Terms Flashcards
1
Q
Chamber music (11) Trout
A
- music for small ensemble (two to ten players)
- one player per part
- usually performed without conductor
2
Q
Piano quintet (11) Trout
A
- chamber music ensemble consisting of piano and four other instruments
- most common grouping is piano with string quartet, though other combinations were possible
- also refers to a composition written for five instruments including piano
3
Q
String quartet (11) Trout?
A
- the most important chamber music genre of the Classical era; remained popular in the 19th and 20th centuries
- performing forces: violin, second violin, viola, and cello
- usually in four movements: fast-slow-moderately fast-fast
- first movement is usually in sonata form
4
Q
Theme and variations (11) Trout
A
- A work featuring a statement of a melody (theme) followed by a series of transformations (variations)
- changes can be made to melody, harmony, rhythm, or orchestration
- often used in slow movement of sonata cycle
5
Q
Concerto (19) Violin
A
- a multi-movement work for soloist(s) and orchestra
- showcases virtuosity of soloist(s)
- in the 19th century, generally included a first movement in sonata form
6
Q
Sonata form (19) Violin
A
- formal structure often used in first movement of sonata cycle
- consists of exposition (statement of two or more contrasting themes), development (departure), and recapitulation (return)
- also known as sonata-allegro form
7
Q
Cadenza (19) Violin
A
- a solo passage heard in a concerto, aria, or any large orchestral work
- often of a virtuosic nature
- suggests and improvised style
- 19th century cadenzas were usually written out by the composer
8
Q
Character piece (26) Carnaval
A
- an instrumental piece, most often for solo piano, based on a programmatic idea
- usually identified by an evocative title
- pieces were often grouped in collections or “cycles”
9
Q
Sotto voce (26) Eusebius - Carnaval
A
- Italian term, literally “under voice”
- played in a soft, intimate manner
10
Q
Art song (33) Liebst
A
- the musical setting of a poem
- for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
- applies to songs in any language
11
Q
Lied (plural Lieder) (33) Liebst
A
- the musical setting of a German poem
- for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
- flourished in the 19th century
12
Q
Strophic form (33)
A
- song structure where the same music is performed for
each verse of the poem - as a result, little connection can be achieved between
the words and music
13
Q
Modified strophic form (33) Liebst
A
- a song structure that allows for some repetition of music
- some changes to the melody, harmony, and
accompaniment take place to reflect the text, such as a shift to tonic major or tonic minor key
14
Q
Durchkomponiert (through-composed) (33)
A
- a song structure that does not repeat entire sections of
the music - as a result, melody, harmony, and piano accompaniment
are able to reflect the meaning of the text as the story
unfolds
15
Q
Song cycle (33) Pierrot - 88 (Liebesfruhling)
A
- a collection of art songs united by a central theme or narrative thread
- intended to be performed together
- poetic text drawn from the same author
- C. Schumann, Liebig du um Schonheit
16
Q
Rondo form (38) Ein deutsches
A
- Classical form structure often used in sonata cycle
- Section A recurs, with alternating sections creating contrast
- Section A is heard three more times or more in the tonic key
- ABACA or ABACABA
17
Q
Inversion (38) Ein deutsches
A
- thematic material presented “upside down”
18
Q
Homorhythmic texture (38) Ein deutsches
A
- all voices sing or play the same rhythm
- results in a blocked chordal texture (homophonic)
- delivers the text with clarity and emphasis
19
Q
Hemiola (38) Ein deutsches
A
- a temporary shift of the metric accents
- notes grouped in threes are momentarily grouped in twos or vice-versa
20
Q
Etude (43) La Campanella
A
- French for “study”
- solo instrumental work intended to develop technical facility
- focuses on one or more specific technical challenges
21
Q
Opera (49) La traviata
A
- drama that is sung
- combines vocal and instrumental music with drama (staging and acting), visual arts (costumes and scenery), and often dance
- components include recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses
- created in Italy ca 1600 and remains popular today
22
Q
Recitative (49) La traviata
A
- a speech-like style of singing used in operas, oratorios, or cantatas
- follows inflections of the text, resulting in rhythmic
flexibility - usually used to advance the plot; moves through text quickly
23
Q
Aria (49) La traviata
A
- Italian for “air” (an old English word for a song)
- a solo song with orchestral accompaniment heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata
- highly emotional, often virtuosic
- may have lyrical or dramatic qualities; often serves to reveal the characters’ most intimate emotions
24
Q
Bel canto (49) La traviata
A
- Italian for “beautiful singing
- a style used in early 19th-century Italian opera
demonstrated in the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, and (early) Verdi - emphasized purity of tone and lyrical melodies of a
highly ornamented nature
25
Q
Libretto (49) La traviata
A
- the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata
usually written by someone other than the composer - the writer of the libretto is referred to as the librettist
26
Q
Ensemble (49) La traviata
A
- a musical number in an opera featuring any number of soloists, but generally a group smaller than a “chorus”
- often serves as a musical and dramatic climax
- each person expresses their own emotions directly to the audience
27
Q
Coloratura soprano (49) La traviata
A
- Italian for “coloring,” referring to the embellishing of melodic lines
- a high female voice capable of singing florid lines in
an extended range, demanding great agility and often - creating virtuosic effects
28
Q
Music drama (57) Die Walkure
A
- term used by Wagner to describe the synthesis of music and drama
- served to distinguish his operatic style from the
“traditional” operas of his day
29
Q
Gesamtkunstwerk (57) Die Walkure
A
- German for “total art work”
- an ideal expounded by Wagner, Die Walkure in his writings
- achieved through the perfect union of text, music, and stagecraft (costumes, scenery, lighting)
30
Q
Leitmotif (57) Die Walkure
A
- German for “leading motive”
- a device perfected by Wagner in his music dramas
- a melodic fragment imbued with meaning, representing
- a character, place, object, or emotion
undergoes thematic transformation as the opera unfolds
31
Q
Chromatic harmony (57) Die Walkure
A
- from Greek word for color, khroma
- extensive use of notes outside the prevailing key
- frequently involves modulations to distant keys
- increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music
32
Q
Heldentenor (57) Die Walkure
A
- German for “heroic tenor”
- a male voice with a high range, possessing incredible strength and stamina
- associated specifically with Wagner’s operas
33
Q
Program music (65) Romeo Ovt
A
- significant trend in 19th-century music
- instrumental music with extramusical associations (literary, poetic, visual)
- descriptive title identifies the connection
- some works include a written text or “program” provided by the composer
34
Q
Concert overture (65) Romeo Ovt
A
- a single-movement orchestral work with literary or pictorial associations
- usually in sonata form
- independent concert work: not connected to an opera or ballet
- Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Overture
35
Q
Symphony (75) Sym 4
A
- multi-movement orchestral work
- developed in the 18th century, especially by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
- typically in four movements
- generally includes at least one movement in sonata form
36
Q
Cyclical structure (75) Sym 4
A
- material heard in one movement recurs in later movements
- creates structural unity in a multi-movement work
- a characteristic employed by Romantic composers in various genres, but notably in their symphonies
37
Q
Impressionism in music (81) Jeux
A
- 19th- and early 20th-century French style associated most closely with the music
of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel - often programmatic
- use of non-traditional scales: modes, whole-tone, pentatonic; ninth chords, parallel
harmonies - blurring of the metrical pulse
- examples: La cathédrale engloutie (Claude Debussy), Nocturnes (Claude Debussy)
38
Q
Pentatonic scale (81) Jeux
A
- a scale consisting of five different pitches; for example, C-D-E-G-A
- easily rendered by playing the five black keys on the piano
- common to the folk music of many European and Asian cultures
39
Q
Whole-tone scale (81) Jeux
A
- a non-traditional scale employed by composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries
- consists of six different pitches, all spaced a whole tone (whole step) apart; for example C-D-E-F sharp-G sharp-A sharp-(C)
40
Q
Glissando (81) Jeux
A
- derived from French glisser, “to slide”; s glide or slide from one pitch to another
- on the harp, a quick strumming of all the strings with a broad sweeping hand movement, creating shimmering effects
- on the piano, a rapid ascending or descending slide along the keys (white or black)
41
Q
Second Viennese School (86) Pierrot
A
- the triumvirate of early 20th-century composers Arnold Schoenberg and his disciples Alban Berg and
Anton Webern - their musical style encompasses atonality,
Expressionism, and in many cases the twelve-tone
method of composition, which they developed - example: first movement of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto
42
Q
Expressionism in music (86) Pierrot
A
- early 20th-century German style
- marked by extreme dissonance, angular melodies, irregular rhythmic groupings
- explored deeply physiological themes
- examples: Erwartung op. 17 (Arnold Schoenberg); Bluebeard’s Castle (Bela Bartok)
43
Q
Atonality (86) Pierrot
A
- music that has no tonal center, no sense of key
- examples: Five Pieces for Orchestra, op. 16 (Arnold Schoenberg), Sonatine (Pierre Boulez)
44
Q
Twelve-tone music (86)
A
- a method of composition developed by Schoenberg
- an approach used to organize atonal music
- based on a fixed order of the twelve chromatic pitches forming a tone row
- also referred to as dodecaphonic music (derived from the Greek for “twelve”
45
Q
Tone row (86)
A
- fixed order of the twelve chromatic pitches
- the basis of a twelve-tone composition
- the row undergoes manipulations including:
transposition, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion
46
Q
Inversion (86)
A
- rewriting a melody upside down
47
Q
Retrograde (86) Der Mondfleck - Pierrot
A
- rewriting a melody backwards
48
Q
Retrograde inversion (86) Sym, op. 21 - 102 (Der Mondfleck - Pierrot)
A
- rewriting a melody upside down and backwards
49
Q
Diminution (86) Der Mondfleck - Pierrot
A
- a rhythmic device in which the note values of a melody are shortened, retaining the proportional relationships
- as a result, the music sounds faster
50
Q
Klangfarbenmelodie (88) Sym, op. 21
A
- German for “tone-color melody”
- a concept developed by Schoenberg in the early 20th century
- individual notes of a melody are distributed among
several instruments and often over a wide range - creates an angular melody and sparse sound
- often compared to pointillism in painting
51
Q
Sprechstimme (88) Der Mondfleck - Pierrot
A
- German for “speech-voice”
- a vocal technique developed by Schoenberg and used for the first time in his song cycle Pierrot lunaire
- the singer/reciter performs what sounds like “pitched speaking”
- rhythm is precisely notated
- pitches are approximated
52
Q
Rondeau (88) O alter - Pierrot
A
- a poetic form developed in the 14th century
- generally, the poem consisted of four verses: the first verse was repeated partially in the second verse and completely in the fourth verse
- the musical rondeau often took its shape from the poem’s structure
- Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire
53
Q
Pointillism (88) Sym, op. 21 - 102 (Der Mondfleck - Pierrot)
A
- a term derived from the post-Impressionist style of
painting that used dots of pure color on the canvas - in music, this dappled effect was achieved through the use of Klangfarbenmelodie and the delicate weaving of the contrapuntal lines
54
Q
Canon (88) Der Mondfleck - Pierrot
A
- from the Latin for “law”
- strict imitation of a musical line at a fixed interval
throughout - can be a complete polyphonic composition or a
technique used within a work
55
Q
Expressionism in music (95) Wozzeck
A
- early 20th-century German style
- marked by extreme dissonance, angular melodies, irregular rhythmic groupings
- explored deeply physiological themes
- examples: Erwartung op. 17 (Arnold Schoenberg); Bluebeard’s Castle (Bela Bartok)
56
Q
Cluster chord (95) Wozzeck
A
- a dissonant chord consisting of major and minor seconds
- on the piano, three or more adjacent keys
- often employed in atonal music
57
Q
Serialism (101)
A
- a compositional approach developed in the 20th century
- any number of musical parameters (such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tone color) are organized using a specific ordering (set) that undergoes manipulation
- sometimes used as a synonym for dodecaphonic (or twelve-tone) music
- examples: Le marteau sans maitre (Pierre Boulez), Violin Concerto (Alban Berg)
58
Q
Twelve-tone music (101)
A
- a method of composition developed by Schoenberg
- an approach used to organize atonal music
- based on a fixed order of the twelve chromatic pitches forming a tone row
- also referred to as dodecaphonic music (derived from the Greek for “twelve”
59
Q
Tone row (101) Sym, op. 21
A
- fixed order of the twelve chromatic pitches
- the basis of a twelve-tone composition
- the row undergoes manipulations including:
transposition, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion
60
Q
Inversion (101) Sym, op. 21
A
- thematic material presented “upside down”
61
Q
Retrograde (101)
A
- rewriting a melody backwards
62
Q
Neo-Classicism (107)
A
- a post-World War I style marked by a return to absolute music and traditional formal structures
- cultivated a less emotional, more detached sensibility
- example: Symphony No. 1, op. 25 (“Classical”) (Sergei Prokofiev), Symphony of Psalms (Igor Stravinsky)
63
Q
Ostinato (107) Concerto for Orchestra
A
- a short rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated through a section or a work
64
Q
Polytonality (107) Concerto for Orchestra
A
- the simultaneous use of two or more keys
65
Q
Orchestral suite (111) reworked R+J Suite
A
- a group of contrasting orchestral movements, often drawn from a larger dramatic work such as a ballet
- often programmatic in nature
- played in a concert setting, outside of its original dramatic context
66
Q
Choreography (111) ballet R+J Suite
A
- the art of designing dance steps and movements in a ballet (or musical)
67
Q
Ballet (111) R+J Suite
A
- highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a
story - first developed in the 17th century at the court of
Louis XIV; flourished in the 19th-century Russian court - many significant composers, including Tchaikovsky,
Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev, composed music for ballets
68
Q
Mode of limited transportation (117)
A
- any scale type that can only be transposed once
- first mode of limited transportation is the whole-tone scale
- second mode is the octagon in scale in which the pattern alternates whole steps and half steps
- absence of a central pitch or pull to a tonic
69
Q
Sourdine (117) Quatuor
A
- French for “mute”
- an instruction given to string and brass instruments to use their mutes
- creates softer dynamics and veiled, subdued instrumental effects
70
Q
Micropolyphony (122) Atmospheres
A
- developed by Ligeti (Atmospheres)
- the weaving of many separate melodic strands into a complex polyphonic fabric
- the sheer density of the music renders the individual lines imperceptible
71
Q
Harmonics (122) Atmospheres
A
- many musical instruments can evoke different pitches above a single pitch
- on a stringed instrument, a harmonic is produced by lightly depressing a string at specific points on its length
- composers use harmonics for effect often to create an “eerie’ quality
72
Q
Fanfare (125) Fanfare
A
- a loud ceremonial piece or flourish often featuring brass instruments and percussion
- played on important occasions to announce an arrival or to launch or commemorate an event
- Copland, Fanfare for the Common Man
73
Q
Tam-tam (125) Fanfare
A
- percussion instrument
- a type of flat-faced gong
- akin to the Chinese chau
74
Q
Gamelan (134) Canada
A
- traditional orchestral ensemble of Java and Bali (Indonesia)
- comprised of metallophones, xylophones, gongs, drums, and singers
- their shimmering sonorities inspired the works of many composers including Debussy, Poulenc, Cage, and Reich
75
Q
Indeterminacy (134) Canada
A
- also called aleatoric music (from the Latin word alea meaning “dice”)
- a 20th-century development whereby composers introduced elements of chance and randomness into their score and/or performances
- the composer may specify certain parameters (for example, pitch or rhythm) but leave other musical decisions to the individual performers
- exponents of indeterminacy in music include John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Witold Lutoslawski
76
Q
Prepared piano (134) Sonatas
A
- developed during the 1940s by John Cage
- as specified by the composer in the score, the piano is modified by the insertion of foreign objects (for example, nails, screws rubber bands) in between the strings; in addition, muting devices (for example, leather strips, pieces of paper) are woven between the strings
- pitched and non-pitched percussive sounds result, evoking the shimmering resonance of the gamelan orchestra
77
Q
Minimalism in music (138) Electric
A
- a musical style that evolved in the late 20th century
- characterized by the seemingly endless repetition of short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic patterns with little variation, often creating a hypnotic effect
- associated with compositions by Steve Reich, Philip Glass, John Adams, and Michael Nyman
- examples: Glassworks (Phillip Glass), Drumming (Steve Reich)
78
Q
Indeterminacy (143)
A
- also called aleatoric music (from the Latin word alea meaning “dice”
- a 20th-century development whereby composers introduced elements of chance and randomness into their score and/or performances
- the composer may specify certain parameters (for example, pitch or rhythm) but leave other musical decisions to the individual performers
- exponents of indeterminacy in music include John Cage, Krzysztof Penderecki, and Witold Lutoslawski
79
Q
Graphic notation (143) Snowforms
A
- visually descriptive approach to music notation first developed during the 1950s by avant-garde composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen and John Cage
- symbols and shapes outside the realm of traditional notation used to convey microtonal pitches, texture, articulation, rhythm, and tempo
- frequently used in combination with elements of traditional notation
- time markings on the score (real time) often used in place of time signatures and bar
lines (metric time) - examples: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (Penderecki), Makrokosmos (George Crumb), Snowforms (Schafer)
80
Q
Acoustic ecology (143) Snowforms
A
- a discipline that studies the relationship between living beings and their environment through sound
- one outcomes of this field is the creation of soundscape composition; for example, Epitaph for Moonlight and Snowforms, both by R. Murray Schafer
