Miscellaneous

Question 1

key signature

Answer 1

found at the beginning of the music between the clef and time signature, indicating the key or tonality of the music and which notes receives sharps or flats

Question 2

interval

Answer 2

distance between two notes; named with qualities and numbers

Question 3

harmonic interval

Answer 3

the notes of the interval are played simultaneously

Question 4

melodic interval

Answer 4

the notes are played separately

Question 5

diatonic

Answer 5

when the music is based on the major scale or any form of minor scale

Question 6

chromatic

Answer 6

when the music is based on the chromatic scale

Question 7

chromatic half-step

Answer 7

any half step that is formed by two notes with the same letter; a half step that does not occur naturally in the scale

Question 8

triad

Answer 8

a three-note chord based on the interval of a third

Question 9

diatonic half-step

Answer 9

a half step that occurs naturally in the scale; any half-step which is formed by notes with two different letter names

Question 10

first inversion triad

Answer 10

occurs when the third is the lowest note; figured bass is symbol 6 or 63 written to the right of the name

Question 11

second inversion triad

Answer 11

occurs when the fifth is the lowest note; figured bass is 64

Question 12

primary triads

Answer 12

I, IV, V; labelled with upper case Roman numerals

Question 13

secondary triads

Answer 13

ii, iii, vi, and viio are the secondary triads

Question 14

tonic

Answer 14

I, i

Question 15

supertonic

Answer 15

ii, iio

Question 16

mediant

Answer 16

iii, III+

Question 17

subdominant

Answer 17

IV, iv

Question 18

dominant

Answer 18

V, V

Question 19

submediant

Answer 19

vi, VI

Question 20

leading tone

Answer 20

viio

Question 21

dominant seventh chord

Answer 21

a fourth note is added to the V chord with the fourth note as a seventh above the root of the chord

Question 22

diminshed seventh chord

Answer 22

diminshed triad with an added note that is a diminished seventh above the root

Question 23

secondary dominant

Answer 23

dominant (V) or dominant seventh (V7) of a chord other than the tonic (I); usually resolves to the chord which would be the tonic of the key to which it belongs; includes accidentals that are not in the key signature

Question 24

modulation

Answer 24

when a musical composition changes from the original key to another key, and remains in the new key for a reasonable amount of time (frequently either the Dominant (V) key or the relative Major/minor is used

Question 25

figured bass

Answer 25

numbers used to indicate the inversion of a chord

Question 26

chord progression

Answer 26

combining certain chords from a given key, using various positions for the chords to make a smooth progression

Question 27

pivot chord

Answer 27

a chord that precedes a chord change, and is common to both the original key and the key to which the music modulates

Question 28

root position

Answer 28

a triad written in a position so that the note which names it is the lowest

Question 29

time signature

Answer 29

found at the beginning of music, to the right of the key signature made up of two numbers:

• top number of the time signature tells how many beats each measure contains
• bottom numbers tells which type of note receives one beat

Question 30

meter

Answer 30

determined by the time signature, referring to the division of beats into equal groups

Question 31

upbeat

Answer 31

when an incomplete measure begins the piece

Question 32

syncopation

Answer 32

when there is a strong note on a weak beat

Question 33

motive

Answer 33

short group of notes that may be used as the basis of a composition

Question 34

theme

Answer 34

entire phrase of music, which may also be used as a basis of the composition

Question 35

repetition

Answer 35

when the motive is repeated immediately, exactly the way it was the first time it occurred, on the same note

Question 36

sequence

Answer 36

when the motive is repeated immediately but on a different note, usually a 2nd or 3rd higher or lower

Question 37

imitation

Answer 37

when the motive is repeated immediately in another voice, siuch as the bass clef following a statement of the motive in the treble clef

Question 38

canon

Answer 38

when the entire theme is repeated in another voice; difference between imitation is that canon is a strict copy of the entire theme whereas the imitation uses only a motive

Question 39

pedal point or organ point

Answer 39

when there is a sustained or repeated note, usually in the bass, which stays for some time while the other voices continue to change harmonies

Question 40

augmentation

Answer 40

exact doubling of the rhythmic values of a motive or theme (for example, quarter notes become half notes)

Question 41

diminution

Answer 41

when the rhythmic values of a motive or theme are divided in half (for example, quarter notes become eighth notes)

Question 42

texture

Answer 42

the manner in which the various voices or parts of music are put together through the vertical elements (harmony) and horizontal elements (melody)

Question 43

polyphonic texture

Answer 43

when there are two or more voices which are of equal importance with the melodies being passed between the voices; may have a separate melody and accompaniment or be chordal

Question 44

homophonic texture

Answer 44

when there is one voice which dominates the music while the other voice or voices serve as an accompaniment

Question 45

transposition

Answer 45

when music is played or written in a key that is different from the original