement in visual art
• employs expanded harmonic vocabulary: whole-tone, modal, pentatonic scales; parallel chords
• suggests images rather than directly depicting them
• features innovative orchestral colors, including individual treatment of instruments and use of muted instruments
• metric pulse is frequently obscured
Define primitivism
an effect created largely through rhythm, in particular polyrhythm
• uses strong accents, heavy syncopation, expanded percussion section
• is clearly demonstrated in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
Define ballet
a highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story
• first developed in the 17th century at the court of Louis XIV
• flourished in the 19th-century Russian court
• many significant composers, including Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev, composed music for this type of art form
Define choreography
the art of designing the dance steps and movements in a ballet (or musical)
Define expanded tonality
the use of extremely chromatic harmony while still maintaining allegiance to a tonal center
Define polytonality
the simultaneous use of two or more tonal centers
Define atonality
the total absence of any tonal center
• characterized by unresolved dissonances
Define musical
a unique genre developed in the United States
• a play with spoken dialogue but featuring musical numbers: songs, dances, choruses
• staging (sets, costumes, lighting) is often spectacular
Define jazz
a musical style that developed in the early 20th-century United States
• combines elements of African, popular, and European music
• based on improvisation
Define hemiola
a temporary shift of the metric accents
• notes grouped in threes are momentarily grouped in twos or vice versa
Define verse–chorus structure
a common song structure in popular music
• verses develop the characters and the storyline, while the chorus acts as a tuneful refrain
Define minimalism in music
a musical style that evolved in the late 20th century
• characterized by the repetition of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns with little variation
Define fanfare
a loud ceremonial tune or flourish
• features brass instruments
• used to herald the arrival of an important person, at the launch of an event, or in commemoration of someone
Define Ritornello
The refrain, or recurring passage which makes the movement instantly recognizable. This refrain is called the ritornello, and is played by the full orchestra
Eg. Vivaldi’s ‘Spring’
Define Concertino
In “Spring”, the solo sections, called concertino, are contrasted with sections played by the full orchestra, called the ripieno.
Define Baroque
The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning irregularly shaped or misshapen pearl. Today we use it to refer to the period between 1600 and 1750.
Define homophonic texture
a single line of melody supported by a harmonic accompaniment
Define polyphonic texture
two or more lines of melody combined
Define basso continuo
generally involves two performers—one playing the notated bass line and one realizing the harmonies as indicated by the figured bass
• harmonies usually played on
• provides harmonic framework
Define figured bass
a musical shorthand developed in the Baroque era.
numbers are placed below the bass line to show harmonic progression.
performed or realized by the basso continuo.
provides the structure for guided improvisation
Define Terraced Dynamics
Terraced dynamics is a Baroque practice of changing volume levels abruptly
Terraced dynamics result in stark contrast rather than gradual change
Define major-minor tonal system
major–minor tonal system:
• music based on major and minor scales
• gradually replaced the modal language that had been favored before the Baroque era
Define the Affections (from Baroque music)
the Affections:
• also referred to as the “Doctrine of Affections” or “the affects”
• a Baroque philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman writers and orators
• refers to emotional states of the soul
• in Baroque music, a single “affection” or “affect” (one clear emotion) is usually projected through an
entire composition or movement
Which city was the center of Baroque music?
Venice, Italy
Which city was the center of Classical music?
Vienna, Germany
Define Chromatic harmony
chromatic harmony: • from the Greek word for color, khroma • extensive use of notes from outside of the prevailing key signature • increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music (Romantic Era)
