Musical Terms Flashcards
Consonance
Notes at rest.
Dissonance
Notes that need to be resolved.
Pitch/Interval
Pitch is the frequency of a note, interval is a grouping of pitches in ascending frequency.
Tonic/Dom./Sub-Dom.
- Tonic (I): Home base, consonant, works like the subject of the sentence.
- Dominant (V): Dissonant, works like the verb in a sentence.
- Sub-Dominant (IV): Dissonant, less dissonant than the dominant. Works as an adverb in a sentence.
Measure/Bar
Groupings of the basic beat in sets.
Rhythm
Includes the basic beat and everything that is played in a given tempo.
Tempo
How many beats per minute. How fast the music is.
Instrument Families
Strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and keyboard instruments.
Ensembles
- Symphony Orchestra: primarily strings with various woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
- Symphonic Band: like the high school marching band.
- String Quartet: two violins, one viola, one cello.
- Brass & Woodwind Quintet
- Choirs and Chorus
Music Period Dates
Middle Ages 500-1450 Renaissance 1450-1600 Baroque 1600-1750 Classical 1750-1825 Romantic 1825-1900 Modern 1900-Present
Gregorian Chant
Early monophonic music in the church. Called gregorian because of Pope Gregory.
Mass (proper and ordinary)
Proper (text changes weekly) Ordinary (text stays the same): Kyrie Gloria Credo Sanctus Angus Dei Ite, missa est
Notre Dame School
First users of polyphonic music, organum, and motet. Leonin and Perotin.
Organum
Two voiced composition
Motet
Three or Four voiced composition
Jongleurs
Secular musicians that Served as “CNN” of middle ages, spreading news in the form of music and poetry. Mostly homeless beggars
Troubadours and Trouveres
Secular musicians that were in someway attached to nobility/courtship.
Text painting (word Painting)
Heightening the dramatic impression of words using musical “tricks”. Using extreme dissonances, chromatic passages, dramatic melodic leaps, and other non-conventional methods.
Cantus firmus
“Fixed song.” Usually a repeating section of monophonic music.
Madrigal
Multi-voiced pieces with no musical accompaniment. Popular in renaissance period.
Monophonic
Music with a single line of melody.
Polyphonic
Music with 2 or more lines of melody.
Monody
Single line of melody over a simple instrumental accompaniment. Made the vocals easier to understand with little polyphony.
Florentine Camerata
Informal group of writers, poets, musicians, philosophers, and artists. Did research into how the Greeks used music and drama.
Figured Bass/Basso Continuo
The instrumental accompaniment to a monodic opera. Usually consisting of 1-2 instruments.
Opera
Drama set to music.
Opera: Aria
Solo vocal style for opera
Opera: Recitative
A singing pattern very similar to speech, allowing the drama to unfold quicker, and ease of understanding.
Opera: Castrato Singers
Vocally talented young boys whom were castrated so as to make their voices higher. (more soprano)
Conterpoint
counterpoint is the relationship between voices that are interdependent harmonically (polyphony) yet independent in rhythm and contour.
Fugue
A structure/texture of writing music based on a repeating melody. To be improvised upon
Fugue: subject
The main melody of the fugue.
Fugue: countersubject
A secondary melody in the fugue used to compliment the first melody.
Fugue: answer
Follows the same melodic shape as the “subject” but starts on the Dominant (V) note.
Fugue: exposition
The subject, countersubject, and answer all grouped into one piece of music.
Fugue: episodes
Spin offs of the main exposition of the piece/small additions.
Trio Sonata
Two violins with continuo accompaniment (another instrument in the background)
Sonata da cheisa
(church sonata)
Alternating slow and fast movements.
Sonata da camera
(chamber sonata)
Generic introductory movement followed by dance movements.
Italian Overture
fast-slow-fast
French Overture
slow-fast-slow
French Suite
An overture followed by several individual dance movements such as allemande, courante, sarabande, and gigue.
Solo Concerto
A three movement work (fast-slow-fast) for a single solo instrument. Usually violin, flute, or oboe.
Concerto Grosso
Pitted a small group of instruments against the full orchestra.
Concerto Grosso: tutti (or ripieno)
Tutti/Ripieno: the small group of instruments.
Concerto Grosso: concertino
Concertino: the entire orchestra.
Cantata
a medium-length narrative piece of music for voices with instrumental accompaniment, typically with solos, chorus, and orchestra.
Oratorio
a large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically a narrative on a religious theme, performed without the use of costumes, scenery, or action.
