music vocab Flashcards by Wendy Atkins

Space questions

How is the musical behavior modified by the space?
How does the space affect the sound production?
How do they modify the space to attain aural effects?

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Shape of the event through time questions

What is the overall form? What melodic features such as motifs, sequences, phrases, ostinati, etc. do you hear? Are there sections of repetition, variation, contrast?

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Define call and response form

leader and chorus alternate

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Define antiphonal form

two groups sing and/or play alternately

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Define strophic form

all stanzas of the text sung to the same music

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Define through-composed form

melodic structure with no large-scale repetition, ABCDEF

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Define progressive form

each section has different material but with fixed number of repetitions, AABBCCDD

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Define theme and variations form

basic theme presented then presented in variations

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Define litany-type form

only one short phrase repeated throughout

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What is a phrase?

a brief section of music somewhat complete in itself, but not sufficient

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What is a motif?

a salient (very important) combination of notes

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What is a note?

a minimal structure unit of pitch or rhythm

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What is a beat?

a single time unit

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Name 7 types of musical form

call & response, antiphonal, strophic, through-composed, progressive, theme and variations, litany-type

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What is call & response form?

singing in which a solo/leader and chorus/group alternate

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What is antiphonal singing/playing?

two groups sing or play alternately

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What is strophic form?

all stanzas of a text are sung to the same music (hymns with refrain)

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What is through-composed form?

melodic structure with no large-scale repetition

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What is progressive form?

Each section has completely different material but with repetitions of sections

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What is theme & variations form?

basic theme presented & then different variations of it are presented

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What is litany-type form?

only one short phrase reiterated throughout

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Name seven ways of describing a musical instrument

construction & materials, sound production, playing techniques, musical function, visual design, tuning, cultural integration

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What is an aerophone?

vibrating column of air produces the sound

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What is a chordophone?

vibrating strings that are plucked, struck produce the sound

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What is a membranophone?

a stretched membrane is struck to make the sound

What is an idiophone?

the entire body of the instrument vibrates to make the sound

What playing techniques are used to produce sounds on instruments?

blowing, sucking, hitting, scraping, plucking, bowing, shaking, etc.

What musical textures effect the way an instrument is played and sounds?

melodic, rhythmic, solo, or ensemble

How do you analyze the visual design of an instrument?

shape, adornment (use visual arts categories)

How do you analyze the tuning of an instrument?

use a pitched instrument, discover the relationship between pitches, how individuals tune their instruments, what tuning parameters a community will accept

What cultural aspects of an instrument can be analyzed?

names of parts (inc. human attributes), who should play it, how it is constructed, the genres it is used in, other connections to broader cultural themes

What is timbre?

the quality of color of a tone

What is vibrato?

minute fluctuation in volume &/or pitch in a sustained note

What is yodeling?

alternating between chest voice and falsetto tones

What is sprechstimme?

melody is spoken at approximate pictures, not sung on exact pitches

What is overtone singing?

single vocalist produces 2, 3, or 4 different notes simultaneously

What are 3 ways to analyze the text of a song?

syllabic, neumatic, melismatic

What is syllabic text?

one note per syllable

What is neumatic text?

two or three notes per syllable (Amazing Grace)

What is melismatic text?

one syllable sung on two or more notes (refrain of Angels We Have Heard on High)

What is the texture of a song? Name 8 different types.

the horizontal and vertical relationships of musical materials; ex. heterophony, polyphony, parallel organum, drone, homophony, independent polyphony, imitative polyphony, canon or round

What is heterophony?

same melody played by all instruments or voices (Javanese gamelan)

What is polyphony?

two or more voices sounding, but not in octaves

What is parallel organum?

polyphony composed of a melody and a second part that parallels it

What is a drone?

a melody supported by one or two unchanging pitches

What is homophony?

melody supported by chordal structure

What is independent polyphony?

melodic voices moving in different directions

What is imitative polyphony?

the melody of one voice is based on another (fugue)

What is a canon?

all or almost all of the first voice is repeated by one or more following voices that start after the first voice

What are four different types of rhythm?

proportional rhythm, polyrhythm, speech rhythm, free rhythm

What is proportional rhythm?

smaller rhythmic units are simple proportions of larger units

What is polyrhythm?

simultaneous use of very different rhythms in different parts

What is speech rhythm?

the rhythm is determined by the rhythm of the spoken text alone

What is free rhythm?

notes of irregular lengths with no discernible pattern

What is tempo?

the speed of the beat

What are dynamics?

the volume and changes in the volume

What is musical pitch inventory?

all the notes included in a piece or song

What is musical range?

the distance between the highest sounding and the lowest sounding notes in the song or piece

What is the tonal center?

the pitch around which the piece revolves

What is modulation?

change of the tonal center or key within a composition

What is melody?

a succession of notes; the horizontal aspect of pitches in music

What is contour?

the shape of the melody within the composition

Give seven examples of melodic contour?

arc, inverted arc, rising, cascading, falling, sinewy or undulating, airfoil

What are three relationships between the tones used in a language and melodic contour?

parallel, contrary, oblique

When the language tone & the melody move in parallel directions it is called...

parallel relationship

When the language tone & the melody move in opposite directions it is called...

contrary relationship

When the language tone or melody moves while the other remains level it is called...

oblique

What is a vocable?

a syllable without lexical meaning set to music possibly communicating emotional or symbolic meaning

What is a diatonic scale?

melody and/or harmony confined to pitches within the major or minor scale

What are the names of scales based on 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 notes called?

tetratonic, pentatonic, hexatonic, heptatonic, octatonic

What is a raga?

East Indian scale concept that includes cultural concepts

What is divisive meter?

Measured time that is subdivided into a number of equal notes

What is additive meter?

Measured time subdivided into smaller, irregular groups

What is isometer?

The use of repeated pulse without its organization into groups

What is mixed meter?

using two or more different meters in one piece sequentially

What is polymeter?

using two or more different meters in one piece simultaneously