Fine Arts Sections I & II Flashcards
Fine Arts
What is the broadest definition of music
sound organized in time
What is required to make music?
a time frame, sound waves, and a cognizant mind to perceive and interpret these sounds
Who is the person who first imagines the music?
a composer
What is needed for music to exist?
some degree of human intention and perception
What is sound?
a wave of energy
What 2 attributes does a sound wave have?
amplitude and frequency
What attribute of a sound wave affects the decibel level?
the amplitude
The higher the amplitude of a sound, the ____________ it is.
louder
What is decibel level?
how loud or soft the tone is, volume
What attribute of a sound wave affects the pitch?
frequency
The greater frequency of a sound, the ____________ its pitch.
higher
At what frequency do humans hear sound?
20–20,000 cycles per second
What does a pure sine wave at 440 Hz sound like?
an A above middle C
What is Hz?
cycles per second
What frequency do musicians in the US tune their instruments to?
A–440 or 440Hz
What are the 2 types of musical sound?
pitched and non–pitched
What instrument type provides most of the non–pitched sounds?
percussion
What is the term for scholars who study music?
ethnomusicologists
In the late 1800s, Curt Sachs and Erich von Hornbostel categorized instruments into which 4 groups?
chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, and idiophones
What are chordophones?
instruments that use strings to create sound waves
What are aerophones?
instruments that use air to create sound waves
What are membranophones?
instruments that use skin or other membranes stretched across a frame that vibrates when struck
What are idiophones?
instruments whose bodies vibrate when struck
What was the name of the 5th category of instrument added later? (Sachs and Hornbostel)
electrophones
What are electrophones?
instruments that create sound waves using an oscillator and are dependent on electricity
Before Sachs and Hornbostel, instruments were grouped into what?
families
What are the instrument families?
strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and keyboard
What are woodwinds?
instruments that use one or two vibrating reeds, or just air, to create sounds
What are brass instruments?
metal instruments, sound is created by the buzzing lips of the performer
The marimba is in which instrument family?
percussion
The marimba is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The piccolo is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The piano is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
varies
The timpani is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
membranophones
The violin is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The trumpet is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The harpsichord is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
varies
The viola is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The bass drum is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
membranophones
The flute is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The trombone is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The xylophone is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The cello is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The snare drum is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
membranophones
The vibraphone is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The organ is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
varies
The French horn is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The double bass is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The celesta is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
varies
The bassoon is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The guitar is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The tambourine is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
membranophones
The tubular bells are in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The tuba is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The gongs are in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The saxophone is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The lute is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
chordophones
The flugelhorn is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The cymbals are in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The baritone is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophones
The triangle is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
The bugle is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
aerophone
The wood block is in which Sachs and Hornbostel classification?
idiophones
When did electronic instruments begin to appear?
the early 1900s
What is one of the best–known early electronic instruments?
the theremin
How is the theremin played?
a performer regulates frequency and amplitude using their hands by disturbing electrical fields that surround the protruding bars
When did electronic instruments advance a lot?
by the end of WWII
Advances in which technology had been made after WWII?
electronics and radio technology
What language is musique concrete?
French
What does musique concrete mean?
recording, mixing, and editing sounds made by live performers to fit a need
Why was musique concrete a French term?
because the first practitioners were based in Paris
What cities had the most famous postwar centers for electronic music?
Rome, Paris, Cologne, and New York City
A musical sound has what 4 properties?
pitch, duration, volume, and timbre
What is pitch?
The highness or lowness of a sound
What do musicians refer to when they speak of a pitch”?”
a single tone whose highness or lowness does not change
How does the pitch of a tuba compare to the pitch of a piccolo?
the pitch of a tuba is lower than the pitch of a piccolo
What is the musical term for the distance between a note and the same note that is either higher or lower than it?
octave
On a keyboard, where are higher–sounding keys located?
to the right
On a keyboard, where are lower–sounding keys located?
to the left
On the keyboard, which note is equidistant from the ends?
middle C
Moving left to right of a keyboard is called moving _________ the keyboard.
up
Moving right to left of a keyboard is called moving _________ the keyboard.
down
Black keys on the keyboard are arranged in groups of how many?
2 or 3
What is the distance between any 2 adjacent keys on the keyboard called?
a half–step or semitone
What is the distance between every other key on a keyboard called?
a whole step
What is a scale?
a series of pitches in ascending or descending order
What are the white keys on a keyboard called?
the natural keys
The natural notes span from which letters?
A to G, A B C D E F G
What do musicians assume if there is no natural sign?
the pitch is natural
The sharp and flat signs on a note indicate what?
the pitch has been raised or lowered a half–step
What symbol represents a sharp in music?
#
What symbol represents a flat in music?
♭
What does a sharp sign on a note tell a musician to do?
raise the note by a semitone, ex: A becomes A sharp
What does a flat sign on a note tell a musician to do?
lower the note by a semitone, ex: A becomes A flat
What is another name for A sharp?
B natural
What is another name for C flat?
B Natural
What is the distance between any two pitches called?
an interval
What is the smallest interval in Western music?
a semitone
Intervals can be performed so that they are ___________ or _____________.
harmonic, melodic
What are harmonic intervals?
intervals where the 2 pitches occur simultaneously to produce harmony
What are melodic intervals?
ascending or descending intervals
What is the most common scale type?
the major scales
What is the 2nd most common scale type?
the minor scales
What are the 3 types of minor scales?
natural (or pure) minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor
What is M2 in music?
a whole step
What is m3 in music?
minor third
What is M3 in music?
a major third
What is P4 in music?
a perfect fourth
What is aug4 in music?
an augmented fourth
What is d5 in music?
diminished fifth
What is TT in music?
tritone
What is P5 in music?
a perfect fifth
What is m6 in music?
a minor sixth
What is M6 in music?
a major sixth
What is m7 in music?
a minor seventh
What is M7 in music?
a major seventh
What is P8 in music?
an octave
How many half–steps are in a semitone?
1
How many half–steps are in a whole step?
2
How many half–steps are in an octave?
12
How many half–steps are in a minor third?
3
How many half–steps are in a major seventh?
11
How many half–steps are in a minor seventh?
10
How many half–steps are in a major third?
4
How many half–steps are in a minor sixth?
8
How many half–steps are in a perfect fourth?
5
How many half–steps are in an augmented fourth?
6
How many half–steps are in a major sixth?
9
How many half–steps are in a diminished fifth?
6
How many half–steps are in a tritone?
6
How many half–steps are in a perfect 5th?
7
A lowered third scale degree is an attribute of which type of scales?
minor scales
What is a lowered third–scale degree?
the interval from the tonic to the 3rd pitch of the scale is a minor third
How is harmonic minor mode created?
by raising the seventh scale degree by one–half
How are melodic minor scales created?
by raising the 6th and 7th scale degrees
What are major and minor scales that begin and end on the same tonic pitch called?
parallel
What do scales with blues inflections combine?
elements of both major and minor scales
Which scale degrees are/can be lowered in blues scales?
either 3 or 7, and sometimes 5
What is a melody?
a series of successive pitches perceived by the ear to form a coherent whole
How many pitches occur at a time in a melody most of the time?
only 1
Why would 2 pitches occur together in a melody?
to form harmony or counterpoint
What is rhythm?
the way music is organized in time
What is beat?
the steady pulse that underlies most music
What is tempo?
the speed of the beat
Why do the Italian terms for tempo indicate mood or other expressive quantities?
because they predate the invention of actual timekeeping
What does Allegro mean?
cheerful
How should Allegro be executed as a tempo?
fast
What is the term used when the tempo slows down?
ritardando or rit.
What is the term used when the tempo speeds up?
accelerando or accel.
What is the term used when the tempo slows down or speeds up gradually?
poco a poco
What is the term used when the tempo slows down or speeds up suddenly?
subito
What is the term used for a piece with no steady tempo/discernable beat?
the piece is considered to be unmetered
What is the term used when the tempo slows down or speeds up for expressive effect?
rubato
Does the length of beats change?
No, they are all the same
Does the importance of beats change?
Yes, some beats are more important than others
What is meter in music?
the pattern of emphasis imposed on certain beats
What are the general types of meter?
duple, triple, quadruple, and irregular/asymmetrical
About how many beats per minute is Presto?
200 bpm
About how many beats per minute is Allegro?
120
About how many beats per minute is Moderato?
108
About how many beats per minute is Andante?
84
About how many beats per minute is Adagio?
72
About how many beats per minute is Lento or Grave?
40
What does Presto mean in terms of tempo?
very fast
What does Adagio mean in terms of tempo?
slow
What does Moderato mean in terms of tempo?
moderate
What does Lento/Grave mean in terms of tempo?
very slow
What does Allegro mean in terms of tempo?
fast
What does Andante mean in terms of tempo?
at a walking tempo”
What is the first beat of any measure called?
the downbeat or strong beat
What is usually the strongest beat of any measure?
the first beat
Music with groups of 2 beats, alternating as STRONG–weak–STRONG–weak, is in which meter?
duple meter
Music with groups of 3 beats, alternating as STRONG–weak–weak–STRONG–weak–weak, is in which meter?
triple meter
What is the longest note?
the whole note
What does a dot after a note indicate?
add half its value
When a flag is added to a note, what does that mean?
it means to divide the note’s value by 1/2
What does a tie in music do?
it adds the values of the tied notes together
What are symbols for silence?
rests
When does harmony occur?
when 2 or more tones are sounding simultaneously
What is a chord?
3 or more pitches sounding simultaneously
What is the key of a musical piece?
the set of seven notes that is set for the piece