test one Flashcards
monophonic
single melodic line ; no accompaniment
homophonic
melody with accompaniment
polyphonic
2 or more melodies are played or sung at the same time
vocal parts
soprano
alto
tenor
bass
strings family
violin
viola
cello
double bass
imitative polyphony
lines sounding together using the same melody
non-imitative polyphony
melodies different from one another
arco
to use the bow
pizzicato
to pluck the string
double stop
two strings played at the same time
mute
changes sound of the instrument
woodwind family
Single reed: piccolo flutes clarinet double reeds: oboe english horn bassoon contrabassoon
piccolo
smallest instrument; highest pitch
pitch
frequency- low and high
noises
unfocused vibrations; do not have a pitch
brass family
trumpet
french horn
trombone
tuba
percussion family
unpitched: tambourine, cymbals, triangle, snare drum
pitched: timpani, chimes, xylophone, marimba
keyboard instruments
harpsichord
piano
organ
earliest keyboard instrument
organ
pp- pianissimo
very soft
p- piano
soft
mp- mezzo piano
medium soft
mf- mezzo forte
medium loud
f -forte
loud
not part the the orchestra; using in jazz ensembles; brass
saxophone
ff- fortissimo
very loud
dynamics
volume of sound; ranges from very soft to very loud; composers often use Italian terms/ abbreviations to designate volume
what makes instruments/ voices sound different, even when they perform the same notes
timbre
timbre changes with what?
vibrato or a mute
what length to play a pitch or what length to be silent
duration
referring to duration: what pitch to play and how long to play it
notes
referring to duration: silences in music
rests
ordering of music through time
rhythm
beat
basic unit for measuring time in music
meter
underlying pattern of beats that maintains itself consistently throughout a work
beats grouped in 3’s (long- short- short or strong- weak-weak)
Triple meter
beats grouped in 2’s (long- short or strong- weak)
duple meter
measure
each unit of beats in a meter; number and duration of notes within each unite can vary
Accent
the stressing of a note
syncopation
the accents fall where they normally wouldn’t
melody
the tune; a single line of notes heard in succession as a coherent unit
contour
upward or downward movement or both
stepwise(=conjunct) vs. leaps (disjunct); usually a combination of both, but one predominates
melodic motion
points of arrival/ rest; like the periods in sentences
cadences
breaths correspond to the ends of
phrases (poetry and music)
tempo
the speed of the music; terms are in italian
staff
5 lines, 4 spaces
used by higher pitched instruments
treble clef
bass clef
used by lower pitched instruments
grand staff
treble and bass clef together used by the piano
small lines that extend the staff higher or lower
ledger lines
flat
lowers the pitch a half step
sharp
raises the pitch a half step
natural
cancels out a sharp or a flat previous on the note
how the music is to be counted. two numbers written like a fraction; top number tells the meter; bottom number tells what note gets the beat
time signature
scale
pitches assembled in a collection
diatonic scale
8 pitches that contain a certain order of whole and half steps. the last note is an octave
octave
a duplicate pitch higher or lower
chromatic scale
12 pitches that are all half steps the last pitch is an octave. represents all of the while and black keys on the piano
half step
one pitch to the very next pitch. no pitches in between
whole step
two half steps
conductor
leader of the orchestra; responsible for rehearsing and performing
concert master
the first chair violin. tunes the orchestra by asking the oboist to sound an “a” and is responsible for all bowings
the first chair player in each section
principal
bowings
must be standard throughout sting section and is the responsibility of the principal
performance medium
a selection of a voice, instrument or ensemble by a composer for the performance of his piece
transcription or arrangement
when a work has been rewritten for another medium
chamber ensembles
limited to only one performer per part
range form 2-9 performers
