moonsick Flashcards
1
Q
How can you define Cerdd dant/Penillion.
A
- Either a vocalist or vocal group singing to a harp accompaniment
- Harp plays independently (plays different melody)
2
Q
How can you define Hymn tune.
A
- A song, sung by soloist or vocal group with a religious context.
- Can you imagine the piece being played in a Church
- Plagal cadences? Amen?
3
Q
How can you define Rock Music.
A
- Think of a typical commercial Rock Band - featuring line up of drums, guitars, bass and vocalist
4
Q
How can you define Art Song.
A
A piece of music for solo voice (sang in a classical style) with a piano accompaniment
5
Q
How can you define Folk Song.
A
- Early welsh folk songs tend to be modal - Celtic sounding
- Imagine barn dance or a group of musicians performing in a pub
- Typical instruments: Fiddles, mandolins, celtic harp, tambourine
6
Q
How can you define Ballad.
A
- A slow/relaxed pop song often with a love theme.
- Think of songs sang by boy bands eg westlife “You Raise Me Up”
7
Q
How can you define Reggae.
A
- Laid back summer feel, where more emphasis is placed on beats 2 and 4
- Bob Marley
8
Q
How can you define Calypso.
A
- Summer feel, but more upbeat than Reggae, Reggae originated from calypso
- Rhythmic musical style often featuring steel pans
9
Q
How can you define Rap.
A
- rhythmically spoken lyrics over a synthesised backing track
10
Q
How can you define Pop.
A
- cheesy music featuring disco beats and keyboards
11
Q
How can you define Musicals.
A
- Song for stage - sang by a vocalist or vocal group.
- usually accompanied by orchestra or synthesised orchestra sounds.
- The style of singing will fall between a classical and pop style
12
Q
How can you define Techno.
A
- Hardcore dance music - very strong drum beat and bass instruments
- Often feature heavy use of sampled sounds
13
Q
How can you define Blues.
A
- A song, sang by a soloist or vocal group accompanied by the 12 bar blues structure and walking bass line
14
Q
Features of a Military Band.
A
- Sound of a marching band
- prominent snare drum
15
Q
Features of a String Orchestra.
A
- An orchestra of only string instruments - violins, viola, cello, double bass,
- thick rich texture
16
Q
Features of a Chamber Orchestra.
A
- String Orchestra with the addition of one or two woodwind instruments eg Oboe
- popular in baroque era
17
Q
Features of a Symphony Orchestra.
A
- full orchestra
- strings, woodwind, brass and percussion
- popular in classical era
18
Q
Features of a String quartet.
A
- 2 violins, viola and cello.
- much thinner texture than a string orchestra
- only four instruments
19
Q
Features of a Wind band.
A
- woodwind instruments (clarinet, flute, sax) some brass instruments, bass guitar and drum kit
20
Q
Features of a Brass band.
A
- Only brass instruments, no woodwind, with percussion
21
Q
Features of a Mixed choir.
A
- both female and male choir
22
Q
Definition; Melody.
A
- name every instrument you hear playing the tune.
23
Q
Definition; Accompaniment.
A
- Name every instrument you hear accompanying.
24
Q
Definition; Duration.
A
- Regular rhythm/irregular pulse
- time signature
- steady tempo
- tempo marking e.g adagio, andante, allegro
- syncopated rhythms
- comparisons between pieces
25
Points of interest in the comparison question:
- major/minor key
- diatonic harmony/dissonant harmonies
- texture; homophonic/polyphonic/monophonic, thick thin
- dynamics; use Italian terms to describe dynamics (pianissimo, piano, mezzopiano,forte, fortissimo, crescendo, diminuendo)
- structure - Binary (AB / AABB), Ternary (ABA), Rondo (ABACADA)
- melody, does it move in steps/scalic/leaps/chromatic
- counter melody
- doubling up of melodies
- articulation; staccato/legato
- cadence at the end of extract; perfect/imperfect/plagal
- anacrusis
- key changes
- musical devices; ostinato, sequence, imitation, pedal notes
26
Dynamics: very loud
ff, fortissimo
27
Dynamics: loud
f, forte
28
Dynamics: moderately loud
mf, mezzo forte
29
Dynamics: moderately soft
mp, Mezzo piano
30
Dynamics: soft
p, piano
31
Dynamics: very soft
pp - pianissimo
32
Dynamics: getting louder
crescendo
33
Dynamics: getting softer
diminuendo
34
What is Monophonic texture?
a single melody line
35
What is Homophonic texture?
At least one part played/sang in harmony. All parts moving together simultaneously e.g block chords
36
What is Polyphonic texture?
Two or more parts, that weave in and out of each other. very popular during the baroque era.
37
Identifying pulse/rhythm: How can you define regular rhythm?
- Easy to clap along to
38
Identifying pulse/rhythm: How can you define irregular rhythm?
- random, atonal music
39
"Where would you expect to hear this piece" what answers are likely to come up?
- Concert hall (this will always get you a mark)
| - Church/religious service
40
State three ways in which the composer creates excitement/a triumphant mood?
- Major key
- Quick crescendo
- strong dynamics e.g forte, fortissimo, crescendo
- dotted rhythms
- repetition
- sequences (melodies repeated in rising sequences)
- Homophonic/polyphonic texture
- instrumentation e.g high pitched piccolo's, timpani rolls, brass fanfares
- Melismatic singing
- chorus of voices/choir/backing singers
41
How does the composer create contrast?
- dynamics
- tempo
- instrumentation
- tonality (major/minor)
- contrasting textures
42
How does the composer create a sombre mood?
- Slow tempo
- Minor Key
- low pitched melody
- choice of instrumentation
- quiet dynamics
43
Features of Baroque Era music.
- Features harpsichord
- Performed by a chamber orchestra
- long flowing melodic lines often featuring trills/ornaments
- contrapuntal texture where two or more melodic lines are combined
44
Features of Classical Era music.
- Performed by a symphony orchestra
- features a piano
- very melodic with diatonic harmonies
- typically homophonic texture
- defined and regular rhythm
45
Features of Romantic Era music.
- Similar to classical Era music but harmonies are a little more rich and adventurous
- A variety of melodic ideas within one movement
- frequent changes in both tempo and time signatures
- mainly Homophonic texture
46
Compositional Devices: What is a sequence?
- Sequences are created when a short phrase of a melody is immediately repeated at a higher (ascending sequence) or lower (descending sequence) pitch
47
Compositional Devices: What is imitation?
- Occurs when there are two or more voices or parts to the music and one of them enters with a phrase, which is then copied by another voice or part.
48
Compositional Devices: What is a Pedal/Drone?
- Are the effects created when a sustained or repeated note/ chord continues over a period of time whilst the melody and harmony move independently of it.
49
Compositional Devices: What is an Ostinato?
- A repeated idea
50
Compositional Devices: Ground bass.
- Is where a bass line, normally of four or eight bars in length is used as the basis for varied melodies and or harmonies above
51
Compositional Devices: Cadenza.
- A passage, usually towards the end of a piece, where a soloist plays alone in a very elaborate often improvisatory, skilled way (a chance to show off)
52
Features of Minimalism.
- repetative rhythms/phrases
- slow and gradual changing of harmonies
- sustained pedal notes
- use of melodic cells rather than melodies to build up the music
- no changes of tempo
- lack of modulation (key changes)
- accent displacement
- multi textured layering
- polyrhythmic textures
53
Features of Atonality.
- Atonal/no tonal centre
- changing time signatures
- huge leaps in pitch
- extremes of instruments
- Schoenbergs 12 tone technique
- dissonant harmonies, dischords
- complex/irregular rhythms
- instruments playing very high range
54
Features of Fusion.
- Acoustic and electronically produced sounds together
- Fusion of full symphonic orchestra and rock band
- different timbres mixed together
- amplification used
- neo - classical style
- guitar effects e.g reverb, distortion
- improvisation
55
Features of club/dance music.
- Computer aided
- Strong and fast pulsating beat - techno style
- foundation is drums and bass
- use of loops
- use of sampled sounds
- synthesised sounds
- use of drum machines
- strong bass line
56
Define the 6 Italian tempo markings: Largo, Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegro and Presto
```
Adagio - Very slow
Adagio - Slow
Andante - Walking pace
Allegro - Quick
Presto - Very fast
```
57
Define the three Cadences.
- Perfect Cadence = sounds complete, 5 to 1
- Plagal Cadence = sounds complete (Amen) 4 to 1
- Imperfect Cadence = sounds incomplete
58
What is the name to the note that precedes the very first bar?
- Anacrusis/up-beat
59
What is the name to the note that precedes the very first bar?
- Anacrusis/up-beat
60
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| - General observations?
- modern period
- 20th century
- style eg love song
- time signature
- tempo: adagio,andante
- tonality
- main orchestration: performed by orchestra/synthesiser etc
- diatonic harmony
- structure/form eg AABA ternary form
- main voice: female voice (soprano/alto) male voice (tenor/bass)
- do vocals begin on anacrusis
- the sings in rubato style - small fluctuations in tempo
61
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song - Introduction???
- Is there an introduction
- how long is it
- which instrument plays it
- What is the accompaniment pattern e.g arpeggio pattern/block chords
- What are the dynamics
62
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| Song Analysis.
- Write about the song/music in as much detail as possible in chronological eg line by line
- try not to jump between different parts of the song in your answer
- try to make it as easy as possible for your examiner to read
- end with your answer with a short conclusion
63
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| TONALITY.
- Is the song mainly in a major or minor key
- does it stay the same throughout
- does the music modulate anywhere
- What happens when it modulates does it modulate from major to minor
- to higher key?
- What effect does this have? creates climax?
64
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Instruments/Timbres
- What instruments can your hear? where?
- Bright timbre/ dark timbre
- Note at which points new instruments enter
- how are they being played e.g staccato
- Are percussion instruments used? e.g timpani rolls/cymbals to create excitement/tension
- strings: bowed/plucked/tremolo
- brass: any fanfares?
65
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Voices
- Female voice: soprano/alto male voice:tenor/bass
- melisma (one word sang over several syllables)
- word painting (where the music mirrors the lyrics)
66
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Melody
- Does the melody move mainly by step or in leaps
- ascending/descending movement
- any chromatic movement
- is the same melody repeated at any point
- is there a counter melody, played by what instrument/s
- do any instruments double up the vocal melody
- what effect does this have? reinforces the melody
67
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Rhythm.
- All musical theatre songs have a regular rhythm
- time signature
- are there syncopated rhythms?
- are there dotted rhythms?
- Any pauses? e.g long pause on the final note
- Voice sings in rubato style: small fluctuations in tempo
68
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Orchestration/accompaniment
- What instruments make up the accompaniment?
- What is the accompaniment pattern? long sustained chords, broken chords/arpeggios, strumming guitar, falling bass line in accompaniment
- Diatonic harmonies
- Is there a bridge linking to a new contrasting section
69
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song - Texture.
- Homophonic, polyphonic, Monophonic
- Thick/thin
- Does it begin thin in texture and gradually build up throughout
- How does texture increase
- What effect does this have?
- Does it stay the same throughout?
- Where does it change?
- Are there any climaxes?
70
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Form/structure.
- e.g AABA
- When sections return, is anything different
- different orchestrations etc
71
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song -
| Tempo.
- Use Italian terminology - Adagio, Moderato, allegro etc
- Are there any tempo changes? where? e.g rallentendo, accelerando
- What effect does this have?
- Rubato - fluctuations in vocal tempo to enhance expression, emotion - like pauses on certain notes
72
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| - Style.
- Song from a musical
73
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| - Period
- Modern - late 20th century
74
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| - Dynamics
- Use Italian terminology - pianissimo etc
- are there any changes in dynamics? where?
- Are these sudden or gradual? crescendo/diminuendo
- What effect does this have?
- are there any climaxes, gaps or silences?
75
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| - Musical Devices
- Ostinato - rhythmic/melodic
- Repetition
- Sequence
- pedal/drone
76
Question 7: Writing about musical theatre song
| - Cadences
- Name the cadence at the end of each verse/chorus/end of song as perfect/imperfect/plagal
