Melody/ Harmony Flashcards
What is atonal music?
Atonal music has no feeling of key, major or minor. It is very dissonant, and it will lack a ‘nice’ melody and accompaniment. Atonal music is a feature of some 20th-century music.
What is a cluster?
A term used to describe a group of notes, which clash, played together.
What is a chord progression?
Chords are built on the first, fourth, fifth and sixth notes of a major or minor scale.
What is an imperfect cadence?
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. In an imperfect cadence the last chord is chord V (the dominant) creating an unfinished effect.
What is a perfect cadence?
A cadence consists of two chords at the end of a phrase. A perfect cadence is the dominant to tonic chords (V-I).
What is an inverted pedal?
A note which is held on or repeated continuously at a high pitch. Opposite in pitch to pedal.
What does chromatic mean?
Notes which move by the interval of a semitone.
What is a whole-tone scale?
A scale containing no semitones but built entirely on whole tones. Debussy used the whole-tone scale in some of his pieces which were influenced by Impressionism.
What is meant by a grace note?
A type of ornament played as a quick, crushed note before the main note of a melody.
What is meant by a glissando?
Sliding from one note to another, taking in all the notes in between where possible
What does the term modulation mean?
A change of key.
What is meant by contrary motion?
Two parts move in opposite directions, e.g. as one part ascends the other part descends.
What is a trill?
Moving quickly and repeatedly between two notes which are a step apart.
What does the term syllabic mean?
Vocal music where each syllable is given one note only.
What does the term melismatic mean?
Several notes sung to one syllable.
