Melody

Question 1

What is a trill?

Answer 1

An ornament played by the rapid repition of two alternating pitches that are a step apart

Question 2

What is a glissando?

Answer 2

A slide from one pitch to another

Question 3

What is an interval?

Answer 3

The distance between two notes. In music, these are called 4ths, 5ths, 2nds etc

Question 4

What does it mean to play legato?

Answer 4

Playing smoothly, connected. In written music, this is often shown by a long, curved line (a phrase mark or slur) over multiple different notes.

Question 5

What does scalic melody mean?

Answer 5

A melody that chooses notes from a portion of a scale in order. ie the melody sounds like a scale

Question 6

What is a subject?

Answer 6

A melodic theme used in a fugue

One or two important themes in Sonata Form

Question 7

What is a chromatic melody?

Answer 7

Notes in a melody that don’t belong to the current key

i.e Melody might sound like a chromatic scale

Question 8

What is an appoggiatura?

Answer 8

An ornament. Usually takes half the value of the note it is leaning against.

Question 9

What does stepwise mean?

Answer 9

A melody that move by step, or next-door neighbour notes.

Another description is a conjunct melody - one that moves in distinct steps in a smooth and connected way

Question 10

What does Tessitura mean?

Answer 10

The average range of a passage or piece, usually used to describe vocals.

If the music is written in a low register for the voice, it would be described as a low Tessitura.

Question 11

What is an acciaccatura? (“acci-acca-tura”)

Answer 11

An ornament, where the small note before a bigger note is played as quickly as possible before playing the bigger note i.e like a snap

Question 12

What is staccato?

Answer 12

A detached, ‘jumpy’ note. Denoted by a small dot above or below the note.`

Question 13

What is a mordent?

Answer 13

An ornament that can be upper or lower. Denoted by a squiggle above the note for an upper, or a line through the squiggle for a lower.

It is played as a rapid “wiggle” from the printed note.

To the note above and back again, for an upper.

And to the note below and back again for the lower.

Question 14

What is a passing note?

Answer 14

When a melody goes from the the chord note, passes by step to a non-chord note, then moves to the next chord by step

eg. the notes C,D,E where C is a C Chord. D would be the passing note, on the way to the E play with a chord below it.

Question 15

What does range mean?

Answer 15

The span in pitch from low to high that a voice or instrument can produce.

i.e the lowest or higher possible note that the voice or instrument can produce.

It is important in composition to no the range of an instrument or voice..

Question 16

What is an ornament?

Answer 16

A way of decorating a note with a series of smaller notes

Question 17

Name 5 different types of ornaments

Answer 17

Trills, mordents, appoggiaturas, acciaccaturas, arpeggiation

Question 18

What is word painting?

Answer 18

Music that is written to represent the lyrics

Question 19

What is a portamento?

Answer 19

A glide in pitch between two notes.

Question 20

What is a glissando?

Answer 20

A glide from one pitch to another (often on the piano)

Question 21

What is a diatonic melody?

Answer 21

The melody’s main tune notes belong to the key of the piece. This can be major or minor.

Question 22

What is a vocable?

Answer 22

A vocal technique where nonsense syllables are sung in a song eg doo, dah, ahhhh etc

Question 23

What does tremolo (or tremolando) mean?

Answer 23

A continuous repetition or a single note or two alternating notes.

Usually denoted in printed music by two or three diagonal lines through the note stem or above (or below) the note (if no stem)

Question 24

What is a title hook?

Answer 24

A short and catchy motif (to “hook” you in) set to the words of the title, usually pop or musical theatre in style.

eg. the words “try defying gravity” in each chorus of Defying Gravity

Question 25

What is a melodic sequence?

Answer 25

The immediate repetition of a melody at a different pitch

Question 26

What is repitition?

Answer 26

Where a single note or a pattern of notes are repeated in a melody.

It serves many purposes, such as helping the listener feel familiarity with the music.

It can also be used to build tension i.e in Horror film music

Question 27

What is a melodic ostinato?

Answer 27

A persistent phrase or motif repeated over several bars or more.

This can also be used in rhythm as a rhythmic ostinato

Question 28

What is arpeggiation?

Answer 28

An ornament. Performed by playing each note of a chord quickly in succession, rather than all at once (which you would do as a chord).

Question 29

What does melismatic mean?

Answer 29

A type of word setting for vocal music.

Several notes (often a scale) are sung to the same syllable

It is the opposite of syllabic.

Question 30

What is syllabic?

Answer 30

A type of word setting for vocal music

Each syllable of a word is set to a different note.

It is the opposite of melismatic

Question 31

What does monotone mean?

Answer 31

Staying on the same note in a melody.

Question 32

What is a pitch bend?

Answer 32

An electric guitar technique which is a smaller slide in pitch from the note and back again.

The effect can also often be achieved on an electric keyboard.