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Glossary Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

What are added notes?

A

Notes that are added to a basic triad such as a 7th or a 9th

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2
Q

What is an added sixth chord?

A

A common chord in jazz and popular music, a triad with a 6th added above the tonic

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3
Q

What is the tonic?

A

The tonic is the first note of any scale. If the key is C major, then C is the tonic.

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4
Q

What is alberti bass and what period is it commonly used in ?

A

It is made up of broken chords and used as an accompaniment. It is commonly used in the classical period.

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5
Q

What is an altered note?

A

Notes in the chord that have been sharpened or flattened by a semi tone?

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6
Q

What is a semitone?

A

When a note goes up half a step,example: C to C#

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7
Q

What is an answer?

A

The subject repeated usually a 4th or 5th higher

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8
Q

What does anthemic mean?

A

A song with a strong,memorable melody that has uplifting characteristics

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9
Q

What does antiphonal mean?

A

Music performed alternately by 2 groups that are often physically separated

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10
Q

What is an appoggiatura?

A

An appoggiatura leans on the main note taking part of its value.

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11
Q

What does arpeggiated mean?

A

Instead of strumming the chords, you’ll play each note of the chord one at a time.

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12
Q

What is articulation?

A

How a note is played example: stacatto,legato,accented

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13
Q

What does atonal mean?

A

Music that doesn’t have a key

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14
Q

What does the attack of the note describe?

A

How the note sounds when it comes into a piece- Example: A slow attack will sound like the note is fading in and a fast attack will sound powerful

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15
Q

What is an augmented chord?

A

A triad built on two major 3rds. Example: Ab-C and C-E

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16
Q

What is augmented?

A

Doubling (or more) of the original notes durations

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17
Q

What is a bare fifth?

A

Chords lacking the third and therefore ambigious in terms of major/minor tonality

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18
Q

What is basso continuo?

A

Continuous bass parts are provided for harpsichord and string instruments such as bass voil and lute.

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19
Q

What is binary form?

A

A A B B

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20
Q

What does bitonal mean?

A

Music that is in two keys at the same time

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21
Q

What are block triads?

A

Major or minor triads in root position built up in thirds

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22
Q

What does breakdown mean?

A

When many of the parts drop out of the musical texture for a short period of time

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23
Q

What is a bridge passage?

A

A linking passage used to change the key of the piece in preparation for the second subject

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24
Q

What is a broken chord?

A

When the notes of a chord are played one at a time rather than being played together

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25
Q

What does build mean?

A

The gradual introduction of more instruments

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26
Q

What does cadential mean?

A

A progression of chords forming a cadence

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27
Q

What does canon mean?

A

Parts copy each other in exact intervals,usually the fifth or the octave, but at different beats of the bar

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28
Q

What does cantare mean?

A

Sung

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29
Q

What is a capo?

A

A clamp fastened across all strings on the neck of a stringed instrument to raise their pitch

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30
Q

Who is Chopin?

A

A polish composer of piano music in the Romantic style

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31
Q

What does chord voicing mean?

A

How the notes in a chord have been spaced out and the order that they occur

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32
Q

What is chromatic harmony?

A

Notes that are not diatonic (part of the key of the music)

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33
Q

What is chromatic melody?

A

A melody ascending or descending in semitones

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34
Q

What is the circle of fifths?

A

A series of chords in which the root note of each chord is a fifth lower or a fourth higher than the previous one.

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35
Q

What dates are the classical period?

A

1750-1820

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36
Q

What is a codetta?

A

A short coda including a single section within a movement

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37
Q

What does colla voice mean?

A

It is an instruction to the band and musical director to follow the vocalists tempo

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38
Q

What is a compound interval?

A

An interval extending over more than one octave

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39
Q

What is compound metre?

A

A metre where the beat is dotted and subdivides into groups of three

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40
Q

What is compound time signature?

A

When the bar feels like it needs to be split into groups of three. (Having a group of three mini beats in a big beat)
Example: 6/8

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41
Q

What is a concertino?

A

The smaller groups of soloists in a concerto grosso

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42
Q

What is a concerto grosso?

A

A concerto for more than one soloist

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43
Q

What does conjunct mean?

A

Movement by step

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44
Q

What is consonant?

A

Intervals or chords that sound pleasant

Example: triads and intervals of a third and sixth

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45
Q

What does contrapuntal mean?

A

When two melodies are played ‘against’ each other and interweave.

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46
Q

What does counterpoint mean?

A

The simultaneous combination of two or more melodies with independent rhythms

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47
Q

What does countersubject mean?

A

When the melody is played after the subject or answer has been sounded.
The melody is literally counter(against) the subject

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48
Q

What is a cover?

A

A new version of an existing song

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49
Q

What is a crescendo?

A

Getting gradually louder

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50
Q

What are cross rhythms?

A

Rhythms that cross the usual pattern of accented and unaccented beats,creating irregular accents and syncopated effects

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51
Q

What is a cue?

A

A section of music in a film

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52
Q

What is another name for Da capo aria?

A

ABA

Ternary Form

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53
Q

What is decay?

A

How the note dies away after being sounded

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54
Q

What is dialoguing?

A

Instruments playing one after the other,swapping ideas

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55
Q

What does diatonic mean?

A

Notes that belong to the key of the piece

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56
Q

What is diegetic music?

A

Music contained within the action of the film and is included in the story.
If a character in the story can hear the music,it is diabetic.
Most film music is non diegetic.

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57
Q

What is a diminished seventh?

A

A four note chord made up of minor third intervals

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58
Q

What is diminuendo?

A

Getting gradually quieter

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59
Q

What does disjunct mean?

A

Movement by leap

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60
Q

What does dissonant mean?

A

Clashing

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61
Q

What is distortion?

A

An effect that increases the volume and sustain on an electric guitar as well as making the timbre more gritty or smooth depending on the settings

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62
Q

What is a dominant preparation?

A

A passage focused on the dominant chord to create expectation for a return to the tonic

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63
Q

What is a dominant seventh?

A

Chord 5 with added minor seventh

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64
Q

What does the dominant mean?

A

The 5th note of the scale or key -the strongest note after the tonic

65
Q

What is a drone?

A

A continuously held or repeated note,usually low in pitch

66
Q

What is a drum loop?

A

A pre recorded drum pattern repeated on a loop

67
Q

What are dynamics?

A

Marks in the score indicating to the performer how loud or soft their part should be played

68
Q

What is enharmonic?

A

Two identically sounding pitches with different names.

Example: Eb and D#

69
Q

What is an extended chord?

A

A chord with at least one added note such as the ninth

70
Q

What is a fanfare?

A

A celebratory piece for brass instruments often marking the opening of an important event or ceremony.

71
Q

What is a figured bass?

A

A form of musical shorthand that the keyboard player reads from the score to play the intended harmony.

72
Q

What does the first subject mean?

A

The first theme of melody

73
Q

What is flanging?

A

An effect creating a swirling or swooshing sound

74
Q

What does fortissimo mean?

A

Very loud

75
Q

What does forte mean?

A

Loud

76
Q

What is a fugal exposition?

A

The initial statements of the subject and answer

77
Q

What is a fugue?

A

A musical form made up of an exposition,middle section and final section.
The music is contrapuntal

78
Q

What is a fusion?

A

The blending of two or more musical styles,usually from different cultures

79
Q

What is a gavotte?

A

A medium paced French dance in 4/4 time beginning on the third beat of the bar. Popular in the 18th century.

80
Q

What is glam music?

A

A genre of rock known for glamorous dress sense such as platform shoes and glitter

81
Q

What is gospel music?

A

A musical style with roots in the black oral tradition where vocal harmonies play a prominent role

82
Q

What is harmonic rhythm?

A

The rate at which the chords change

83
Q

What is a harmonic sequence?

A

When a chord sequence is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch

84
Q

What is heterophonic?

A

Two or more instruments playing the same melody at the same time,but each embellishing it in a slightly different way

85
Q

What does homophonic mean?

A

A texture made up of a melody part and an accompaniment

86
Q

What is an imperfect cadence?

A

A cadence usually ending on chord 5 and sounding incomplete

87
Q

What are independent parts?

A

The instruments or voices doing different things

88
Q

What is an interrupted cadence?

A

Chord 5 followed by chord 6

89
Q

What does the interval mean?

A

The distance between two notes

90
Q

What do inversions mean?

A

Major or minor triads with either the third (first inversion) or the fifth (second inversion) in the bass

91
Q

What does jukebox musical mean?

A

When the score for a musical is made up of existing songs,usually all by the same artist of with a strong thematic link

92
Q

What does the key signature show?

A

It tells us the key of the music

93
Q

What is a lament?

A

A song with a surrowful mood. Often slow and in a minor key

94
Q

What are ledger lines?

A

Mini lines used to extend the pitch upwards above the stave or downwards below it

95
Q

What does legato mean?

A

Played in a smooth fashion ( the opposite of staccato)

96
Q

What is a leitmotif?

A

A recurring musical idea which is associated with a particular theme,character or place

97
Q

What is a loop?

A

A short repeated passage often involving electronic drums

98
Q

What is melismatic?

A

A vocal melody with several notes per syllable

99
Q

What is metre?

A

Refers to the number of beats in a bar and how they are subdivided

100
Q

What is metrical shifting?

A

The downbeat is shifted to a different part of the bar

101
Q

What does mezzo forte mean in dynamics?

A

Moderately loud

102
Q

What is the middle 8?

A

It connects two sections of a pop or rock song but is not necessarily 8 bars long

103
Q

What is the mix?

A

The relative volume of the different parts in a recording and their place in the stereo field

104
Q

What does monophonic mean?

A

A musical texture made up of a single line

105
Q

What is a motif?

A

A short melodic phrase of just a few notes

106
Q

What is multitrack?

A

A recording of a performance on separate tracks where each track can be individually edited to change levels and add effects

107
Q

What is murky bass?

A

The fast octave repetitions in the bass

108
Q

What is a neopolitan chord?

A

A chord built on the flattened supertonic note

109
Q

What is an obbligato?

A

An essential melody part that must be played

110
Q

What does onomatopoeic mean?

A

The music setting sounds like the word

Example: drop

111
Q

What is an ostinato?

A

A persistent phrase or motif repeated over several bars or more

112
Q

What does ottava Alta (8va) mean?

A

A symbol indicating that notes should be played an octave higher than written

113
Q

What does ottava bassa (8vb) mean?

A

A symbol indicating that notes should be played an octave lower than written

114
Q

What is overdubbing?

A

Recording an instrumental or vocal part over previously recorded music

115
Q

What is a pad?

A

A synthesiser sound designed to be used in chords as as opposed to lead lines

116
Q

What is panning?

A

Giving sounds different levels in the left and right speaker so that it sounds as if they’re coming from a new direction

117
Q

What is passagework?

A

A constantly moving passage,often in patterns of quick notes such as semi quavers and it often includes sequences

118
Q

What are passing modulations?

A

Modulations where the new key only lasts for a few bars before modulating to another key

119
Q

What is a pedal?

A

A sustained or repeated note in the bass

120
Q

What is pentatonic?

A

A 5 note scale or melody that uses only 5 different notes

121
Q

What is a perfect cadence?

A

A cadence made up of chord 5 and chord 1

122
Q

What does piano mean in dynamics?

A

Quiet

123
Q

What does pianissimo mean in dynamics?

A

very quiet

124
Q

What does polyphonic mean?

A

Many sounds

More than one melody sounding at the same time or entering at slightly different times so that melodic lines overlap

125
Q

What is polytonal?

A

Chords that are built from 2 or more keys simultaneously

126
Q

What are pull offs?

A

When a note is sounded on the guitar by plucking the string with the fretting hand

127
Q

What is a range?

A

How many octaves an instrument can play

128
Q

What is a register?

A

Refers to how high or low in pitch a piece of music or a musical part sounds

129
Q

What is a relative minor?

A

The minor key based on the 6th note of the major scale

130
Q

What is reverb?

A

An effect which creates the impression of being in a physical space

131
Q

What is a riff?

A

A short passage of music that is repeated

132
Q

What is a ripieno?

A

The larger group in a concerto grosso

133
Q

What does ritardando mean?

A

Slowing down

134
Q

What dates are the romantic era?

A

1810-1900

135
Q

What does Scalic mean?

A

Music that is based on scales ascending or descending in pitch

136
Q

What does the second subject mean?

A

The second theme or melody

137
Q

What is a sequence?

A

The repetition of a musical phrase at a higher or lower pitch

138
Q

What is sforzando?

A

An accent showing that a note or chord should be played with greater force than other notes.

139
Q

What does simple time signature mean?

A

When the beat naturally divides into two equal halves

140
Q

What is a solo concerto?

A

A concerto for a single instrument accompanied by an orchestra

141
Q

What 3 sections are in a sonata form?

A

Exposition,development,recapitulation

142
Q

What is static harmony?

A

When the harmony remains on a single chord for a prolonged period of time

143
Q

What does syllabic mean?

A

When one note is sung per harmony

144
Q

What is syncopation?

A

Emphasising beats of the bar that are normally unaccented

145
Q

What is a synthesiser?

A

An electronic musical instrument that creates sounds by manipulating combinations of waveforms

146
Q

What is ternary form?

A

ABA structure in three sections

147
Q

What does timbre mean?

A

The particular tone colour of an instrument or voice

148
Q

What is a tone?

A

An interval of 2 semitones

149
Q

What does the transition section mean?

A

A section used to take the music from one key to another by modulation

150
Q

What does tremolando mean?

A

Rapid playing on the same note to produce a wavering,tremulous sound

151
Q

What is a triad?

A

A 3 note chord

152
Q

What is a trio sonato?

A

A piece for baroque ensemble comprising 2 violins,cello and harpsichord

153
Q

What is a turnaround?

A

A set of (usually four) faster moving chords to get the music back to a related section

154
Q

What does tutti mean?

A

All parts playing at the same time

155
Q

What does unison mean?

A

More than one part playing the same melody at the same pitch

156
Q

What is a vamp?

A

A short repeated accompanying phrase

157
Q

What is vaudeville?

A

A form of comic musical theatre from the 1880s

158
Q

What is vocalisation?

A

Wordless singing using a vowel syllable such as ‘ah’

159
Q

What is a word painting?

A

Depicting a word in music to imitate its meaning

Music (6 decks)

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