Final Exam Flashcards
Polyphony
Two or more melodic voices or instruments combined and weaving together
Motet
highly varied sacred choral musical composition; one of the pre-eminent polyphonic forms of Renaissance music
Chanson
is, in general, any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular
Arias
homophonic compositions featuring a solo singer over orchestral accompaniment; they are very melodic, primarily utilized in operas, cantatas and oratorios
Word Painting
the depiction of specific images from the text by vocal music. If the text refers to quickly running up a hill, the melody will ascend quickly to portray running up a hill musically
Movement
A subsection or independent section/piece of a larger work
Libretto
the text or actual words of an opera, musical, cantata, or oratorio written or compiled by a librettist
Basso Continuo
the continuous realization of harmony throughout a musical piece, usually by harpsichord and/or cello, provides a framework /template for harmonic accompaniments
reformation
the succession and division from the practices of the Roman Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther; it led to the development of protestant churches
Dance Music
music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing
homophony
Music where the melody is supported by a chordal accompaniment that moves in the same rhythm. It’s generally the opposite of polyphony, where the voice is imitative and weave with each other
Opera
Staged musical drama for voices and orchestra; they are fully blocked and performed in costume with sets. They utilize arias and recitatives without any narration
through-composed
songs or musical selections where new music is composed for each stanza or section with no repetition
solo
musical piece that features one musician, either with or without accompaniment
Madrigal
musical piece for several solo voices set to a short poem; they originated in Italy around 1520. Most were about love.
Subject
the main melody or tune of fugue
Program Music
Instrumental music was written to portray a non-musical idea, a descriptive piece
Oratorio
major work with religious or contemplative characters for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra; they do not utilize blocking costumes or scenery
Melisma
more than one note sung during one syllable of the text; this style was used extensively in Gregorian chant
Terraced Dynamics
was used during the Baroque period; this is where the different sections have a piece of music that has a set volume unique for that particular section. The next section may be written to be performed in another volume
Fugue
Perfected by J.S. Bach during the Baroque period, they are a form written in an imitative contrapuntal style in multiple parts. They are based upon their original tune, which is called the subject. The subject is imitated and overlapped by the other parts called the answer, countersubject, stretto, and episode
harmony
any simultaneous combination of tones and the rules governing those combinations. The way a melody is accompanied
Vocal
Having to do with the human voice
Chromatic
musical pitches which move up and down
a cappella
vocal music without instrumental accompaniment
Synthesizers
electronic instruments that create sounds using basic waveforms in different combinations
Interval
The distance in pitch between any two notes
Rhythm
The way the music is organized with respect to time
Woodwinds
Instruments traditionally made of wood whose sound is generated by forcing air through a tube, thus creating a vibrating air column
Melisma
multiple pitches sung to one syllable of text
Verse and refrain form
A musical form in which one section of music is sung to all the verses and a different section of music is sung to the repeating refrain or chorus
Time signature
The numeric notation at the beginning of a line of music where the top number indicates how many beats are in each measure and the bottom number indicates which type of note will represent that beat
homophonic
musical texture comprised of one melodic line accompanied by chords
disjunct
a melody with wide leaps and rapid changes
chant
text set to a melody written in monophonic texture with un-noted rhythms typically sung in worship
key
The set pitches on which a composition is based
melody
a succession of single tones in musical compositions
percussion
Instruments that are typically hit or struck by the hand, with sticks or with hammers, or that are shaken or rubbed by hand
music
sound and silence organized in time
Texture
The ways in which musical lines of a musical piece interact
Motive
the smallest musical unit of a melody, generally a single rhythm of two or three pitches
Accidentals
Notes that are not normally found in a given key
Polyphony
Musical texture that simultaneously features two or more relatively independent and important melodic lines
Chromaticism
the use of “colorful” dissonant pitches that are included in the key of the composition
Da Capo
The instruction commonly found at the end of the B section or Trio of a minuet and trio is to return to the “head” or first section, generally resulting in an A-B-A form
Leitmotiv
is a “guiding motive” associated with a specific character, theme, or locale in a musical drama and first associated with the music or Richard Wagner
Plagal cadence
ending of a composition that consists of an IV chord moving to an I chord and is most often associated with church music
Opera
is a drama almost entirely sung to orchestral accompaniment, with accompanying costumes and staging
Theme and Variation Form
The presentation of a theme and then variations upon it. The theme may be illustrated as A, with any number of variations following it- A’,A’‘,A’’‘,A’’’’,
Symphony
a multi-movement composition for orchestra, often expressed in art, literature, and music
Nationalism
is Pride in one’s nation or cultural identity, often expressed in art, literature, and music
Opera Buffa
Comic style of opera made famous by Mozart
Pizzicato
The plucking of a bowed string instrument, such as the violin, produces a percussive effect
Hemiola
The momentary shifting from a duple to a triple feel or vice versa
Art song
A composition setting a poem to music generally for one solo voice and piano accompaniment; in German, a lied
Drone
a sustained pitch or pitches often found in music of the Middle Ages and in folk music
String Quartet
A performing ensemble consisting of two violinists, one violist, and one cellist that plays compositions called this, compositions generally in four movements
Cadenza
Section of a concerto in which the soloist plays alone without the orchestra in an improvisatory style
Rubato
The momentary speeding up or slowing down of the tempo within a melody line literally “robbing” time from one note to give to another
Song Cycle
A collection of art songs unified by poet, narrative, musical style, or composer
Rondo Form
Instrumental form consisting of the alternation of refrain “A” with contrasting sections (B, C, D) these are often the final movement of string quartets, classical symphonies, concerti, and sonata
Strophic
A composition that uses the repetition of the same music for successive texts
Program Music
Instrumental music is intended to represent something extra-musical, such as a poem, narrative, drama, picture, idea, or sound therein
Chamber music
music such as art songs, piano character pieces, and string quartets- primarily performed in small performing spaces, often for personal entertainment
Opera Seria
The serious style of eighteenth-century opera made famous by Handel generally features mythology or high-born characters and plots
