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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
Q

Rhythm

A

A pattern created by notes of different lengths

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26
Q

Quadruple metre

A

Four beats in a bar

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27
Q

Duple metre

A

Two beats in a bar

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28
Q

Triple metre

A

Three beats in a bar

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29
Q

Syncopation

A

Rhythmic device where an accent is placed on a weak beat or between the beats

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30
Q

Offbeat

A

Occuring between main beats

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31
Q

Metre

A

Number of beats in a bar/ pattern of weak + strong beats

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32
Q

Simple time

A

Metre where each beat divides into two equal parts

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33
Q

Tempo

A

Speed of the music

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34
Q

Unequal phrases

A

Different length phrases

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35
Q

Motif

A

A short section of melody, often repeated

36
Q

Scalic

A

Adjective to describe a melody using sections of scales

37
Q

Arpeggio

A

Notes of a chord played highest to lowest/ + vise versa

38
Q

Passing note

A

Dissonant note between two consonant melody notes

39
Q

Trill

A

Rapid alteration between note + note immediatley above it

40
Q

Antesedant

A

First phrase in a conversational pair

41
Q

Acciaccatura

A

Note played as quickly as possible before the note written

42
Q

Mordent

A

Ornament of main note, note immediately above, back to original note in rapid succession

43
Q

Ascending

44
Q

Theme

A

Musical material e.g. melodu which is the basis of all or part of a piece

45
Q

Balanced phrase

A

Phraes of equal length that form question + answer pairs

46
Q

Leap

A

Interval between two notes larger than a major third

47
Q

Appoggiatura

A

Dissonant, clashing note plated on the beat before the main note

48
Q

Turn

A

Ornament of main note, note as step above, main note, note a step below, main note

49
Q

Sequence

A

Repetiton of a section at a higher or lower pitch

50
Q

Inverted mordent

A

Use of main note, note immediately below it, main melody note in rapid succession

51
Q

Ornamentation

A

Extra notes added to make music more elaborate

52
Q

Consequent

A

Second phrase in a conversational pair

53
Q

Going down

A

Descending

54
Q

Monothematic

A

When one theme is used as basis of an entire movement/composition

55
Q

Lyrical

A

Instrumental melodies that sound like they could be sung

56
Q

Equal phrases

A

Phrases of the same length

57
Q

Neapolitan chord

A

Built on the flattened second degree of the scale

58
Q

Augmented chord

A

Root, major third, augmented fifth

59
Q

Tritone

A

A diminished fifth: very dissonant interval

60
Q

French sixth chord

A

Flattened sixth, tonic, second + raised fourth degrees of the scale

61
Q

Neapolitan sixth

A

Neapolitan chord in first inversion - root of chord is flattened second degree of scale

62
Q

Third inversion

A

A seventh chord with the seventh in the bass

63
Q

Diminished seventh

A

Dissonant chord consisting of three consecutive intervals of a minor third

64
Q

Dissonance

A

Clashing harmony that sounds unpleasant

65
Q

Italian sixth chord

A

Flattened sixth, tonic, raised fourth degrees of a scale

66
Q

Augmented sixth chord

A

Contains the interval of an augmented sixth

67
Q

German sixth chord

A

Flattened sixth, tonic, flattened third, raised fourth degrees

68
Q

Diminished chord

A

Contains a minor third + diminished fifth

69
Q

Dominant minor ninth chord

A

Dominant seventh chord with extra minor ninth in the bass

70
Q

Atonal

A

Lacks a key/tonal center

71
Q

Solo

A

A passage for a single performer

72
Q

Tremelo

A

Rapid repetiton of a note or alternation betwen a pair of notes

73
Q

Tutti

A

All performers playing

74
Q

Clavichord

A

Soft + quiet keyboard instrument used pre classical era

75
Q

Ensemble

A

(a piece written for) A group of performers

76
Q

Accompaniment

A

A musical part that supports the melody

77
Q

Baryton

A

Historical bowed, stringed instrumen with sympathetric strings (commonly used by haydn in compositions)

78
Q

Harpsichord

A

Small keyboard insatrument with soft, rapidly decaying sounds used in Baroque + early classical music

79
Q

Alberti bass

A

Broekn chords played by bass - lowest, highest, middle, highest

79
Q

Basset clarinet

A

Soprano calrient with extra low notes (used by Mozart)

80
Q

Canon

A

Piece where each part plays the same melody at different pitch or different time

81
Q

Counter melody

A

Less important melody at a counterpoint to main melody

82
Q

Texture

A

Used to describe the relationship between different parts in a piece
- monophonic, homophonic or polyphonic

83
Q

Imitation

A

Similar/identical melodies played by different parts one after the other

84
Q

Chalumeau

A

Lowest register of a clarinet

85
Q

Counterpoint/polyphony

A

Different melodies played at the same time

OCR Music A Level (15 decks)

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