Prelim Revision Flashcards
What does legato mean?
Notes are played smoothly
Unison definition
Same notes at the same time
Simple time definition
2/4 time or 4/4
Cof-fee
Compound time definition
6/8 3/4
Straw-ber - ry
Anacrusis
The melody begins before the first strong beat of the music
Allegro definition
Fast
Moderato definition
Moderate tempo
Andante definition
Walking pace
Adagio definition
Slow
Accelerando definition
Getting faster
Rallentando
Getting slower
Canon
Strict imitation. One part plays a melody and another part enters shortly afterwards with the same melody
Cadenza definition
In a concerto, the soloist shows off - unaccompanied
Concerto definition
Solo instrument accompanied by orchestra
Symphony definition
A work for orchestra usually in 4 movements
What does the dynamic pp mean
Pianissimo - very quiet
What does p mean
Piano- quiet
What does mp mean
Mezzo piano - moderately quiet
What does mf mean
Moderately loud
What does f and ff mean
F means forte or loudly
Ff means fortissimo or very loudly
What does < mean
Crescendo - gradually getting louder
What does > mean
Diminuendo - gradually getting softer
What does con sordino mean
Muted (brass instruments)
Rubato definition
Speeding up or slowing down to suit the mood of the piece
What is an Ornament?
A musical decoration in the melody line
What is glissando?
Sliding rapidly up and down the notes
What is the chromatic scale?
A scale built entirely on semitones (sounds like playing every note)
What is a whole tone scale?
A scale built entirely on tones. (sounds dreamy and like fairy/movie soundtrack)
What is the pentatonic scale?
A scale based on 5 notes. Very popular in folk(Scottish) Music
What is syllabic?
One note for each syllable. (less common)
What is melismatic?
Several notes sung to one syllable (more common - most pop songs)
What is contrary motion?
Two parts moving in opposite directions
Eg one ascending, one descending
What is a counter melody?
A melody played against the main melody
What is a descant?
Another melody above the main tune, mainly in vocal music
What is contrapuntal?
The same as polyphonic
What is ostinato?
A short musical pattern repeated many times (like a riff but usually an orchestra plays it)
What is Rondo?
A form in music where the first section comes back after each contrasting section A B A C A D A E A etc
What is strophic?
Music / song with a recurring verse and Chorus
What is a cadenza?
A show-off passage in a Concerto where the soloist performs a solo passage showing how well they play the instrument.
What is a ground bass?
A theme repeated in the bass many times while the upper parts are varied (common in baroque)
What is an Alberti bass?
Broken chords played in the left hand while the right hand plays the melody. Usually found only on piano
(common in classical)
