Elements of music + medieval Flashcards
Disjunct Motion
Melodic Motion of pitches by leap
Soprano, Bass
highest voice and lowest voice of the range
Variation
An altered restatement of musical idea; also used to designate a form consisting of multiple variations in succession.
word-music relationships
The way a text influences our hearing of the music, and the way music affects our perception of the words.
Measure
A rhythmic unit, indicated by bar lines in notated music, that presents one complete statement of the meter.
- durations of notes (long versus short) can vary within an underlying meter.
Downbeat
The first note of a measure, which is usually emphasized in relation to the notes on other beats of the measure.
Register
The range of a pitch or series of pitches, usually described as high, middle, or low.
Key
The central note and mode on which a melody or piece is based.
Major mode
A type of scale produced by singing ”do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do,” or by playing the white keys of the piano between C and C, in which half steps occur between notes 3 and 4 and notes 7 and 8. The sound of the major mode is often described as ”bright” or ”happy,” in contrast to the minor mode.
Tonic
The note that establishes a key, based on its distinctive relationship with a particular set of harmonies or other notes in the underlying scale. Also, the chord based on the first scale degree.
- primary key area of a piece
Phrase
A brief musical statement
Orchestra
A large ensemble that consists of several different kinds of instruments, usually of different families (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion).
Tenor
A voice range between base and alto, the higher range of the male voice
Octave
The interval between two pitches of the same name (C to C, G to G, etc.). The frequency of the higher pitch is twice that of the lower pitch.
Rhythm
The ordering of music through time.
Meter (of music)
An underlying pattern of beats that maintains itself consistently throughout a work. See also ”duple meter”; ”triple meter.”
Polyphony
A musical texture consisting of multiple lines of equal importance.
Melody
A single line of notes heard in succession as a coherent unit.
- constructed from subphrases and phrases, which form complete statements ending with a cadence.
- notes form into phrases separated by breaths or pauses
Chord
Three or more notes played or sung at the same moment.
Mezzo-soprano
A voice range between soprano (the highest) and alto.
Baritone
A voice range between bass (the lowest) and tenor.
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Duple meter
An underlying pattern of rhythm in which each unit (measure) consists of one accented (strong) beat followed by one unaccented (weak) beat (1 2 I 1 2 I 1 2 I etc.) or some multiple of two (such as four or eight). A unit of four beats per measure, for example, in which the first is the strongest and the third is the next-strongest (1-2-3-4 I 1-2-3-4 I 1-2-3-4 I etc.), is a type of duple meter.
Note
The smallest unit of musical notation, indicating a specific pitch and duration, or the sounded pitch itself.
Triple Meter
An underlying pattern of rhythm in which each unit (measure) consists of one accented (strong) beat followed by two unaccented (weak) beats (1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, etc.).
Homophony
A musical texture in which a melody is performed with a supporting accompaniment.
Cadence
A point of arrival signaling the end of a musical unit.
Unison
More than one performer playing or singing the same pitch or pitches at the same time.
Timbre
The character or quality of a sound.