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OCR Music A Level > Music Theory Terms > Flashcards

Music Theory Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Crescendo

A

Gradually getting louder

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2
Q

Sforzando

A

A strong accent

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3
Q

Legato

A

Smooth transition between notes

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4
Q

Slur

A

Smooth articulation grouping a group of notes

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5
Q

Pianoissimo (pp/ppp)

A

Played very softly

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6
Q

Virtuosic

A

Elaborate, complex, difficult playing style/music

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7
Q

Piano (p)

A

Played softly

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8
Q

Fortepiano

A

Loud dynamic followed by soft dynamic (fp)

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9
Q

Dynamics

A

The volume of the music

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10
Q

Forzando

A

A strong accent

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11
Q

Fortissimo (ff/fff)

A

Played very loudly

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12
Q

Forte (f)

A

Played loudly

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13
Q

Mezzoforte (mp)

A

Played moderately loud

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14
Q

Mezzopiano (mp)

A

Played moderately soft

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15
Q

Staccato

A

Detached articulation

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16
Q

Double stopping

A

Playing two notes at the same time on a stringed instrument

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17
Q

Staccatitissimo

A

Very detached articulation

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18
Q

Improvisation

A

A performer inventing music on the spot (could draw on exisitng material for inspiration)

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19
Q

Articulation

A

How notes are played e.g. smooth or detached

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20
Q

Pizzicato

A

A detached sound from a string player plucking a string

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21
Q

Accent

A

Playing a note harder and more loudly than surronding notes

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22
Q

Arco

A

Instruction for string players to use their bows - smooth sound produced than pizzicato

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23
Q

Stringendo/accelerando

A

Gradually getting faster

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24
Q

Compound time

A

A metre where each beat divides into three equal parts`

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25
Rhythm
A pattern created by notes of different lengths
26
Quadruple metre
Four beats in a bar
27
Duple metre
Two beats in a bar
28
Triple metre
Three beats in a bar
29
Syncopation
Rhythmic device where an accent is placed on a weak beat or between the beats
30
Offbeat
Occuring between main beats
31
Metre
Number of beats in a bar/ pattern of weak + strong beats
32
Simple time
Metre where each beat divides into two equal parts
33
Tempo
Speed of the music
34
Unequal phrases
Different length phrases
35
Motif
A short section of melody, often repeated
36
Scalic
Adjective to describe a melody using sections of scales
37
Arpeggio
Notes of a chord played highest to lowest/ + vise versa
38
Passing note
Dissonant note between two consonant melody notes
39
Trill
Rapid alteration between note + note immediatley above it
40
Antesedant
First phrase in a conversational pair
41
Acciaccatura
Note played as quickly as possible before the note written
42
Mordent
Ornament of main note, note immediately above, back to original note in rapid succession
43
Ascending
Going up
44
Theme
Musical material e.g. melodu which is the basis of all or part of a piece
45
Balanced phrase
Phraes of equal length that form question + answer pairs
46
Leap
Interval between two notes larger than a major third
47
Appoggiatura
Dissonant, clashing note plated on the beat before the main note
48
Turn
Ornament of main note, note as step above, main note, note a step below, main note
49
Sequence
Repetiton of a section at a higher or lower pitch
50
Inverted mordent
Use of main note, note immediately below it, main melody note in rapid succession
51
Ornamentation
Extra notes added to make music more elaborate
52
Consequent
Second phrase in a conversational pair
53
Going down
Descending
54
Monothematic
When one theme is used as basis of an entire movement/composition
55
Lyrical
Instrumental melodies that sound like they could be sung
56
Equal phrases
Phrases of the same length
57
Neapolitan chord
Built on the flattened second degree of the scale
58
Augmented chord
Root, major third, augmented fifth
59
Tritone
A diminished fifth: very dissonant interval
60
French sixth chord
Flattened sixth, tonic, second + raised fourth degrees of the scale
61
Neapolitan sixth
Neapolitan chord in first inversion - root of chord is flattened second degree of scale
62
Third inversion
A seventh chord with the seventh in the bass
63
Diminished seventh
Dissonant chord consisting of three consecutive intervals of a minor third
64
Dissonance
Clashing harmony that sounds unpleasant
65
Italian sixth chord
Flattened sixth, tonic, raised fourth degrees of a scale
66
Augmented sixth chord
Contains the interval of an augmented sixth
67
German sixth chord
Flattened sixth, tonic, flattened third, raised fourth degrees
68
Diminished chord
Contains a minor third + diminished fifth
69
Dominant minor ninth chord
Dominant seventh chord with extra minor ninth in the bass
70
Atonal
Lacks a key/tonal center
71
Solo
A passage for a single performer
72
Tremelo
Rapid repetiton of a note or alternation betwen a pair of notes
73
Tutti
All performers playing
74
Clavichord
Soft + quiet keyboard instrument used pre classical era
75
Ensemble
(a piece written for) A group of performers
76
Accompaniment
A musical part that supports the melody
77
Baryton
Historical bowed, stringed instrumen with sympathetric strings (commonly used by haydn in compositions)
78
Harpsichord
Small keyboard insatrument with soft, rapidly decaying sounds used in Baroque + early classical music
79
Alberti bass
Broekn chords played by bass - lowest, highest, middle, highest
79
Basset clarinet
Soprano calrient with extra low notes (used by Mozart)
80
Canon
Piece where each part plays the same melody at different pitch or different time
81
Counter melody
Less important melody at a counterpoint to main melody
82
Texture
Used to describe the relationship between different parts in a piece - monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic
83
Imitation
Similar/identical melodies played by different parts one after the other
84
Chalumeau
Lowest register of a clarinet
85
Counterpoint/polyphony
Different melodies played at the same time

OCR Music A Level (17 decks)

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