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22-23 Music Memory > Musical Terms > Flashcards

Musical Terms Flashcards

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1
Q

2/4 time

A

simple meter in which there are two beats per measure and a quarter note gets one beat

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2
Q

3/4 time

A

simple meter in which there are three beats per measure and a quarter note gets one beat

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3
Q

ABA form

A

a form consisting of three sections in which the third section is a repeat of the first

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4
Q

ABC form

A

a form consisting of three sections, all of which are different

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5
Q

accent

A

indicates that a note should be played or sung with more emphasis than the other notes

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6
Q

alto

A

low female singing voice, abbreviated “A”

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7
Q

arch form

A

a musical form with the sections ABCBA

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8
Q

aria

A

a song from an opera, for one voice, often sung with an orchestra

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9
Q

arpeggio

A

broken chord; a group of notes from a chord that are sounded one after another

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10
Q

articulation

A

the way the notes are played

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11
Q

ballet

A

a story told through music and dancing, performed on a stage with costumes, sets, and lighting

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12
Q

band

A

a group of musicians who play woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments

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13
Q

baritone

A

the most common male singing voice, lower than tenor and higher than bass

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14
Q

baroque motet

A

a musical composition for choir and soloists in several movements

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15
Q

bass

A

low male singing voice, abbreviated “B”

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16
Q

bass clef (“F clef”)

A

a musical symbol that indicates F below middle C (line 4 on the staff)

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17
Q

instruments that use bass clef

A

cello, double bass, bassoon, trombone, baritone, euphonium, tuba, timpani, bass guitar, piano, and harp, as well as baritone and bass voices

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18
Q

bel canto

A

“beautiful singing” in Italian; an Italian vocal style in Europe during the 18th and early 19th centuries

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19
Q

big band

A

a group of 12-25 jazz musicians who play woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments; came to prominence in the 1930s

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20
Q

bridge

A

a contrasting section that prepares for the return of the main theme; also used in jazz and pop music for a connecting section within the form of the music

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21
Q

chamber ensemble

A

a small group of musicians who play in a room or small hall

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22
Q

chamber orchestra

A

a few musicians who play in a room or small hall

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23
Q

choir

A

a large group of singers associated with the church (sacred); includes soprano, alto, tenor, and bass

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24
Q

chord

A

three or more notes sounded together

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25
Q

clef

A

a musical symbol that is used to indicate the pitch of musical notes. Most common are treble, bass, and alto.

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26
Q

coda

A

“tail” in Italian; the ending of a piece of music

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27
Q

commission

A

to hire and pay a composer to compose a piece of music. May be done by individuals or groups, such as a school or symphony orchestra

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28
Q

compound meter

A

the beat is evenly divided into three parts (6/8, 9/8, etc)

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29
Q

concert band

A

a large group of 20-60 musicians who play instruments from the woodwind, brass, and percussion families indoors in a concert setting

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30
Q

other names for concert band

A

wind band, wind ensemble, wind orchestra, wind symphony, symphonic band, symphonic winds, symphonic wind ensemble

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31
Q

concerto

A

a composition, usually in three parts or movements, for solo instrument(s) and orchestra

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32
Q

conductor

A

a person who leads the orchestra, band, chorus, opera, ballet, or other musical group in the performance and interpretation of a musical work

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33
Q

development

A

second section of the Sonata form, in which the themes are changed and developed

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34
Q

dynamics

A

the volume (loudness or softness) of the music

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35
Q

English Military Band

A

a group of musicians within the armed forces who play marching and military music, made of brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments

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36
Q

exposition

A

first section of the Sonata form, in which two themes are introduced or “exposed”; usually repeated

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37
Q

expressive elements

A

tempo, dynamics, articulation, texture, tonality, and mood; qualities that affect the emotions felt when music is heard

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38
Q

fanfare

A

“sounding of trumpets” in French; a short, showy piece of music played for a special event or to announce the arrival of an important person; usually played by brass instruments, often with percussion

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39
Q

finale

A

the last, or final, movement of a sonata, concerto, or symphony

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40
Q

folk song

A

a song that is not written down, but is passed on orally from person to person. Usually the composer is unknown

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41
Q

forte

A

dynamic marking that indicates that the music is to be performed loudly

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42
Q

french horn

A

a brass instrument made from about 17 feet of coiled metal tubing. Developed from the post horn, hunting horn, and natural horn, to a modern horn that uses valves and valve keys.

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43
Q

fugue

A

a composition with two or more voices or parts. The melody is played in one part, and then played and modified by the other parts.

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44
Q

Gloria

A

a celebratory passage in a mass that praises God; divided into sections according to the text

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45
Q

Gregorian chant

A

a simple vocal line with free rhythm, performed without instruments. Developed in the Middle Ages for use in the church. The Latin text is religious.

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46
Q

harmony

A

two or more tones that sound at the same time

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47
Q

improvisation

A

creating music in real time without preparation

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48
Q

interlude

A

a short section of music between parts of a longer composition

49
Q

interval

A

the inclusive distance between two pitches, labeled with a number

50
Q

introduction

A

the beginning of a piece of music

51
Q

jazz

A

music that was created by African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; uses improvisation and syncopation

52
Q

King Ludwig of Bavaria

A

(1845-1886); ruled from 1864 to 1886. Was so fond of Wagner and his music that he built a fairy tale castle, “Neuschwanstein” (“New Swan-on-the-Rock”) in honor of Wagner.

53
Q

King Solomon

A

the son of David, ruled Israel from 970 BC to 931 BC; he was great in wisdom, wealth, and power

54
Q

Laudamus te

A

“we praise you” in Latin; the second of six sections of the Gloria

55
Q

legato

A

an articulation that means “tied together”; notes are smooth and connected

56
Q

“Les Six”

A

the famous group of French composers (Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Georges Auric, Louis Durey, and Germaine Tailleferre) who embraced Satie’s artistic ideal of extreme simplicity

57
Q

libretto

A

“book” in Italian; the text used in an extended musical composition such as an opera, oratorio, cantata, or musical

58
Q

Franz Liszt

A

(1811-1886) Hungarian composer, conductor, and virtuoso pianist. Was a close friend of Wagner, and Wagner married this composer’s daughter, Cosima.

59
Q

lyricist

A

a person who writes the words of a song

60
Q

lyrics

A

the words of a song

61
Q

marionette

A

a type of puppet with jointed limbs that is controlled from above by strings

62
Q

mass

A

the choral composition that sets the Latin words of a Catholic church service to music

63
Q

sections of the ordinary mass

A

I. Kyrie, II. Gloria, III. Credo, IV. Sanctus and Benedictus, V. Agnus Dei

64
Q

melody

A

a line of single pitches that move up, down, or repeat

65
Q

meter

A

the way beats of music are grouped, usually in sets of two, three, or four beats

66
Q

mood

A

the way a piece of music makes you feel, determined by expressive elements: tempo, dynamics, articulation, texture, and major/minor tonality

67
Q

motif

A

a distinctive and recurring musical theme

68
Q

musical form

A

the overall structure of a piece of music

69
Q

musical prodigy

A

a child who can perform or compose music at the level of a highly-trained adult

70
Q

opera

A

a story completely told through music. The characters sing with an orchestra accompanying them and act out the story on a stage with costumes, scenery, and props.

71
Q

opera buffa

A

comic opera, written for and about ordinary people with common problems, in everyday settings, using local dialects, and simple vocal writing. Singer must have clear diction and be able to sing “patter”

72
Q

oratorio

A

a large composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists with a religious theme. Usually performed in a concert setting, without special costumes, stage sets, and staging.

73
Q

organ symphony

A

a large-scale piece of music in several movements for solo pipe organ, in which the full range, power, and musical color of the organ is used to imitate the sound of the orchestra

74
Q

Ospedale della Pietà

A

an orphanage for girls in Venice
Vivaldi taught music here

75
Q

ostinato

A

a pattern that repeats

76
Q

pastoral

A

refers to the country

77
Q

patter

A

a type of fast singing used in opera buffa

78
Q

piano

A

a dynamic marking that indicates that the music is to be performed softly

79
Q

pipe organ

A

nicknamed the “King of instruments”; a keyboard instrument, often with multiple keyboards and many metal and wooden pipes. When a key is pressed, air rushes into a corresponding pipe. The vibration of the air in the pipe creates the sound.

80
Q

parts of a pipe organ

A

pipes, manuals (keyboards played by the hands), stops or draw knobs (stop the sound from playing)

81
Q

pizzicato

A

a type of articulation that indicates that the strings of a stringed instrument are to be plucked

82
Q

prelude

A

a piece of music that introduces something important, such as an orchestral opening to an act of an opera, the first movement of a suite, or a piece preceding a fugue. In his operas, Wagner used this word in place of “overture”

83
Q

presto

A

a tempo mark that includes that the music is very fast

84
Q

Pulitzer Prize

A

a yearly American award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature, and musical composition. Winners receive a $10,000 award.

85
Q

Queen of Sheba

A

ruler of a kingdom in southwestern Arabia. She visited King Solomon’s court at the head of a camel caravan bearing gold, jewels, and spices. The purpose of her visit was to test Solomon’s wisdom by asking him to solve a series of riddles.

86
Q

ragtime

A

a style of early jazz music composed for the piano, with a bouncy, syncopated melody. It was called this at first because it sounded as “ragged” as a torn piece of cloth.

87
Q

recapitulation

A

third section of the Sonata form in which the themes are restated

88
Q

rondo form

A

a musical form in which the main theme returns after each contrasting section: ABACA. Can also refer to music that is fast and vivacious

89
Q

sabre

A

a sharp, heavy sword with curved blade and a single cutting edge

90
Q

sabre dance

A

a traditional folk dance in which dancers display their skill with sabres

91
Q

SATB choir

A

a group of male and female singers in 4 parts

92
Q

scherzo

A

“joke” in Italian; the third movement of a symphony, in 3/4 time, usually quick and light-hearted. It is often played with a trio, followed by a repeat of the first part of the movement.

93
Q

Seville

A

a large city in southern Spain

94
Q

simple meter

A

the beat is evenly divided into two parts (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, etc)

95
Q

Sinfonia

A

“symphony” in Italian; a 17th or 18th century orchestra piece used as an introduction, interlude, or postlude to an opera, oratorio, cantata, or suite

96
Q

solo

A

a piece or part of a piece of music that is played or sung by one performer

97
Q

sonata form

A

a musical form developed in the Classical period by Haydn and Mozart. It is used mostly for the first movement of symphonies and concertos. Its sections include exposition, development, recapitulation, and coda.

98
Q

song cycle

A

a group of songs with a common theme or that tell a story, designed to be performed in sequence without a break

99
Q

soprano

A

high female singing voice

100
Q

staccato

A

a type of articulation that indicates that the notes are to be detached or separated

101
Q

stinger

A

an accented single note at the end of an introduction and/or the end of a piece of music

102
Q

suite

A

a musical form made up of a collection of short pieces

103
Q

The Swing Era

A

(Big Band Era) the period of time (around 1935-1946) when Big Band swing music was the most popular music in the United States

104
Q

symphony

A

a musical composition in three or more movements for orchestra

105
Q

syncopation

A

a rhythm where important tones begin on weak beats or weak parts of beats, giving an “off-balance” feeling to the music

106
Q

tam-tam

A

a type of gong

107
Q

tempo

A

“time” in Italian; the speed of the beat

108
Q

tenor

A

high male singing voice

109
Q

texture

A

the way the sounds are combined, or the way layers of sound interact in a musical composition

110
Q

theme

A

the main melody of a section or composition. Used repeatedly to represent an idea, emotion, or character

111
Q

the “Three B’s”

A

the group of German composers: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig Van Beethoven, and Johannes Brahms

112
Q

the “Three Titans of Soviet Music”

A

a group of three Soviet composers of the early 20th century: Aram Khachaturian, Sergei Prokofiev, and Dmitri Shostakovich

113
Q

toccata

A

“touch” or “play a musical instrument” in Italian; a piece of music for solo keyboard instrument, often difficult, with a lot of fast notes to show off how well the performer can play

114
Q

treble clef (“G clef”)

A

a musical symbol that indicates G above middle C (line 2 on the staff)

115
Q

instruments that use treble clef

A

violin, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, saxophone, recorder, trumpet, cornet, French horn, vibraphone, xylophone, guitar, mandolin, bagpipe, keyboards, harps, as well as women’s and tenor voices

116
Q

trio

A

a middle contrasting section of a three-part form, named this because it was originally written for three instruments. Usually has a light, simple, texture

117
Q

two step

A

a form of popular music that was performed with ragtime music, until about 1911

118
Q

variation

A

a technique where music is repeated with alterations to the melody, harmony, rhythm, meter, dynamics, tempo, timbre, or texture

119
Q

virtuoso

A

a musician who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability on a musical instrument

22-23 Music Memory (20 decks)

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