The more emphasized terms from chapters 1 - 10 Flashcards
Pitch
Relative highness or lowness of a sound.
Tone
Sound that has a definite pitch, or frequency.
Interval
“Distance” in pitch between any two tones.
Octave
Interval between two tones in which the higher tone has twice the frequency of the lower tone.
Pitch range
Distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce.
Range
Distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce.
Dynamics
Degree of loudness or softness in music.
Accent
Emphasis of a note, which may result from its being louder, longer, or higher in pitch than the notes near it.
Pianissimo; pp
Very soft.
Piano; p
Soft.
Mezzo piano; mp
Moderately soft.
Mezzo forte; mf
Moderately loud.
Forte; f
Loud.
Fortissimo; ff
Very loud.
Decrescendo; Diminuendo (symbol is > )
Gradually softer.
Crescendo (symbol is < )
Gradually louder.
Tone color; Timbre
Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.
Soprano
Female voice of high range.
Alto; Contralto
Female voice of low range.
Tenor
Male voice of high range.
Bass
Male voice of low range.
String instrument
Instrument whose sound is produced by the vibration of strings.
Woodwind insturment
Instrument whose sound is produced by vibrations of air in a tube; holes along the length of tube are opened and closed by the fingers, or by pads, to control the pitch.
Brass instrument
Instrument, made of brass or silver, whose sound is produced by the vibrations of the player’s lips as he or she blows into a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. The vibrations are amplified and colored in a tube that is flared at the end.
Percussion instrument
Instrument of definite or indefinite pitch whose sound is produced by striking by hand, or with a stick or hammer, or by shaking or rubbing.
Keyboard instrument
Instrument – such as the piano, organ or harpsichord – played by pressing a series of keys with the fingers.
Electronic instrument
Instrument whose sound is produced, modified, or amplified by electronic means.
Register
Part of the total range of an instrument or voice. The tone color of the instrument or voice may vary with the register, high, low, or middle, in which it is played or sung.
Conductor
Leader of a performing group of musicians.
Baton
Thin stick used by many conductors to beat time and indicate pulse and tempo.
Concertmaster
Principal first violinist in a symphony orchestra.
Violin
String instrument with the highest range of the string family.
Viola
String instrument with a lower range than the violin and a higher range than the cello.
Cello; Violoncello
String instrument with a range lower than that of the viola and higher than that of the double bass.
Double bass; Bass
Largest string instrument, having the lowest range of the string family.
Bow
Slightly curved stick strung tightly with horsehair, used to play string instruments.
Vibrato
Small fluctuations of pitch that make the tone warmer, produced in string instruments by rocking the left hand while it presses the string down.
Mute
Device used to veil or muffle the tone of an instrument. For string instruments, the mute is a clamp that fits onto the bridge; for brass instruments, it is a funnel-shaped piece of wood, metal, or plastic that fits into the bell.
Tremolo
Rapid repetition of a tone, produced in string instruments by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow.
Harp
Plucked string instrument, consisting of strings stretched within a triangular frame.
Guitar
Plucked string instrument with six strings stretched along a fretted fingerboard.
Piccolo
Smallest woodwind instrument, having the highest range; a smaller version of the flute.
Flute
Woodwind instrument, usually made of metal, with a high range, whose tone is produced by blowing across the edge of a mouth hole.
Clarinet
Single-reed woodwind instrument with a beak-shaped mouthpiece, cylindrical in shape with a slightly flared bell.
Bass Clarinet
Member of the clarinet family, having a low range. Its shape is curved at the end before flaring into a bell.
Oboe
Double-reed woodwind instrument with a relatively high range, conical in shape with a small flared bell.
English horn
Double-reed woodwind instrument, slightly larger than the oboe and with a lower range, straight in shape with an egg-shaped bell.
Bassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument, made of wood, having a low range.
Contrabassoon
Double-reed woodwind instrument with a register one octave lower than that of the bassoon.
Reed
Very thin piece of cane, used in woodwind instruments to produce sound as it is set into vibration by a stream of air.
Single-reed woodwinds
Instruments whose sound is produced by a single piece of cane, or reed, fastened over a hole in the mouthpiece. The reed vibrates when the player blows into the mouthpiece.
Saxophone
Family of single-reed woodwind instruments.
Double-reed woodwinds
Instruments whose sound is produced by two narrow pieces of cane held between the player’s lips; these pieces vibrate when the player blows between them.
Trumpet
Brass instruments with the highest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz and rock groups.
French horn; Horn
Brass instrument of medium range, whose tube is coiled into a roughly circular shape and fitted with valves, commonly used in symphony orchestras and in bands.
Trombone
Brass instruments of moderately low range, whose tube is an elongated loop with a movable slide, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz ensembles.
Tuba
Largest brass instrument, with the lowest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras and bands.
Cornet
Brass instrument similar in shape to the trumpet, with a mellower tone.
Baritone horn
Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba, with a higher range, commonly used in bands.
Euphonium
Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba and the baritone horn, with a higher range than the tuba’s, commonly used in bands.
Definite pitch percussion instrument
Produces a tone.
Indefinite pitch percussion instrument
Produces a noiselike sound.
Timpani; Kettledrums
Percussion instruments of definite pitch, shaped like large kettles with calfskin or plastic stretched across the tops, played with soft padded mallets.
Snare drum; Side drum
Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, in the shape of a cylinder with a stretched skin at either end. A “snare” of gut or metal is stretched below the lower skin and produces a rattling sound when the drum is stuck.
Bass drum
Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, the largest of the orchestral drums.
Tambourine
Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a skin stretched across a shallow cylinder, with small circular plates set into the cylinder which jingle when the skin is struck or the cylinder is shaken.
Triangle
Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a triangular length of metal suspended from a hook or cord, played by striking with a metal rod.
Cymbals
Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a pair of metal plates, played by striking the plates against each other.
Piano
Widely used keyboard instrument of great range and versatility, whose sound is produced by felt-covered hammers striking against steel strings.
Harpsichord
Keyboard instrument, widely used from about 1500 to 1775, whose sound is produced by plectra that pluck its wire strings. The harpsichord was revived during the 20th century.
Organ; Pipe organ
Keyboard instrument with many sets of pipes controlled from two or more keyboards including a pedal keyboard played by the organist’s feet. The keys control valves from which air is blown across or through openings in the pipes. (The electric organ is an electronic instrument that is sometimes designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ.)
Rhythm
Ordered flow of music through time; the pattern of durations of notes and silences in music.
Beat
Regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time.
Meter
Organization of beats into regular groups.
Measure
Rhythmic groups set off by bar lines, containing a fixed number of beats.
Duple meter
Pattern of 2 beats to the measure.
Downbeat
First, or stressed, beat of a measure.
Triple meter
Pattern of 3 beats to the measure.
Quadruple meter
Pattern of 4 beats to the measure.
Upbeat
Unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat.
Tempo
Basic pace of the music.
Tempo indication
Words, usually at the beginning of a piece of music and often in Italian, which specify the pace at which the music should be played.
Largo
Very slow, broad.
Grave
Very slow, solemn.
Adagio
Slow.
Andante
Moderately slow, a walking pace.
Moderato
Moderate.
Allegretto
Moderately fast.
Allegro
Fast.
Vivace
Lively.
Presto
Very fast.
Prestissimo
As fast as possible.
Accelerando
Becoming faster.
Ritardando
Becoming slower.
Metronome
Apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired constant speed.
Notation
System of writing down music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated.
Note
In notation, a black or white oval to which a stem or flags can be added.
Staff
In notation, a set of five horizontal lines between or on which notes are positioned.
Sharp sign (symbol is ♯)
Symbol which notates a pitch one half step higher than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated – for example, the next higher black key on the piano.
Flat sign (symbol is ♭)
Symbol which notates a pitch on half step lower than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated – for example, the next lower key on the piano.
Natural sign (symbol is ♮)
Symbol used in notation of pitch to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign.
Clef
Symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to show the exact pitch of notes placed on each line and space.
Treble clef
Notation on a staff to indicate relatively high pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist’s right hand.
Bass clef
Symbol on the staff indicating relatively low pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist’s left hand.
Dotted note
Note with a dot to the right of it. This dot increases the note’s undotted duration by half.
Dotted rhythm
Long-short rhythmic pattern in which a dotted note is followed by a note that is much shorter.
Tie
In notation of rhythm, an arc between two notes of the same pitch indicating that the second note should not be played but should be added to the duration of the first.
Rest
In notation of rhythm, a symbol to indicate the duration of silence in the music.
Time signature; meter signature
Two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or the start of a piece, indicating the meter of the piece.
Score
Notation showing all the parts of a musical ensemble, with a separate staff for each part, and with simultaneously sounded notes aligned vertically; used by the conductor.
Step
Interval between two adjacent tones in the scale.
Leap
Interval larger than that between two adjacent tones in the scale.
Phrase
Part of a melody.
Cadence
(1) Resting place at the end of a phrase in a melody. (2) Progression giving a sense of conclusion, often from the dominant chord to the tonic chord.
Incomplete cadence
Inconclusive resting point at the end of a phrase, which sets up expectations for the following phrase.
Complete cadence
Definite resting place, giving a sense of finality, at the end of a phrase in a melody.
Harmony
How chords are constructed and how they follow each other.
Chord
Combination of three or more tones sounded at once.
Progression
Series of chords.
Consonance
Tone combination that is stable and restful.
Dissonance
Tone combination that is unstable and tense.
Resolution
Progression form a dissonance to a consonance.
Triad
Most basic of chords, consisting of three alternate tones of the scale, such as do, mi sol.
Tonic chord
Triad built on the first, or tonic, note of the scale, serving as the main chord of a piece and usually beginning and ending it.
Dominant chord
Triad built on the fifth note of the scale, which sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord.
Broken chord; arpeggio
Sounding of the individual tones of a chord in sequence rather than simultaneously.
Keynote; tonic
Central tone of a melody or larger piece of music. When a piece is in the key of C major, for example, C is the keynote.
Key; tonality
Central note, scale, and chord within a piece, in relationship to which all other tones in the composition are heard.
Scale
Series of pitches arranged in order from low to high or high to low.
Major scale
Series of seven different tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, consisting of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the whole step between the second and third tones is characteristic.
Half step
Smallest interval traditionally used in western music; for example, the interval between ti and do.
Whole step
Interval twice as large as the half step; for example, the interval between do and re.
Minor scale
Series of seven tones within an octave, with an eighth repeating the first tone and octave higher, composed of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the half step between the second and third tones is characteristic.
Major key
Music based on a major scale.
Minor key
Music based on a minor scale.
Key signature
Sharp or flat signs immediately following the clef sign at the beginning of a piece of music, indicating the key in which the music is to be played.
Chromatic scale
Scale including all twelve tones of the octave; each tone is a half step away from the next one.
Modulation
Shift from one key to another within the same piece.
Tonic key; Home key
Central key of a piece of music, usually both beginning and ending the piece, regardless of how many other keys are included.
Musical texture
Number of layers of sound that are heard at once, what kinds of layers they are, and how they are related to each other.
Monophonic texture
Single melodic line without accompaniment.
Unison
Performance of a single melodic line by more than one instrument or voice at the same pitch or in different octaves.
Polyphonic texture
Performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at the same time.
Counterpoint
Technique of combining two or more melodic lines into a meaningful whole.
Imitation
Presentation of a melodic idea by one voice or instrument that is immediately followed by its restatement by another voice or instrument, as in a round.
Homophonic texture
Term describing music in which one main melody is accompanied by chords.
Form
Organization of musical ideas in time.
Repetition
Reiteration of a motive, phrase, or section, often used to create a sense of unity.
Contrast
Striking differences of pitch, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo that provide variety and change of mood.
Three-part form (A B A)
Form that can be represented as statement (A); contrast (B); return of statement (A).
Two-part form; Binary form (A B)
Form that can be represented as a statement (A) and counterstatement (B).
Style
Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone, color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form in music.
