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Musical Terms for Voice Class > Musical Terms > Flashcards

Musical Terms Flashcards

1
Q

Absolute Music

A

Instrumental music with no intended story (non-programmatic music)

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2
Q

A Cappella

A

Choral Music with no instrumental accompaniment

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3
Q

Accelerando

A

Gradually speeding up the speed of the rhythmic beat

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4
Q

Accent

A

Momentarily emphasizing a note with a dynamic attack

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5
Q

Adagio

A

A slow tempo

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6
Q

Allegro

A

A fast tempo

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7
Q

Alto

A

A low range female voice, the second lowest instrumental range

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8
Q

Andante

A

Moderate Tempo (a walking speed: Adare means to walk

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9
Q

Aria

A

A beautiful manner of solo singing: accompanied by orchestra: with steady metrical beat

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10
Q

Art-Music

A

a general term used to describe the “formal concert music” traditions of the west, as opposed to “popular” and “commercial music” styles

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11
Q

Atonality

A

Modern harmony that intentionally avoids a tonal center ( has no apparent home key)

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12
Q

Augmentation

A

lengthening the rhythmic values of a fugal subject

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13
Q

Avant Garde

A

a French term that describes highly experimental modern musical styles

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14
Q

Ballet

A

(genre) a programmatic theatrical work for dancers and orchestra

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15
Q

Bar

A

A common term for a musical measure

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16
Q

Baritone

A

A moderately low male voice, in range between a tenor and a bass

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17
Q

Baroque Era

A

c1600-1750: a musical period of extremely ornate and elaborate approaches to the arts. This era saw the rise of instrumental music, the inventions of the modern violin family and the creation of the first orchestras (Vivaldi, Handel, JS Bach)

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18
Q

Bass

A

The lowest male voice

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19
Q

Bass Drum

A

The lowest sounding non pitched percussion instrument

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20
Q

Basso Continuo

A

The back up ensemble of the baroque are, usually comprised of a keyboard instrument (harpsichord or organ) and a melodic stringed bass instrument (viol’ da gamba or cello)

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21
Q

Bassoon

A

The lowest sounding regular instrument of the woodwind family ( a double reed instrument)

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22
Q

Beat

A

A musical pulse

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23
Q

Bebop

A

A complex highly-improvisatory style of jazz prompted by Charlie Parker in the 1940s-1950s

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24
Q

”Big Band” Jazz

A

See Swing

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25
Q

Binary Form

A

A form comprised of two distinctly opposing sections ( A vs B)

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26
Q

Bitonality

A

Modern music sounding in two different keys simultaneously

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27
Q

Blues

A

A melancholy style of Afro-American secular music, based on a simple musical/poetic form. “Dlta” blues began in the early 1900; classic blues in the late 1920s; Rhythm and Blues in the 1940s

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28
Q

Brass Instruments

A

A powerful metallic instrument with a mouthpiece and tubing that must be blown into by the player, such as a trumpet, trombone, French horn, Tuba, baritone, and bugal

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29
Q

Cadence

A

A melodic or harmonic punctuation mark at the end of a phrase, major section or entire work

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30
Q

Cadenza

A

An unaccompanied section of virtuosic display played by a soloist in a concerto

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31
Q

Call and Response

A

A traditional African process in which a leader phrase (call) s repeatedly answered by a chorus. This process became an important aspect of many Afro-American styles.

32
Q

Canon

A

A type if strict imitation related by strict echoing between a melodic “leader” and subsequent followers

33
Q

Cantata

A

(genre) a composition in serveral movements, written for chorus, Soloist, and orchestra, traditionally these are religious works

34
Q

Cello

A

the tenor ranged instrument of the modern string family ( and abbreviation for violoncello

35
Q

Chamber Music

A

(genre) music performed by a small group of players ( one player per part)

36
Q

Chance Music

A

(genre) a modern manner of composition in which some or all of the work is left to chance

37
Q

Chant

A

(genre) a monophonic melody sung in a free rhythm ( such as “gregorian” chant of the roman catholic church)

38
Q

Character piece

A

(genre) a 1-movement programmatic work for a solo pianist

39
Q

Chimes

A

a percussion instrument compromised of several tube-shaped bells struck by a leather hammer

40
Q

Chorale

A

1) Lutheran liturgical melody. 2) a 4 part hymn-like chorale harmonization

41
Q

Chord

A

a harmonic combination that had three or more pitches sounding simultaneously

42
Q

Chorus

A

1) a fairly large choral group. 2) in Jazz a single statement of the main harmonic/melody pattern

43
Q

Chromaticism

A

1) harmonic or melodic movement by half-step intervals. 2) harmony that uses pitches beyond the central key of a work

44
Q

Clarinet

A

the tenor-ranged instrument of the woodwind family (a single reed)

45
Q

Classical Era

A

1750-1820, a politically turbulent era focused on structural unity, clarity and balance. (haydn, Mozart, Beethoven)

46
Q

Coda

A

(means “tail” in italian) a concluding section appended to the end of a work

47
Q

Collegium Musicum

A

a university ensembles dedicated to the performance of early music (pre-1750)

48
Q

Computer Music

A

Music in which the composition and/or performance is controlled by a computer.

49
Q

Concert Band

A

a large (non-marching) ensemble of woodwind, brass, and percussion music

50
Q

Concerto

A

(genre) the general term for a multi-movement work for soloist and orchestra

51
Q

Concerto Grosso

A

(genre) a 3 movement work for a small group of soloist and orchestra

52
Q

Conductor

A

The leader of performing group of musicians

53
Q

Consonance

A

pleasant sounding harmony

54
Q

Contrabassoon

A

the lowest sounding double reed instruments of the woodwind family

55
Q

“cool” jazz

A

A relaxed style of modern jazz, promoted in the 1950s/60s by Brubeck etc.

56
Q

Cornet

A

a mellow-sounding member of the trumpet family

57
Q

Countermelody

A

a secondary melodic idea that accompanies and opposed a main thematic iea

58
Q

Counterpoint

A

a complex polyphonic texture combining two or more independent melodies

59
Q

Crescendo

A

gradually getting louder

60
Q

cymbals

A

percussion instrument usaually consisting if two circular bass plate struck together as a pair

61
Q

contabilae

A

singing style

62
Q

Da Capo

A

(italian “to the head”) a writtedn indication telling a performer to go back to the start of a piece

63
Q

Decrescendo

A

gradually getting quieter (see Diminuendo)

64
Q

Development

A

1) the centra; dramatic section of a sonata form that moves harmonically through many keys. 2) the process of expanding or manipulation of a musical idea

65
Q

diatonic

A

a melody or harmony based on one of the seven-toned major or minor western scales

66
Q

Dies Irae

A

a chant from the Requiem Mass dealing with Gods wrath on the day of judgement

67
Q

Diminuendo

A

gradually getting quieter (see decrescendo)

68
Q

Diminution

A

the shorten the note values of a theme(usually to render it twice as fast)

69
Q

Decrescendo

A

gradually getting quieter (see diminuendo)

70
Q

Disjunct

A

a melody that is nit smoot in contour (has many leaps)

71
Q

Doctrine of Affections

A

The Baroque methodology for evoking a specific emotion through music and text

72
Q

Dotted Note

A

a written note with a dot to the right of it ( the dot adds half the rhythmic duration to the notes original value)

73
Q

Double Bass

A

the lowest sounding instrument of the modern string family

74
Q

Downbeat

A

the first beat of a musical measure (usually accented more strongly than other beats)

75
Q

Duple Meter

A

A basic metrical pattern having two beats per measure

76
Q

Dynamics

A

The musical element of relative musical loudness or quietness

Musical Terms for Voice Class (1 decks)

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