Elements Of Music - Part one Flashcards
State the meaning of articulation
How notes are performed, smooth, short or accented
State the meaning of cadence
A two - chord progression that ends a phrase or section
State the meaning of a chord
Two or more notes played together
State the meaning of composer
The writer of the music
State the meaning of dynamics
How loud or soft the music is
State the meaning of harmony
A progression of chords often to accompany a melody
State the meaning of interval
The distance between two notes
State the meaning of metre
A pattern of beats often indicated by the time signature
State the meaning of modulation
How music moves from one key scale to another
State the meaning of ornament
A musical decoration
State the meaning of pitch
How high or low the music is
State the meaning of range
The interval between the highest and lowest notes of a melody, piece or section
State the meaning of rhythm
The combination of different lengths of notes
State the meaning of structure
How the music is organised into sections
State the meaning of tempo
How fast or slow the music is
State the meaning of texture
How various parts are combined and layered together to create a musical effect
State the meaning of timbre
The tone quality or specific sound that an instrument or combination of instruments make
State the meaning of tonality
The links to keys, chords and harmony and refers to whether music in major, minor, chromatic or without a clear key
How can articulation be described?
- legato
- staccato
- accent
How do woodwind or brass players create articulation?
By slurring notes to make them sound legato or tonging notes to make them sound only slightly or distinctly staccato
How can string players use articulation?
By using bows to play legato, playing without the bow and plucking the strings in pizzicato and move the bow very quickly back and forth to create the tremolo effect
What is arco?
Where string players use the bow
What is pizzicato?
Where strong players pluck the string with their fingers
What is tremolo?
When string players move the bow back and forth very quickly on one note
How can vocalists create articulation?
Where they apply a technique called melisma to create a smooth effect whilst singing opposite to syllabic where each syllable has a separate note
Give the four cadences and their chords
◾️Perfect cadence : chord V - chord I
◾️plagal cadence : chord IV -chord I
◾️imperfect cadence : chord I, II or IV - chord V
◾️interrupted cadence : chord V - Chord VI
how does a perfect cadence make the music sound?
Complete, used to end the section or complete a piece
How does is a plagal cadence used?
Often at the end of church music or hymns and makes the music sound complete
What does an imperfect cadence sound like?
Incomplete and often occurs halfway through the phrase
Describe an interrupted cadence
It sounds unexpected and comes as a surprise to the listener (as they would expect to hear chord I after chord V but instead hear chord IV).
When may a chord contain notes that clash?
In film music to reflect something scary
Which are the primary chords?
Chords I, IV and V and are most common, found in western music
Which chords are the secondary chords?
Chords II and IV, these are the minor in the major key
What is the name of chord I?
Tonic
What is the name of chord IV?
Subdominant
What is the name of chord V?
Dominant
What is harmonic rhythm?
How often chords in a piece or phrase change
Give the examples of harmony
▪️Block chords - all notes sound together
▪️broken or arpeggiated chords
▪️dissonant -where notes in a chord clash
▪️diatonic -where the harmony is major and/or minor
▪️chromatic
▪️primary -primary chords are used
▪️rich - romantic/ luscious
▪️close - notes are close together
