Music History Flashcards
Absolute Music
Music for music’s sake, or music that does not accompany any kind of theme, plot, or story.
Accompanied Recitative
A recitative with an embellished instrumental accompaniment.
Agnus Dei
Section sung after the Sanctus in the Mass Ordinary.
Air
A vocal or instrumental piece that is melodic and song-like.
Air de Cour
A type of air popular in France during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
Alberti Bass
An accompaniment pattern where each chord note is played one at a time.
Alleluia
In English, “Praise the Lord” and sung in the Mass Ordinary.
Allemande
A stylized dance that was popular in the Baroque period.
Ambrosian Chant
A type of Medieval plainchant.
Ametric
A metric music has no time signature, and it does not have a clear beat.
Antiphon
A psalm that is set to music, often sung in alternation between two choirs.
Antiphoner
A book of antiphons.
Anthem
A piece of music that promotes a nation, religion, or other cause.
Aria
A solo piece in Opera used to communicate the inner thoughts of a character.
Arioso
A less elaborate version of an aria.
Ars Nova
In English, “New Art”, referring to French Medieval music styles in the late 14th century.
Art Music
Music that follows certain fixed, written rules and traditions, often associated with classical music and in opposition to popular styles of music.
Art Song
In the classical tradition, a poem set to music with piano accompaniment.
Atonal
Music that does not have a key.
Avant-Garde
A movement in music that experiments beyond traditional ideas of melody, harmony, and rhythm.
Ballade
A poem set to music with a very specific structure.
Ballata
A poem set to music with a very specific structure, popular in Italy during the Medieval period.
Ballet
A formal style of dance set to music, especially popular in Russia and France beginning in the 19th century.
Balletto
An Italian vocal piece with a lighthearted style, popular during the late Medieval period.
Bamberg Codex
A Medieval manuscript containing music theory and many French compositions.
Baroque Period
The period of history from 1600-1750.
Cabaletta
A type of aria with a repeating rhythmic pattern.
Cadenza
A virtuosic section near the conclusion of a piece of music. Cadenzas are often improvised.
Canon
A piece of music in which multiple voices or instrument parts repeat the same melody, but begin at different times.
Cantata
A multi-movement work featuring an orchestra and a choir, often religious in nature.
Canticle
A psalm, hymn, or other song of praise to God sung during a church service.
Cantor
During Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque times, the cantor was the director of the choir and all other music in a local church.
Cantus Firmus
In English “fixed song”, the basic melody that is complemented or elaborated by counterpoint.
Canzona
A type of Franco-Flemish instrumental music, popular during the Renaissance period.
Canzonetta
A type of vocal music popular in Renaissance and Baroque Italy.
Castrato
A male singer who has undergone castration as a child to ensure that his voice would not change but would remain high.
Chamber Music
Music intended for performance by a small group of instrumentalists.
Chanson
A piece of vocal music very popular in Medieval and Renaissance France.
Character Piece
A piece of keyboard music that is meant to reflect one idea, character, or thought.
Chorale
A hymn of praise originally intended for congregational singing.
Chromaticism
A movement in music which incorporates notes from the chromatic scale into the harmony.
Classical Period
The Period of history generally considered to span from 1750-1820.
Coloratura
The practice of ornamenting a vocal line, especially in a high voice part.
Comic Opera
A lighthearted opera that has a happy ending.
Concerto
A musical work featuring a soloist who is accompanied by an orchestra.
Concerto Grosso
Like a concerto, but with multiple solos it’s rather than just one.
Conductus
A type of vocal music with a devotional text, popular during the Medieval period.
Consort Music
Music for a small group of instrumentalists, popular in England during the Renaissance period.
Contrafactum
A song which uses a familiar tune, yet has different lyrics.
Counterpoint
A type of polyphony where two or more voices move independently.
Credo
A musical setting in the Mass after the Gloria section.
Cyclic Mass
A type of Mass that had a musical theme tying each movement as one cycle.
De Capo Aria
An aria made up of an A section, then a B section, followed by an embellished A section.
Discant
A countermelody that is usually sung above the soprano part.
Dry Recitative
A recitative with a simple instrumental accompaniment.
Duo Sonata
A type of sonata that was common in the Baroque period, performed by one soloist and two basso continuo players.
Electronic Music
Music that is made up of electronic sounds and/or electronic instruments.
Etude
A short instrumental exercise that emphasizes a particular skill or technique.
Exoticism
A movement in music that tries to emulate the sounds and styles of music in far away nations
Expressionism
A movement in music that tries to convey the artist’s emotions, often by distorting or blurring traditional harmony and form.
Fauxbourbon
A style of harmonization popular in the Renaissance. This style relies on parallel movement between the voice parts.
Figured Bass
A system of numbers and symbols that indicate what chords should be played in the bass line.
Formes Fixes
Three popular forms of music in France during the Medieval period (Ballade, Rondeau, and Virelais).
Fugue
A complex form of instrumental music in which a subject is introduced and then developed between multiple voices.
Galant Style
A style of music that became popular during the Classical, period. This style was lighter and more elegant than the formal Baroque style of music.
Grand Opera
An elaborate multi-opera that was popular during the 19th century.
Gregorian Chant
A type of Medieval plainchant named after Pope Gregory I.
Heightened Neumes
The earliest pitch indications in music notation, used on a four line music staff before the five line staff was invented.
Hocket
A popular Medieval technique that splits the melody between two voices or instruments.
Homophony
Music that has more than one line or part, and the parts move together with the same basic rhythm and structure.
Hymn
A song of praise or prayer to God.
Idee Fixe
In English “fixed idea” or the primary idea or thought in a piece of music. A common musical concept in the Romantic period.
Impressionism
A movement in music that uses impressions and ambiguity to convey the emotion or atmosphere the composer desires.
Incidental Music
Background music in a play or film that creates a particular mood or feeling that corresponds to the story’s plot.
Isorhythm
A Medieval compositional technique in which a repeating rhythm, called the talea, is intertwined with repeating pitches, called the color.
Just Intonation
A system of tuning that was common from Ancient times until the Medieval period. This system tunes each note a fixed, unequal distance apart.
Kyrie
The first part sung in the Mass Ordinary.
Leitmotif
In English “leading motive”, or the primary motive of a musical work that keeps reappearing.
Libretto
The lyrics that accompany an opera.
Lieder
A type of German song that often featured a voice part with piano accompaniment. Very popular during the Classical and Romantic periods.
Liturgical Drama
A musical drama with a religious or devotional theme that may or may not be performed as part of a church service.
Madrigal
A piece of music for one or more voices which often used word painting, not usually accompanied by instruments. Very popular during the Renaissance period.
Mass
The formal church service in Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches.
Mass Ordinary
The part of Mass liturgy that is the same in every season.
Mass Proper
The part of Mass liturgy that changes to correspond with the Church calendar.
Medieval Period
The period of history generally considered to span from 476-1450.
Mensural Notation
A type of notation from the late Medieval and Renaissance periods that allowed rhythm as well as pitch to be indicated in the store.
Melodrama
A grand, emotionally charged drama that is often accompanied by instrumental music.
Minimalism
A movement in music that embraces simplicity in music, often changing one aspect of the music gradually as the composition is played or sung.
Minstrel
Traveling musicians during the Medieval period.
Minuet
A dance that is usually written in triple meter, popular during the Baroque and Classical periods.
Modern Period
The period of history generally considered to span from 1900 to the present day.
Monody
A song for one voice, often lamenting. Popular in Ancient Greece.
Monophony
Music that has only one line or part.
Motet
A piece of vocal music, usually short and religious in nature.
Music Drama
A play or drama in which vocal and /or instrumental music is woven into the plot.
Nationalism
A movement in music which tries to capture the spirit of each individual nation to have a “national style”.
Neo-Classicism
A 20th century movement in music to return to many of the sty,es and principles of music in the Classical period.
Neumes
The first markings in early musical notation.
Nocturne
A keyboard work which reflects or is inspired by the night.
Obbligato
An important instrumental line which is markedly different from the other parts and should not be omitted.
Offertory
An instrumental piece played during the collection and offerings during a church service.
Opera Buffa
A type of comic opera that deals with everyday people and situations.
Opera Comique
A type of opera that alternates between singing and speaking parts, popular in France during the Baroque period.
Opera Seria
A type of opera that is serious and tragic, popular in Italy during the Baroque period.
Operetta
A short, lighthearted opera that alternates between singing and speaking parts.
Oratorio
A story told through singing only, similar to an opera but dealing with a religious theme.
Organum
Polyphonic plainchant, popular during the Medieval period.
Ostinato
A stubborn repeating rhythmic or melodic pattern.
Parlor Song
A genre of piano and vocal music intended for performance by amateur musicians in their homes.
Parody Mass
A type of mass that includes musical quotations from other non-liturgical sources, popular during the Renaissance period.
Plainchant
Various styles of monophonic chant used in the liturgy, popular throughout the Medieval period.
Popular Music
Music that is based on popular styles and is distinct from the classical music tradition.
Prelude
The first piece of music in a multi-movement work or the musical introduction to a church service.
Program Music
Music that accompanies a theme, plot, or story.
Psalm
And ancient song of praise to God from the Book of Psalms.
Polyphony
Music that has more than one line or part, and the parts move independently with different structures and rhythms.
Recitative
A vocal piece that is less melodic and more speech-like than an aria.
Renaissance
The period of history generally considered to span from 1450-1600.
Requiem
A mass for the dead.
Romantic Period
The period of history generally considered to span from 1820-1900.
Rondeau
A poem set to music, and this came from the Medieval period.
Rondo
A piece of keyboard music that follows a set form with an alternating A section, popular during the Classical period.
Ritornello
An instrumental interlude during a musical movement, common during the Baroque and Classical periods.
Sacred Music
Music that is used in religious services and ceremonies or for private religious purposes.
Sanctus
The section after the Credo in the Mass Ordinary.
Secular Music
Music that is not intended for use in religious services and ceremonies or for other religious purposes.
Sonata
An instrumental work featuring an exposition, development, and a recapitulation.
Sonatina
A shortened version of a sonata.
Song Cycle
A group of songs that are meant to be performed together, often centering around one theme.
Subject
The principle melody in a fugue, developed and passed around between all of the voices as the fugue progresses.
Suite
A group of stylized dances usually played as a set, especially popular during the Baroque period.
Symphony
A grand four-movement orchestral work, made popular by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Talea
The repeating rhythmic pattern in Medieval isorhythm.
Timbre
The color and character of a musical note.
Toccata
A free-from instrumental piece that requires technical virtuosity.
