Exam 1 All Flashcards
Tempo
The speed at which the beat sounds.
Duple Meter
A gathering of beats into two beats per measure, with every other beat stressed. ONE, TWO, ONE, TWO…
Triple Meter
A gathering of beats into three beats per measure, with every third beat stressed. ONE, TWO, THREE, ONE, TWO, THREE…
Accelerando
A tempo mark indicating “getting faster”.
Ritardando
A tempo mark indicating “slowing down”.
Syncopation
A rhythmic device in which the natural accent falling on a strong beat is displaced to a weak beat or between the beats.
Melody
A series of notes arranged in order to form a distinctive, recognizable musical unit; most often placed in the treble.
Pitch
The relative position, high or low, of a musical sound.
Mode
A pattern of pitches forming a scale; the two primary modes in Western music are major an minor.
Modulation
The process in music whereby the tonal center changes from one key to another… from G major to C major, for example.
Dissonance
A discordant mingling of sounds, sounding disagreeable and unstable.
Consonance
Pitches sounding agreeable and stable.
A Capella
A term applied to unaccompanied vocal music; originated in the expression a cappella Sistina, “in the Sistine Chapel” of the pope, where instruments were forbidden to accompany the singers.
Canon (round)
A contrapuntal form in which the individual voices enter and each in turn duplicates exactly the melody that the first voice played or sang.
Dynamics
The various levels of volume, loud and soft, at which sounds are produced in a musical composition.
Forte
In musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating “loud”.
Piano
In musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating “soft”.
Crescendo
A gradual increase in the volume of sound.
Decrescendo
A gradual decrease in the volume of sound.
Timbre
The character or quality of a musical tone produced by a voice or an instrument, as determined by its harmonics and its attack and decay.
Vibrato
A slight and continual wobbling of the pitch produced on a string instrument or by the human voice.
Trill
A rapid alternation of two neighboring pitches.
Monophony
A musical texture involving only a single line of music with no accompaniment.
Homophony
A texture in which all the voices, or lines, move to new pitches at roughly the same time; often referred to in contradistinction to polyphony.
Polyphony
A musical texture involving two or more simultaneously sounding lines; the lines are often independent and create counterpoint. (Imitative: A canon or round). (Non-imitative: A fugue).
Genre
A type of music; specifically, the quality of musical style, form, performing medium, and place of performance that characterize any one type of music.
Musical Form
The purposeful organization of the artist’s materials; in music, the general shape of a composition as perceived by the listener.
Variation Form
The original melody returns but is altered in some way.
Strophic Form
A musical form often used in setting a strophic, or stanzaic, text, such as a hymn or carol; the music is repeated anew for each successive strophe.
Strophe (stanza)
A poetic unit of two or more lines with a consistent meter and rhyme scheme.
Binary Form
A musical form consisting of two contrasting units (A & B), constructed to balance and complement each other.
Ternary Form
A three-part musical form in which the third section is a repeat of the first; hence ABA.
Rondo Form
A classical form with at least three statements of the refrain (A) and at least two contrasting sections (at least B & C); placements of the refrain creates symmetrical patterns such as ABACA, ABACABA, or even ABACADA.
Ritornello Form
Form in a Baroque concerto grosso in which all or part of the main theme–The ritornello (Italian for “return” or “refrain”)–returns agan and again, invariably played by the tutti, or full orchestra.
AA or AB
“A” is the first statement of a musical idea. “B”, “C”, etc. are contrasting sections.
Musical Sections
- *Strings** (Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp).
- *Woodwinds** (Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Contrabassoon).
- *Brasses** (Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba).
- *Percussion** (Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Cymbals).
- *Keyboard Instruments** (Pipe Organ, Harpsichord, Piano, Electric keyboard).
Mass
Symbolic reenactment of the Last Supper.
Ordinary of the Mass
The five sung portions of the Mass for which the texts are invariable.
(Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei).
Gregorian Chant (plainsong)
A large body of unaccompanied monophonic vocal music, set to latin texts, composed for the Western Church over the course of fifteenth centuries, from the time of the earliest fathers to the Council of Trent (1545 - 1563).
“Dies Irae”, What is this an example of?
A medieval Chant
What is the difference between syllabic and melismatic singing?
Syllabic singing: only one or two notes for each syllable of text. Melismatic singing: many notes sung to just one syllable.
What is organum and where was it first used and by whom?
Organum: the name given generally to early church polyphony. First used in 1198 by Perotinus, director of the choir at Notre Dame of Paris.
Troubador
Poet-musicians who flourished in the courts of SOUTHERN France.
Trouvère
Poet-musicians who flourished in the courts of NORTHERN France.
Chanson
French for “song”.
Carol
A song in the local language that marked Christmas, Easter, or even a military victory; most carols use strophic form.
What is a Vielle? An ancestor of what?
Medieval fiddle. Ancestor of the modern violin.
Hildegard of Bingen
Wrote Monophonic Chant: “O rubor sanguinis”
Worked in convent near Bingen Germany.
Styles: Monophonic. Syllabic & Melismatic singing.
Guillame de Machaut
Wrote the best-known polyphonic work in medieval music: Ordinary of the mass “Kyrie of Messe de Nostre Dame”.
Worked in Paris. Styles: Polyphonic & Monophonic.
What is the Doctrine of Affections
Early-seventeenth-century aesthetic theory that held that different musical moods could and should be used to influence the emotions, or affections, of the listener.
What is an opera?
A dramatic work in which the actors sing some or all of their parts; it usually makes use of elaborate stage sets and costumes.
What is the text of an opera called?
Libretto
The opening of the opera begins with a stirring instrumental piece called an…?
Overture
What does basso continuo mean? This was read by using what type of notation?
Bass-driven chordal support. Read by using “figured bass”.
What is a toccata? What does this word mean?
A one-movement composition, free in form, originally for solo keyboard but later for instrumental ensemble as well. Means “a touched thing”.
What is an aria?
(Italian for “song” or “air”) An elaborate lyrical song for solo voice.
What is recitative?
Musically heightened speech, often used in an opera, oratorio, or cantata to report dramatic action and advance the plot.
What is ritornello?
A theme in baroque works that returns again and again; from Italian for “return” or “refrain”.
What is basso ostinato or ground bass?
A motive or phrase in the bass that is repeated again and again.
Claudio Monteverdi
Wrote:
Orfeo (1607), Toccata #20
Orfeo (1607), #21
Johann Pachelbel
Wrote:
Canon in D major (c. 1690) #23
What is a fugue?
A composition for three, four, or five parts played or sung by voices or instruments; begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part and continues with modulating passages of free counterpoint and further appearances of the subject.
What is idiomatic writing?
A musical composition that exploits the strengths and avoids the weaknesses of particular voices and instruments.
What is a French Overture?
An overture style developed by Jean-Baptiste Lully with two sections, the first slow in duple meter with dotted note values, the second fast in triple meter and with light imitation; the first section can be repeated after the second.
Concerto
From Latin “to strive together”. A musical composition marked by a friendly contest or competition between one or more soloists and an orchestra.
Solo Concerto
When only one soloist confronts the orchestra.
Concerto Grosso
When a small group of soloist works together, performing as a unit against the full orchestra.
Antonio Vivaldi
Wrote:
Violin Concerto in E major (the “Spring”, early 1700s)
Henry Purcell
Wrote:
Dido and Aeneas (1689)
What is a pedal point?
A note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it.
What is the subject of a fugue?
The principal theme.
What is the episode part of a fugue?
A passage of free, non-imitative counterpoint.
What is the exposition of a fugue?
The opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject.
What is a cadenza?
A showy passage for the soloist appearing near the end of the movement in a concerto.
What is a cantata?
A term originally meaning “something sung”; in its mature state, it consists of several movements, including one or more arias, ariosos, and recitatives; cantatas can be on secular subjects and intended for private performances or on religious subjects, such as those of J.S. Bach for the Lutheran Church.
What is a Walking Bass?
A bass line that moves at a moderate pace, mostly in equal note values, and often stepwise up or down the scale.
What is generally in da capa form?
Ternary (ABA) form for an aria, so called because the performers, when reaching the end of B, “take it from the head” and repeat A.
What is a chorale?
The German word for the hymn of the Lutheran Church.
J.S. Bach
Composed:
Well-Tempered Clavier Organ Fuge in G minor (c. 1710) #25
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major (c. 1720) #26
Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (1731) #27, 28, 29
Dance Suite
A collection of instrumental dances, each with its own distinctive rhythm and character.
Where was the Water Music by Handel performed?
The Thames river.
What is an oratorio?
A large-scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but sung, whether in a theater or a church, without costumes or scenery.
G.F Handel
Composed:
Water Music (1717) #30
Messiah (1741) #31
Halelujah (1741) #4
Song name and composer?
Dies Irae, Gregorian Chant
Song name and composer?
O Rubor Sanguinis, Hildegard of Bingen
Song name and composer?
Viderunt omnes, Perotinus
Song name and composer?
Kyrie of Messe de Nostre Dame, Guillaume de Machaut
Song name and composer?
Ave Maria, Josquin Deprez
Song name and composer?
Kyrie of the Missa Papae Marcelli, Palastrina
Song name and composer?
As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending, Thomas Weelkes
Song name and composer?
Orfeo Toccata, Claudio Monteverdi
Song name and composer?
When I am Laid in Earth, Henry Purcell
Song name and composer?
Canon in D, Johann Pachelbel
Song name and composer?
Violin Concerto in E (Spring), Antonio Vivaldi
Song name and composer?
Organ Fugue in G minor, J.S. Bach
Song name and composer?
Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, J.S. Bach
Song name and composer?
Wachet Auf, 4th Movement, J.S. Bach (Cantata)
Song name and composer?
Water Music Minuet and Trio, G.F. Handel
Song name and composer?
Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah, G.F. Handel
What does the word Renaissance mean?
“Rebirth”
What is the philosophical belief system that began to take hold in the Renaissance period?
Humanism
What is a motet?
A composition for a polyphonic choir, setting a Latin text on a sacred subject and intended to be sung either at a religious service in a church or in private devotion at home.
Who rote the motet “Ave Maria”? How is imitation used in this piece?
Josquin Desprez
Polyphonic
Josquin Desprez
(1455-1521)
Wrote: Ave Maria (c. 1485) #16
Worked in: Italy (Milan, Ferrara, and Rome)
Styles: Polyphonic Motet
What was the counter-reformation? Why did it happen?
A movement that fostered reform in the Roman Catholic Church in response to the challenge of the Protestant Reformation that led to a conservative, austere approach to art.
What happened with music at the council of Trent?
Reformers were alarmed by the incessant entry of voices in musical imitation; they feared that excessively dense counterpoint was burying the word of the lord. Words became clearer.
How did Palastrina make a difference to music of the future after the Council of Trent?
His polyphonic Mass was devoid of a strong beat and “catchy” rhythms, and it privileged simple counterpoint over complex, imitative polyphony, qualities that allowed the text to project with great clarity.
What is the name of the mass that Palastrina wrote?
“Kyrie of the Missa Papae Marcelli” (1555) #17
What is the shawm? An ancestor of what?
An early Trombone and a predecessor of the oboe.
What are a pavane and a galliard?
Pavane: A slow, gliding dance in duple meter performed by couples holding hands.
Galliard: A fast, leaping dance in triple meter.
What is a madrigal?
A piece for several solo voices (usually four or five) that sets a vernacular poem, most often about love, to music.
What is a castrato?
A male adult singer who was castrated as a boy to keep his voice from changing so that it would remain in the soprano or alto register.
Thomas Weelkes
(1576-1623) Wrote: As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending (1601)
Worked in: England
Styles: Madrigal
What is Word Painting? Who used this extensively? What song from the reading do you see it in?
The process of depicting the text in music, be it subtly, overtly, or even jokingly, by means of expressive musical devices. The English used it extensively. Song: Thomas Weelkes, As Vestas Was from Latmos Hill Descending.
What is a madrigalism?
A device, originating in the madrigal, by which key words in a text spark a particularly expressive musical setting.
Orchestra Seating
