Music Vocabulary Flashcards
Choral music without instrumental accompaniment
A Cappella
Gradually increasing in speed
Accelerando
Slowly, leisurely
Adagio
Lively, brisk, rapid
Allegro
In a moderately slow time, flowing easily and gracefully
Andante
Solo song (in an opera) expressing a character’s feelings
Aria
Time period lasted from the 1600 – 1750; main elements of this time period were complexity and ornamentation–music seemed to curl and twist with elaborate detail through orchestral music and opera; some of the greatest composers of this time period were Handel, Bach, Vivaldi, Monteverdi, and Purcell
Baroque Period
In the 1930s, the style of music originating in the Mississippi Delta region, features guitar, soulful sound, use of blue notes and introduction of the singer
Blues
In the 1920s, the dance oriented style of music using primarily piano repeating pattern in bass line (left hand) with syncopated choral melody in treble (right hand)
Boogie Woogie
Type of musical in which the characters act out the plot which leads to a clear outcome
Book Musical
Story line is humorous and light
Musical Comedies
Story is more humorous in nature
Musical Plays
Song and/or dance routine for a large number of performers
Chorus
Chorus in a musical
Production number
Mix of jazz and blues, female vocals, popular in first two decades of 20th century
Classic Blues
From 1750 – 1820, the main elements were balance and clarity of structure which was written to appeal to all listeners and to stay within the boundaries of social etiquette; some of the greatest composers of this time period were Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
Classical Period
Means “large concert”; most popular instrumental form of the Baroque era involving two violins, a viola and a cello and another instrument that would be given a solo role such as a trumpet or harpsichord
Concerto grosso
Consists of a string ensemble larger than that of a concerto grosso featuring a solo instrument; Classical period began to include other instrumental sections in addition to strings; in the Romantic period, entire orchestras were used in conjunction with the solo instrument
Concerto
Gradual increase in volume
Crescendo
Gradual decrease in volume
Decrescendo
Style of jazz music in the 1890s with syncopation, improvisation that is usually five or six players, one person per part
Dixieland
Sweetly, delicately
Dolce
Lowers a note ½ step
Flat
Music native to a specific area, songs about common people, tells a story, variety of subject matter
Folk music
Loud, strong
Forte
Very loud
Fortissimo
First American songwriter
Stephen Foster
Contemporary American composer who combined jazz and classical elements in his music
George Gershwin
Music being played/sung is made up on the spot, not practiced or written down
Improvisation
Music in a play/musical/opera that underscores the action; the characters are not aware of it–background music
Incidental Music
Style of music that originated in New Orleans, improvised out of spirituals
Jazz
Ragtime composer
Scott Joplin
Smoothly, evenly
Legato
Script of an opera or musical
Libretto
Style of music in the 1960s and 1970s that involves the improvisation of single lead players, loud screaming brass, accented or punched rhythms
Modern Jazz
Film version of either an existing Broadway musical or a new musical written especially for the screen taking advantage of all the special capabilities of film
Movie Musical
Written for stage consisting of a story, spoken in dialogue form with songs, dances, choruses, and incidental music; unique contribution of the US to the world of theater
Musical
Play set to music; musical drama in which all of the dialogue is sung that combines the excitement of drama and the power of music
Opera
Instrumental introduction of a musical or opera that sets the mood and allows us to hear some of the show’s main melodies
Overture
Extremely soft
Pianissimo
Soft
Piano
Notes from lowest to highest that an instrument can play
Range
Dialogue that is sung rather than spoken
Recitative
From 1450 – 1600, it is considered a time of great creativity, exploration and adventure that increased the use and invention of the printing press allowed music to be copied and distributed widely; leading composers of this time period were Dufay and Palestrina
Renaissance Period
Gradually becoming slower
Ritardando
Style of music influenced by jazz, rhythm & blues, folk, and country-western
Rock
Wrote and produced musicals for the American stage and film
Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II
From 1820 to 1900, the main elements were freedom of expression and a fascination with fantasy and nature; stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism; great composers from this time period were Listz, Wagner, Schumann, and Brahms
Romantic Period
Taking the notes from their strict written value freely
Rubato
The music
Score
Raises a note ½ step
Sharp
Four part male and female choir music using soprano, alto, tenor, and bass voicing
SATB
One person singing or playing
Solo
Work for solo instrument although pieces for violin and piano are found; form enjoyed tremendous popularity during the Classical period that are typically three movements in length with a fast first and third movement; second movement is generally slow and in a different key from the other two movements
Sonata
Separated
Staccato
Style of music in the 1940s featuring accented chords on the off-beat; start of the big band sound
Swing
Large-scale orchestral work which usually consisted of four distinct and separate movements; first and last movements have a relatively fast tempo while the second is slow and the third is in the form of a minuet or scherzo (both dances)
Orchestral demands increased from the Baroque period with Mozart as the first to prepare a separate score for the woodwinds; by Mahler’s time, it might utilize a chorus and a full array of percussion instruments as well as the usual strings, brass, and woodwinds
Symphony
Silence
Tacet
Speed music is performed
Tempo
Tone color of voices or instruments; unique sound of an instrument or voice
Timbre
From 1900 – present, it is also known as contemporary music where composers sought to move away from traditional styles from the past and create their own musical identity; affected by technological advances, political and economic changes, and emotion-filled nationalistic pride; musical styles include jazz, rock, rap, country, folk, blues, and electric fusion
Twentieth Century Period
With vivacity, lively, quickly
Vivace
Highest female voice
Soprano
Middle–soprano, somewhere between soprano and alto
Mezzo–soprano
Lowest female voice
Alto (Contralto)
Highest male voice
Tenor
Male voice somewhere between tenor and bass and often categorized as “tenor/bari” or “bass/bari” parts for the higher and lower ranges
Baritone
Lowest male voice
Bass
