Music - Section 1 Flashcards
Deals with the basis of music theory.
What is the broadest definition of music?
sound organized in time
What is the term for the process where composition and performance happen simultaneously?
improvisation
How is sound described in the abstract?
as a wave of energy
What are the two kinds of musical sounds?
pitched and non-pitched
Which type of instruments provide most of the non-pitched sounds in music?
percussion
What does a pure sine wave at 440 Hz sound like?
the A above middle C
What are the four categories of instruments created by Curt Sachs and Erich Von Hornbostel?
chordophones, aerophones, membranophones, and idiophones
What fifth category was later added to Sachs and Hornbostel’s original instrument categories?
electrophones
What are the five “families” of instruments
string, brass, woodwind, percussion, and keyboard
How is a theremin played?
The performer regulates frequency with one hand and amplitude with the other via distributing the electrical fields surrounding a pair of protruding bars
What four properties does a single isolated sound have?
pitch, duration, volume, and timbre
When musicians refer to pitch, how many tones are they referring to?
one
What is the term for the distance between two pitches
an interval
What is the highness or lowness of a sound called?
pitch
What is the musical term for the distance between the A and the next highest A
an octave
By what factor does pitch increase if you double its Hz?
Twice
What is a semitone?
the distance between any two adjacent keys on a keyboard
What is a whole step?
the distance between every other key on a keyboard, regardless of color
What do sharps and flats mean?
To raise or lower, respectively, any given pitch by a half step/semitone
Where does the term ‘clef’ come from?
From the French word for ‘key’
What is another name for the bass clef?
the F-clef
What is indicated by the treble clef?
That the second line from the bottom fo the staff is the pitch “G”
What is another name for the treble clef?
the G-clef
What is indicated by the bass clef?
That the fourth line from the bottom of the staff is the pitch “F”
What is the alto clef?
a C-clef centered in the middle of the staff
What is the tenor clef?
a C-clef centered on the fourth line from the bottom of the staff
What is the grand staff?
two bracketed staves used in piano music
What is the lowest frequency of a pitch called?
the fundamental
What is the loudest and strongest pitch
the fundamental
What are partials (or overtones)?
higher pitches that “color” a note’s fundamental
When did equal temperament tuning become dominant in Western tradition
after about 1750
How many parts does equal temperament tuning divide an octave?
twelve
What is the chromatic scale?
The twelve different pitches in equal temperament are organized in ascending order
What is it called when there are two names for the same piano key?
enharmonic pitches
What is a diatonic scale?
The set of seven pitches (in Western tradition) organized in ascending order that serves as the basis for a piece of music
What is the 7th scale degree called?
the leading tone
What is the 5th scale degree called?
the dominant pitch
What tone begs to resolve upward to the note above it in the scale?
the leading tone
What are the first and last scale degrees called?
the tonic pitch
What pitch acts as the anchor and point of repose and completion
the tonic pitch
What is the dominant pitch in the key of C?
G
What pitch functions as the second gravitational center and may appear more frequently than the tonic?
the dominant pitch
What is the interval comprising one half step?
minor second (m2)
What is the interval comprising one whole step
Major second (M2)
What is the interval comprising three half steps
minor third (m3)
What is the interval comprising four half steps?
Major third (M3)
What is the interval comprising five half steps?
Perfect fourth (M4)
What is the interval comprising six half steps?
Augmented 4th (aug4), diminished 5th (d5), or Tritone (TT)
What is the interval comprising seven half steps
Perfect fifth (M5)
What is the interval comprising eight half steps?
minor sixth (m6)
What is the interval comprising nine half steps?
Major sixth (M6)
What is the interval comprising ten half steps?
minor seventh (m7)
What is the interval comprising eleven half steps?
Major seventh (M7)
What is the interval comprising twelve half steps?
Octave (P8)
What is the interval that spans from C natural to E natural called?
a major third
What is a harmonic interval
when two pitches occur simultaneously
What is a melodic interval?
when two pitches occur in succession
What is a major tenth?
an octave plus a major third
What is the interval pattern for a major scale
W-W-H-W-W-W-H (T-T-S-T-T-T-S for tone and semitones)
What is a scale?
a succession of whole and half steps
How many types of minor scales are there?
three
What is common to all minor scales
lowered third scale degree
How does harmonic minor differ from the regular minor scale?
adds a lowered 7th degree
How does melodic minor differ from the regular minor scale?
raises the 6th and 7th degrees when only ascending
What does it mean for two scales to be relative?
Scales that share the same key but different tonics
What does it mean for two scales to be parallel?
Scales that share the same tonic note but different keys
Which are closer: relative scales or parallel scales?
relative scales are closer
What is a characteristic of a blues scale?
the third and seventh scale degrees can be played in major or minor
What is a melody?
a series of successive pitches perceived by the ear to form a whole
What is created when two pitches occur together?
harmony or counterpoint
What does it mean to transpose a melody?
To change its key
What is the profile of a melody called?
the contour
Which type of melody moves smoothly and in stepwise motion?
a conjunct melody
Which type of melody moves more in intervals larger than whole and half steps?
a disjunct melody
“Row, Row, Row Your Boat” is a tune using what type of motion?
conjunct
What three movement types can be used to describe a melody’s contour?
ascending, descending, or in wavelike manner
What is a low-register male voice called?
bass
What is a high-register male voice called?
tenor
What is a low-register female voice called?
alto
What is a high-register female voice called?
soprano
What does a melody with a high tessitura call for?
more pitches in the performer’s high register
What is the register of an instrument referring to?
Whether an instrument is playing in its high, middle, or low-frequency pitches
What type of music is the term “tessitura” most often applied to?
vocal music
What is rhythm?
the way music is organized in time
What is the beat?
The steady pulse that underlies most music
What is the speed of the beat called?
tempo
What is the lowest tempo referred to as?
Lento (or Grave)
What is the fastest referred to as?
Presto
What does “allegro” mean?
cheerful, lively, or fast
What is a ritardando?
To slow down the tempo
What is an accelerando?
To hasten the tempo
What is rubato?
When a perceived beat exists, but the player slows down and speeds up for expressive effect
What is music with no discernible beat called?
unmetered
What beat is usually the strongest?
The first beat (AKA downbeat)
What is a triple meter?
Music with groups of beats arranged as STRONG-weak-weak
What are the four types of meters?
Duple, triple, quadruple, and irregular
What are the two most common irregular meters?
five-beat or seven-beat measures
What separates music into measures?
bar lines
What is the term for when the first word falls before the downbeat?
an anacrusis or “pickup”
What is the function of the dot in rhythmic notation
adds half the original value of a note
What is the alternate notation for multiple flagged notes called?
beams
What is a whole note?
clear oval symbol representing twice the length of a half note or x4 quarter note
What is syncopation?
when emphasized notes fall on weak beats or in between beats
What is polyrhythm?
when two conflicting rhythmic patterns are played simultaneously
What is another name for polyrhythm?
cross-rhythm
What is a chord?
three or more pitches sounding simultaneously
What is a triad?
a three-note chord consisting of two thirds
What intervals make up a major triad?
a major third interval below a minor third interval
What intervals make up a diminished triad?
a minor third interval below another minor third interval
What intervals make up an augmented triad?
a major third interval below another major third interval
What intervals make up a minor triad?
a minor third interval below a major third interval
What are chromatic pitches?
pitches that occur outside a specified key
What is a key signature?
a set of sharps or flats at the beginning of every staff indicating the key of music
What scale is at the top of the circle of fifths for major scales?
C major
What is the tonic triad?
a diatonic triad built on the tonic pitch
What is considered the most stable chord in a key?
the tonic triad
What is a diminished triad
a triad built on the seventh scale degree; consists of two minor thirds
Aside from the tonic chord, which chord is most important?
the dominant chord
What is a chain of triads, each pulling to the next, called?
a chord progression
What is simple harmony?
harmony diatonic in nature and consisting mainly of triads
What is modulation?
Changing of keys by methods such as using accidentals to create a new dominant seventh and resolve into a new key
What is a modal mixture?
The result of when one or two pitches of the basic triad are altered
Who wrote the “Emancipation of Dissonance?”
Arnold Schoenberg
When was the “Emancipation of Dissonance” written?
1910
What is the twelve-tone method?
a system for determining pitch relationships
Who developed the twelve-tone method?
Arthur Schoenberg
When was the twelve-tone method developed?
1925
What are the four types of texture in Western music?
monophony, homophony, polyphony, and heterophony
What is monophony?
music consisting of only a single unaccompanied melodic line
What is homophony?
music consisting of a melodic line accompanied by supporting harmony
What is polyphony?
music where two independent melodies unfold simultaneously
What are the two types of polyphony?
counterpoint and imitative polyphony
What is heterophony?
music involving multiple performers playing the same melodic line simultaneously but with slight variations
What is counterpoint?
two different melodies playing simultaneously to the same beat?
What is imitative polyphony?
a single melody is introduced by one voice/instrument and repeated by others in staggered entrances
What is ornamentation in music?
localized embellishments, which may or may not be written down
What are the four building blocks of form?
motives, phrases, cadences, themes
What is the smallest unit of form?
motifs
What are the most basic formal processes in music?
repetition, variation, and contrast
What are three different variation structures?
theme and variation, twelve-bar blues, and improvisation
What are the three different forms of contrast?
ternary and rondo forms, 32-bar form, and verse-chorus form
What is the form structure of ternary/rondo form?
ABA
What are two means of development in music?
fugue and sonata form
What three components makeup sonata form?
exposition, development, and recapitulation
What is the term for a time signature of 2/2?
“alla breve” or cut time
How many different major scales are there?
15
What makes the quality of a pitch, interval, or chord “unstable” or tense?
dissonance
