Music Definitions Flashcards
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A capella
Unaccompanied singing
Acciaccatura
An ornament, printed as a small note with a slash through its tail, that is performed as quickly as possible on or just before the beat that follows it
Accordion
An instrument with hand operated bellows that force air to vibrate metal reeds. The sound is controlled from small buttons on both sides of the bellows, although the larger piano accordion has a small vertical keyboard on one side. An instrument often used in folk music
Aeolian mode
A scale that can be found by playing the white notes on the piano from A to A an octave higher. It is the same as C major except that the home note is A. The mode can be transposed to start on any note providing that the order of tones and semitones in its scale is retained
Alla breve
A pulse of two minim beats in a bar (2/2 time). Sometimes called cut-C time after its alternative time signature of a cut C
Alto
The lowest female singing voice
Anacrusis
One of more notes that occur before the first strong beat of a phrase. Often called a ‘pick up’ in jazz and pop music
Antiphonal
A texture in which two or more spatially separated soloists or groups perform alternately and in combination
A[[pggoatire
An expressive dissonance that then usually moves by step to a note of the current chord. If written as an ornament the note forming the appoggiatura is printed in small type
Aria
A song for solo voice accompaniment, usually forming part of a longer work such as an opera, oratorio or cantata.
Atonal
Western music that is not in a key or a mode and that is often dissonant
Augment
- A proportionate increase in note length e.g. when a rhythm of two quavers and a crotchet is augmented it becomes two crotchets and a minim
- An augmented interval is a semitone larger than a major or a perfect interval. Augmentation is the opposite of diminution
Backbeat
A term used in pop and rock to describe accenting the normally weak second and fourth beats in 4/4 time
Backing vocals
The vocal accompaniment to the lead vocal in a pop song. The part us often labelled BVOX
Ballad
In jazz and pop, a slow romantic song
Baroque
In music, the period between about 1600 and 1750
Bass
- Lowest male singing voice
2. An abbreviation of double bass
Bass guitar
A guitar that has the same pitch and tuning as a double bass and, also like the double bass, that sounds an octave lower than its written notes. Usually electrically amplified, it forms the harmonic foundation of a rock group by playing the bass line
Bass viol
A bowed string instrument of the viol family, similar in size to the later cello, but having between five and seven strings and a fretted fingerboard (like a guitar)
Bell chord
The technique of sounding a chord as a downward succession of sustained notes
Bend
A slight change in the pitch of a note while it is sounding. The change is usually upward and is made for expressive purposes
Bitonal
Music in which two distinctly different keys are used simultaneously
Bodhran
A hand held drum played with a double headed tipper used in much Irish traditional music
Book
A document containing the spoken dialogue of a stage musical
Book musical
A musical in which songs, vocal ensembles and dances are fully integrated into a plot with serious dramatic goals
Bossa Nova
A dance and highly syncopated style of music that developed in the 1960s. It is slower and gentler than samba, from which it developed and the music was influenced by jazz of the period
Bouzouki
A plucked string instrument of the lute family usually associated with the music of Greece, but used by a number of Celtic folk musicians in recent decades
Break
In pop and jazz, an instrumental solo
Breakbeat
A short section of a dance track in which most instruments other than drums stop playing. The term is also used for a type of EDM
Bridge
A short and often contrasting passage in a pop song that links two other sections. Sometimes called a middle eight, even if not eight bars in length
Broken octaves
Rapidly alternating notes that are an octave apart
Build
An abbreviation of build up. A term used mainly in electronic dance music for a long crescendo and thickening of texture.
Cadence
The end of a musical phrase, often harmonised by two chords
Cadenza
- Improvised vocal flourish just before a singer’s final cadence in an aria
- In music from the Classical period onwards, an improvised or written out solo towards the end of a movement in a concerto, when the soloist plays alone to demonstrate their virtuosity
Canon
A contrapuntal device in which the melody in one part is overlapped by the same melody in another part, starting a few notes later. This process of exact imitation continues throughout the length of the canon or canonic passage
Chamber orchestra
A small orchestra, typically consisting of a small but complete string section plus a limited number of wind players
Chord
Three or more pitches sounded simultaneously, although just two notes can often imply a chord by their context. In a broken chord or arpeggio, the notes are sounded separately but in close proximity to each other
Chordal
A homophonic texture that consists mainly of block chords. Also known as homorhythmic
Chromatic
Notes that don’t belong to the current key. The opposite of diatonic
Circle of 5ths
A series (or progression) of chords whose roots are each a 5th lower than the previous chord (e.g: E-A-D-G-C). In practice, the bass usually alternates between falling a 5th and rising a 4th, which produces a less angular line from the same set of pitches
Classical
- In music, the period between about 1750 and 1825
- In a wider sense, any type of music that is regarded as ‘art music’ rather than pop, folk or jazz - so styles as varied as Baroque, Romantic and postmodernist, can all be described in a very general way as ‘classical’
Close harmony
A style of singing in which most of the accompanying voice parts lie close to the melody and close to each other, often no more than an octave apart
Cluster
A dissonant chord that includes several adjacent notes only one step apart from each other
Coda
A closing section at the end of a movement, song or other piece. Often called an outro in pop and rock music
Codetta
A short coda, used to end a section within a longer movement. Also known as a closing section
Colla voce
Italian for ‘with the voice’, indicating that an accompaniment should follow the rhythm of the singers
Coloratura
Elaborate decoration, especially in vocal music, generally employed to display the skill of the singer
Compound time
In compound time, the beat is a dotted note that can be divided into three shorter notes of equal length. Time signatures with 6,9 or 12 as the upper number indicate compound time
Concept album
A collection of pop songs related by lyrics that share a common theme
Concertino
The group of soloists as opposed to the ripieno (the orchestra), in a concerto grosso
Concerto
A large-scale composition for orchestra with a soloist or group of soloists, often in three movements. A solos concerto has one soloist, a concerto grosso (a genre of the Baroque period) has a group of soloists.
Conjunct
A melody that moves mainly by step between adjacent notes (the opposite of a disjunct melody). Conjunct movement can instead be described as stepwise movement
Continuo
A bass part (basso continuo) in Baroque music played by one or more bass instruments (such as cello, bass or bassoon) and used by the players of chordal instruments (such as lute, harpsichord and organ) as the basis from which to fill out the harmonies of the music, sometimes aided by a figured bass. The group of instruments that play this part is also known as the continuo
Contrapuntal
Music in which two or more melodic lines occur simultaneously (a texture known as counterpoint)
Contrary motion
Simultaneous melodic lines whose pitches move in opposite directions
Counterpoint
A texture in which two or more melodic lines occur simultaneously. This texture can also be described as polyphony
Countertenor
An adult male voice with a range similar to that of an alto. Today many countertenors use falsetto in their higher register
Cross rhythm
- A rhythm that conflicts with the regular pattern of beats
2. The combination of two conflicting rhythms within a single beat (e.g a triplet of quavers against two normal quavers)
Cue
An individual piece of music in a film score
Da capo form
A type of ternary from in which the repeat of the A section is indicated by the instruction Da capo (‘from the start’) instead of being written out
Dal segno
Literally ‘from the sign’. An instruction to repeat from the bar marked
Development
The central section of a sonata form. Also used more generally to describe the manipulation and transformation of motifs and themes in any sort of music
Dialogue
A texture in which motifs are exchanged between different parts without the use of imitation
Diatonic
Notes that belong to the current key. The opposite of chromatic
Diegetic music
In film music, music that occurs as part of the action in the film, such as when a character turns on the radio. Also called ‘source music’
Diminish
- A proportionate decrease in note lengths, e.g. when a rhythm of two crotchets and a minim is diminished it becomes two quavers and a crotchet.
- A diminished interval is a semitone smaller than a minor or a perfect interval. Diminution is the opposite of augmentation
Diminished 7th
- An interval notated as a 7th that is one semitone smaller than a minor 7th, such as E to Db
- A chord based on this interval, and made up of superimposed minor 3rds (or their enharmonic equivalents), for example, E-G-Bb-Db
Disjunct
A melody that moves mainly in leaps between adjacent notes the opposite of conjunct
Dissonant
Music whose notes mainly seem to clash harshly when sounded together
Distortion
An effect that can make the sound of an electric guitar harsher and more gritty
Djembe
A goblet-shaped drum from West Africa, played with the hands
Dominant
The fifth note of a major or minor scale (e.g. G is the dominant of C major). A triad on the dominant can be described with the Roman numeral V
Dominant preparation
A passage that creates expectation for the return of the tonic key, typically at the end of the development in a sonata form movement, by extending use of dominant harmony and by chords that lean onto the dominant. There is also often a dominant pedal
Dominant 7th chord
A triad on the dominant plus a diatonic 7th above its root. In the key of C the dominant chord is G-B-D and the dominant 7th chord is G-B-D-F
Dotted rhythms
Successive pairs of notes in which the first is a dotted note and the second is a short note, the two together making a complete beat or complete division of a beat
Double stopping
Playing two notes at the same times on a string instrument such as the violin
Double tracking
A recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance in order to produce a thicker sound
Doubling
- The performance of the same melody, in unison or in octaves by two or more musicians at the same time
- Playing two different instruments in a work such as a musical. For example, a saxophone player may be required to double on the flute in some sections
Drone
The term preferred in folk music for a continuous pedal note
Drum kit
A set of percussion instruments played by one person in a rock group. Usually includes a bass drum (played with a foot-operated beater), hi-hat cymbals (also played with a foot pedal), a snare drum, a suspended cymbal and one or mote tom-toms
Dynamics
The levels of loudness or softness in music and the symbols used to indicate those levels, such as f (loud) and p (soft)
Effects
Methods of modifying sounds through the use of music technology
End title
In film music, the music heard during the ‘end credits’ of a film
Enharmonic
Notes or keys that sound the same but are noted differently, such as C# and Db
Ensemble
A small group of musicians who perform together
Episode
A passage of music linking two appearances of the same or similar material
Exposition
The first section of a fugue; the first section of a movement in sonata form
Extended chords
Chords in which further notes a 3rd apart are added to 7th chords to produce chords of the 9th, 1tth and 13th above the root
False relation
The effect produced when the natural and chromatically altered versions of a note (such as G and G#) in different parts occur either simultaneously or in close proximity
Falsetto
A technique of singing notes higher than the normal top register by using only the edges of the vocal chords
Fanfare
A short and lively flourish for trumpets or a group of brass instruments, typically used to introduce something or someone
Figured bass
A basso continuo part with figures and other symbols beneath the notes to indicate the harmonies of the music
Fill
In pop music and jazz, a brief improvised flourish (often on drums) to fill the gap between the end of one phrase and the beginning of the next
Film score
The complete set of original music to accompany a film
Finale
- The last movement of a multi-movement work such as a concerto
- The closing scene in an act of an opera or musical
Form
The structure of a musical composition, often symbolised by capital letters. For example, an ABA structure has three sections
Free time
Music in which the rhythm does not have to fit a regular pulse
Fugato
A passage of music like the opening section of a fugue
Fugue
A contrapuntal piece or texture that begins with a single voice announcing an unaccompanied tune called the subject. Other voices enter with the subject, one at a time and sometimes at different pitches, while the previous voices continue. There is no set structure after this opening section, called the exposition, although the voices continue to interweave material (mainly from the subject), using much imitation and passing through related keys before the fugue ends in the tonic key. At some point there is often stretto (‘a tightening’) where the voices enter in turn with the subject but at close time intervals than before
Full score
A score showing the individual parts for all the instruments required
Genre
A type of music, such as the concerto, sonata or pop ballad
Gigue
A fast dance in compound time (or based on triplet rhythms in simple time). Developed from the jig, it was often used as the last movement of a suite in the Baroque period
Glissando
A slide from one pitch to another. Sometimes a distinction is made between glissando and portamento, although the two terms are now often used interchangeably
Ground bass
Also called ground.
A bass ostinato or constantly repeating bass pattern above which a melody unfolds. A popular genre of the early and mid Baroque period
Harmonic
On string instruments (including harp and guitar), a very high and pure sound produced by placing a finger on a string very lightly before plucking or bowing
Harmonic pace
The rate at which chords change. Also known as harmonic rhythm. This could be on every beat, every bar, every two bars - there are many possibilities and often the harmonic pace varies throughout a piece
Harmony
The sound produced by a chord or succession of chords
Homophonic
Texture in which one part (usually the highest) has the melodic interest, which the others accompany. If all the parts have the same rhythm, the texture can be described as chordal or homorhythmic, but if the accompaniment is rhythmically independent of the melody, the texture is described as melody-and-accompaniment
Homorhythmic
A type of homophonic texture in which all parts have the same rhythm
Hurdy Gurdy
An instrument with strings that are set into vibration by the action of a hand-cranked wheel. Some strings are stopped by small wooden levers to produce tunes while others sound as drones
Imitation
A contrapuntal device in which a melody in one part is copied a few notes later in a different part (often at a different pitch) while the melody in the first part continues. If parts exchange ideas without any overlap, the texture is described as dialogue, not imitation
Imperfect cadence
Almost any chord followed by chord (the dominant chord) at the end of a phrase, having a more unfinished effect than a perfect cadence
Incidental music
Music intended to be performed as part of a play
Inner pedal
A pedal that occurs in the middle of a musical texture rather than in the bass or top part
Intro
Abbreviation of introduction. As an abbreviation, it generally refers to the opening bars of a pop song played before the voice enters
Instrumental
- Music performed by instruments, without the use of voices
2. A section in a pop song that features an instrumental solo, often replacing (but based on the chords of) a sung verse
Instrumentation
The instruments and voices employed in a piece of music. The term is often used interchangeably with orchestration, which refers to the way that these resources are used
Interrupted cadence
Chord V(^7) followed by any other chord except I at the end of a phrase. Usually sounding surprising, as if a perfect cadence has literally been interrupted
Interval
The distance between two pitches, including both of the pitches that form the interval. So, in the scale of C major, the interval between the first and second notes is a 2nd (C-D), the interval between the first and third notes is a 3rd (C-D-E), and so on
Inverted pedal
A pedal that occurs in the topmost part of a musical texture rather than in the bass or in a middle part
Key
The scale on which a passage of music is mainly based. The key is named after the home note (key note) of the major or minor scale concerned. If a passage is based mainly on notes of the scale of C major, with C as the home note, it is said to be in C major
Key note
The first (and last) note of a major or minor scale, also known as the tonic and sounding like the home note of the key and the scale
Kora
A long-necked harp, shaped like a lute, used in West African music
Layered texture
A texture in which different levels of repeating patterns, each with a distinctive character, are placed on top of one another. Entire layers drop in and out to provide contrasts
Lead Guitar
The part that has, along with the lead vocal, the main melodic role in a rock band
Lead vocal
The part for the main solo singer in a rock band
Leap
An interval greater than a tone between adjacent notes. The opposite of a step. A melody that moves in leaps is said to be disjuct
Leitmotif
A musical idea that is associated with a person, object, place or emotion in a music drama
Libretto
A document containing all the words of an opera or stage musical
Loop
A short section of music that is continually repeated using technology
Low whistle
A recorder-like instrument used in Irish traditional music. It is longer and deeper in range than the smaller and more familiar tin whistle
Lyrics
The words of a pop song or the songs in a musical
Main title
In film music, the music heard during the ‘opening credits’ of a film
Melismatic
A style of word setting in which several notes are sung to the same syllable. The opposite of syllabic
Melody
A musically satisfying series of single notes, often described as a tune
Melody and accompaniment
A homophonic texture in which the accompaniment has some degree of rhythmic independence from melody
Metre/meter
The repeating patterns of strong and weak beats that underpin the rhythms of many types of music.
Duple metre has two beats per bar (strong-weak)
Triple metre has three (strong-weak-weak)
Quadruple metre has four (strong-weak-weak-weak)
Mezzo Soprano
A female singing voice, lower than soprano but higher than alto
Mode
A scale of seven pitches, Major and minor scales are types of modes, but the term is usually reserved for other types of scales, such as the Aeolian mode. Music that uses mode is described as modal music
Modulation
A change of key
Monophonic
A texture consisting of an unaccompanied melody, performed either by a soloist or by many people in unison or in octaves
Monotone
Single pitch. Singing on a monotone means chanting on one note, without varying the pitch
Mordent
An ornament played as a rapid wiggle from the printed note to the note above and back (upper mordent) or to the note below and back (lower mordent)
Motif
A short, distinctive melody or rhythm used in various ways to form much longer passages of music
Movement
An independent section in a longer piece of music
Multi-tracking
A process commonly used in pop music in which individual tracks of sound from one or more performers are recorded independently and then played back together
Murky bass
An 18th century term for broken octaves (rapidly alternating notes that are an octave apart)
Musical
A large-scale piece of music theatre, incorporating acting and singing to an instrumental accompaniment, and usually including spoken dialogue and dance
Mute
A device to alter the sound of an instrument, most commonly used by players of brass and string instrument. Con sordino means ‘with mute’, senza sordino means ‘without mute’
Natural trumpet
A trumpet without valves, in common use before about 1825
Numbers
The individual musical items in a stage musical (e.g. songs, choruses and dances)
Obbligato aria
An aria, generally from the Baroque period, which includes a part for a solo instrument that is almost as important as the vocal part
Octave
The distance between a note and the nearest note with the same letter name, for examples from C to the C seven steps higher
Opera
A large scale composition for the theatre, involving stages drama sung to an instrumental accompaniment. Operetta is shorter, lighter and typically includes spoken dialogue
Oratorio
A large-scale composition for solo voices, choir and orchestra, usually on a Biblical subject, but intended for concert performance
Orchestration
The process of arranging music for orchestral instruments, having regard to balance, colour and texture. The term is often used interchangeably with instrumentation, which more strictly means the list of instruments (and voices) used in a piece
Ornaments
Notes, often indicated by special signs, that decorate the main notes of a melody
Ostinato
A rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic pattern repeated many times in succession. Often called a riff in jazz, pop and rock
Overdub
The process of adding additional sound tracks to an existing recording
Overdrive
A guitar effect that produces a deliberately distorted sound
Pan
A control that determines the position (from left to right) of a sound in a stereo field
Parallel harmonies
A succession of similar chords whose notes all move in the same direction
Passing notes
Non-chord notes that move by step between the notes of adjacent chords
Pedal
- A sustained or repeated note, often the tonic or dominant and most commonly in the bass, sounded against changing harmonies. Also called a pedal point and known as a drone in folk music
- A foot-operated lever on instruments such as the piano, organ and harp
Pentatonic scale
A scale fo five pitches to the octave. Pitches 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6 from a major scale form a pentatonic major while pitches 1, 3, 4, 5, and 7 from a natural minor scale form a pentatonic minor
Perfect cadence
Chord V^(7) followed by chord I (the tonic chord) at the end of a phrase, tending to have a more conclusive effect than an imperfect cadence
Periodic phrasing
Paired phrases of similar length that sound like a question followed by an answer. Sometimes called ‘balanced phrasing’, it is a typical feature of music in the Classical period
Phase shifter
An electronic process that can add a ‘sweeping effect’ to a sound
Phrase
A section of melody that makes a statement, although not necessarily a complete statement, and that often ends with a cadence
Plagal cadence
Chord IV followed by chord I (the tonic chord) at the end of a phrase, having a conclusive effect rather like a sung ‘amen’
Polyphony
A texture in which two or more melodic lines occur simultaneously. This texture can also be described as counterpoint
Polyrhythmic
A texture of conflicting rhythms played together
Portamento
A continuous glide in pitch between two notes, more subtle than glissando
Pre-chorus
A short section at the end of the verse in a pop song, designed to propel the music into the actual chorus
Progression
A succession of two or more chords, aka a chord progression or harmonic progression. Sometimes incorrectly described as a chord sequence
Push
A type of syncopation used in pop and jazz in which notes are played (‘pushed’) slightly ahead of the beat
Quartal harmony
Chords based on intervals of a 4th rather than the more usual 3rds
Range
A span of pitches from low to high that a voice or instrument can produce, or that is found in a passage of music. AKA the compass
Realisation
The process or result of adding chords and decoration to a figured bass
Recitative
Vocal music that mimics the rhythms of ordinary speech
Register
A particular part of the range of a voice or instrument, such as a higher or a low register. Similar in meaning to tessitura
Related keys
Keys whose scales have most of their notes in common. For example, C major and G major are closely related because all their notes are the same except that C major has F whereas G major has F#
Reverb
Abbreviation of reverberation. The reflections that occur when sound is made in an enclosed space. Digitally produced reverb is often added to recordings
Rhythm
The patterns produced by notes and rests of various lengths
Rhythm guitar
The part that primarily supplies the harmony in a rock band
Riff
In jazz, pop and rock, a short melodic pattern repeated many times in succession
Ripieno
The orchestra, as distinct from the concertino (the soloists), in a concerto grosso
Ritornello form
A structure used for longer movement in the Baroque period that begins with a section in the tonic key. Parts of this music then return in related keys, separated by modulating episodes for one or more soloists. A final ritornello re-establishes the tonic key. Ritornello is Italian for a little return and refers to the opening section usually being shortened when it returns
Romantic
The predominant musical style in the 19th century
Rondo form
A musical structure in which a mina section (called the rondo theme) alternates with contrasting episodes, creating a pattern such as ABACA
Root
The note that corresponds with the letter-name of a chord. For example, the root of a chord of C major is always the note C, no matter which of its three pitches (C, E or G) is the bass note
Rubato
Tiny fluctuations in tempo for expressive effect
Samba
A dance and highly syncopated type of music from Brazil. A stylised form of the dance is popular as a type of ballroom dancing
Sample
A short segment taken from an existing recording for reuse in a new piece
Scale
A set of notes that go up or down in order
Scalic
Related to a musical scale
Scena
In a music theatre, a continuous piece of vocal music comprising several distinct sections
Semitone
Half of a tone: the smallest interval in common use in western music
Sequence
The immediate repetition at a different pitch of a melody (melodic sequence) or chord progression (harmonic sequence)
Short score
A reduction of a work for many instruments onto just a few staves
Shuffle rhythm
In jazz and some types of pop music, the division of the beat into pairs of notes in which the first is a little longer than the second. AKA swing rhythm or swing quavers
Simple time
In simple time, the beat is a note that can be divided into two shorter notes of equal length. Time signatures with 2, 3 or 4 as the upper number indicate simple time (e.g: 2/4, 4/4, 3/8)
Slide
An ornament common in the Baroque period, consisting of two notes that rapidly sie by step to the main notes. The notes of the ornament are printed in small type
Sonata
In the Classical period and later, a work in three or four movements for either piano alone or for a solo instrument (such as a flute or violin) with piano
Sonata form
The most common structure for the first movement (and often other movements) of sonatas, symphonies and other types of music in the Classical period and later. The main ideas are presented in the tonic (the first subject) and in a contrasting but related key (the second subject) in an opening section called the exposition, which usually ends with a codetta. These ideas are then extended in a central section (the development) which is followed by a final section (the recapitulation) in which both first and second subjects normally return in the tonic key. The structure ends with a final section called the coda, designed to assert the tonic key
Sonority
The character of musical sounds either individually or in combination
Soprano
The highest female singing voice
Stab
A term used in pop and jazz for a loud, detached chord, often played by brass or full orchestra
Step
An interval of a tone or semitone between adjacent notes. The opposite of a leap. A melody that moves in steps is said to have stepwise or conjunct motion
Stretto
A section of a fugue in which entries of the subject occur closer together than previously so that they overlap more tightly
Strophic form
A structure found mainly in simple songs in which the same music is used for each of several verses. The form can be expressed as AAA…etc
Subject
The theme of a fugue or one of two important themes in sonata form
Suite
A collection of pieces (often dances) intended to be performed together
Sus chord
In pop and jazz, a chord containing a 4th or 2nd instead of a 3rd above the root (sounding like the dissonance heard in suspension)
Suspension
An effect that occurs when a note from one chord is held over to (or repeated in) a chord to which it does not belong. This creates a momentary expressive dissonance that is resolved (i.e it ends) when the dissonant note then moves to a chord note
Syllabic
A style word setting in which each syllable is set to its own notes. Opposite of melismatic
Syncopation
Strongly accented notes played off or against the beat
Talking drum
An African drum with various local names, almost always in an hour glass shape and played with a hooked beater. It has a considerable tonal variety depending on where its struck and how the tension on the drum head is varied, making it possible to mimic the patterns of speech
Tato solo
A passage in a continuo part where no chords are required
Tempo
The speed at which music is performed
Tenor
The highest male singing voice, apart from countertenor
Ternary form
A three-part structure in which the first and last section are similar while the central section creates a contrast (often summarised as ABA form)
Terraced dynamics
Clear contrasts between loud and soft sections rather than gradual changes. Terraced dynamics are a feature of much Baroque music
Tessitura
The average range of a passage. Similar in meaning to register but generally used for vocal rather than instrumental music
Texture
The relationship between the simultaneous layers in a passage of music
Theme
A musical idea (usually a melody) that plays an important role in a piece of music
Tierce de Picardie
A major tonic chord ending a cadence in a minor key
Timbre
Tone colour
The clarinet has a different timbre to the trumpet, but the clarinet also has different timbres in various parts of its range. Timbre can also be affected by the way an instrument is played, for examples by using a mute or plucking a string instead of using the bow
Title hook
A short and catchy motif set to the words of the title of a pop song
Tonality
The use of major and/or minor keys in music, and their relationship. Music that uses major and minor keys is called tonal music.
Tonality also includes modal and atonal music
Tone
- An interval of two semitones, for example C-D
2. The timbre of a particular instrument or voice
Tonic
The first (and last) note of a major or minor scale, AKA the key note. A triad on the tonic can be described with the Roman numeral I
Transcription
A score made from a recording. Also used to refer to an arrangement
Transpose
The process of writing or performing music at a higher or lower pitch
Tremolo
The continuous, rapid repetition of either a single pitch or two alternating pitches
Triad
A chord of three pitches consisting of a bass note and the notes a 3rd and a 5th above it
Triadic
Related to a triad
Trill
An ornament (often shows as tr) consisting of the rapid repeated alternation of two pitches a step apart
Triplet
Three notes played in the time taken by two of the same value
Truck driver’s gear change
A nickname for the jerky effect caused by modulating up a semitone to repeat a verse or a chorus in a pop song
Tutti
Everyone
A passage in which all or most members of an ensemble are playing
Uilleann pipes
A type of Irish bagpipe used in many kinds of folk music. The air supply comes from elbow-operated bellows. The range of notes is wider than the familiar Great Highland bagpipes of Scotland, and the tone is sweeter
Underscore
Background or non-diegetic film music. Music is played under spoken dialogue
Unison
The effect of two or more people performing the same note(s)
Verse and chorus form
A song structure common in pop and rock. Each verse, which has different words but the same music, is followed by a contrasting chorus in which both words and music are the same on every appearance. The song may start with an intro and end with an outro. The structure may also include a pre-chorus, a contrasting bridge and/or instrumental
Vibrato
Small, rapid fluctuations in pitch used to give warmth and expression to a note
Violone
A bowed bass string instrument that sometimes has frets (like a guitar) and that is a predecessor of the double bass
Virtuosi
A performer of outstanding technical ability
Music is written for such a performer is described as virtuosic and demonstrates a performer’s virtuosity
Vocables
Nonsense syllables in a song (e.g. doo doo doo)
Vocal music
Music intended to be sung
Wah-Wah
A guitar effect or brass mute that can mimic the human voice saying ‘wah-wah’
Walking bass
A bass line that creates a steady tread by moving mainly in identical note lengths (crotchets or quavers) in contrast to the movement of the upper parts
Word painting
The illustration in music of the meaning or suggestion of particular words or phrases in a text, such as the use of a discord for the word ‘pain’
Word setting
The way in which notes are allocated to the syllables of the text in vocal music. The style of setting may be syllabic, melismatic or a combination of both, and it may include examples of word painting
