Glossary

Question 1

Instrumentation

Answer 1

The instruments and voices employed in a piece of music

Question 2

Voice types

Answer 2

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass

Question 3

Homophony

Answer 3

A texture in which one part has the melody and the others accompany, all playing the same rhythm

Question 4

Melody Dominated Homophony

Answer 4

A texture in which the melody is rhythmically independent of the accompaniment

Question 5

Polyphony

Answer 5

A texture in which two or more musical ideas occur simultaneously

Question 6

Contrapuntal

Answer 6

Music in which two or more melodic lines occur simultaneously

Question 7

Monophony

Answer 7

A texture consisting of one musical idea

Question 8

Heterophony

Answer 8

The simultaneous performance of different versions of the same melody by different voices or instruments.

Question 9

Antiphony

Answer 9

A texture in which two or more spatially separated soloists or groups perform alternately and in combination

Question 10

Imitation

Answer 10

A texture in which a melody in one part is copied in a different part a few notes later while the other continues

Question 11

Drone

Answer 11

A continuous pedal note (Long, low, held note)

Question 12

Pedal

Answer 12

A sustained or repeated note, often tonic or dominant and most commonly in the bass, sounded against changing harmonies. (Can be a textural or harmonic device)

Question 13

Unison

Answer 13

Two or more parts playing the same notes at the same time

Question 14

Modulation

Answer 14

A change of key

Question 15

Functional Harmony

Answer 15

Using chords within the key, with the function of creating regular cadences

Question 16

Perfect Cadence

Answer 16

Moving from chord V to I at the end of a phrase

Question 17

Imperfect Cadence

Answer 17

Ending a phrase on chord V

Question 18

Extended chords

Answer 18

Chords in which further notes a 3rd apart are added to 7th chords to produce chords of the 9th, 11th, and 13th above the root

Question 19

Suspension

Answer 19

A note that doesn’t fit the chord is played (dissonant) and then resolves by step

Question 20

Dissonance

Answer 20

Notes that clash harshly when sounded together

Question 21

Conjunct

Answer 21

A melody that moves mainly by steps

Question 22

Disjunct

Answer 22

A melody that moves mainly in leaps

Question 23

Sequence

Answer 23

The immediate repetition of a melody at a pitch higher (ascending) or lower (descending)

Question 24

Melisma

Answer 24

One syllable sung to lots of notes

Question 25

Syllabic

Answer 25

One note per syllable

Question 26

Ornaments

Answer 26

Notes, often indicated by different signs that embellish the melody

Question 27

Arpeggio

Answer 27

The notes of a chord sounded separately

Question 28

Phrase

Answer 28

A section of melody that makes a statement, although not necessarily complete, that often ends with a cadence

Question 29

Syncopated

Answer 29

Strongly accented notes played off or against the beat

Question 30

Dotted Rhythms

Answer 30

Successive pairs of notes in which the first is a dotted note and the second is a short note, the two together making a complete beat or complete division of a beat.

Question 31

Triplets

Answer 31

Three notes played in the time taken by two of the same value

Question 32

Homorhythmic

Answer 32

All parts have the same rhythm, pure homophony is homorhythmic

Question 33

Anacrusis

Answer 33

One or more notes that occur before the first strong beat of a phrase (before the first bar line of a phrase). Often called an ‘upbeat’ or ‘pickup’.

Question 34

Free Time

Answer 34

Music in which the rhythm does not fit a regular pulse

Question 35

Rubato

Answer 35

Tiny fluctuations in tempo for expressive effect

Question 36

Dynamics

Answer 36

The level of loudness or softness in music and the symbols used to indicate those levels, such as: f (loud), p (soft).

Question 37

Timbre

Answer 37

Tone colour, or quality of the sound. Timbre can be vary within the range of the instrument, or be changed by using a mute or plucking a string. Sonority means the same thing.