Untitled Deck Flashcards
What is Alberti bass?
A musical accompaniment style characterized by broken chords.
What does Allegro mean?
A term indicating a fast tempo.
What is an aria?
A solo vocal piece, typically in an opera.
What is ballad opera?
A form of musical theatre that combines spoken dialogue with songs.
What is the Baroque period?
A historical period in music from approximately 1600 to 1750.
What is basso continuo?
A form of musical accompaniment used in the Baroque period.
What does bel canto refer to?
A style of singing that emphasizes beautiful tone and technique.
What is a cadenza?
An elaborate solo passage in a concerto.
What does cantabile mean?
A term indicating a singing style, often lyrical and smooth.
What is a cantata?
A vocal composition with instrumental accompaniment, often in several movements.
What are castrati?
Male singers who were castrated before puberty to retain a high vocal range.
What is chamber music?
Music composed for a small group of instruments.
What is a coloratura aria?
An aria characterized by elaborate ornamentation and rapid runs.
What is commedia dell’arte?
An early form of Italian theatrical improvisation.
What is a concertino?
A small group of solo instruments in a concerto.
What is a concerto?
A musical composition for a solo instrument accompanied by an orchestra.
What is concerto form?
A structure commonly used in concertos, typically in three movements.
What is concerto grosso?
A Baroque composition for a group of solo instruments and orchestra.
What is a da capo aria?
An aria in ternary form (ABA) commonly used in Baroque opera.
What is a diva?
A celebrated female opera singer.
What is a divertimento?
A light and entertaining musical composition.
What does dominant refer to in music?
The fifth scale degree of a diatonic scale.
What is the Enlightenment?
An intellectual movement emphasizing reason and individualism in the 18th century.
What was the Florentine Camerata?
A group of musicians and intellectuals in Renaissance Florence who influenced opera.
What is a fortepiano?
An early version of the piano, known for its dynamic range.
What is a French overture?
A musical form typically used as an introduction to an opera or suite.
What is a fugue?
A contrapuntal composition where a theme is introduced and developed.
What is grand opera?
A large-scale opera that includes elaborate staging and orchestration.
What is harmonic progression?
A sequence of chords that provides the harmonic structure of a piece.
What is the Heiligenstadt Testament?
A letter written by Beethoven expressing his struggles with deafness.
What are intermedi?
Musical interludes performed between acts of a play during the Renaissance.
What is a Kapellmeister?
A director of music, especially in a church or court setting.
What does Largo mean?
A term indicating a slow tempo.
What is legato?
A style of playing or singing that is smooth and connected.
What is a leitmotif?
A recurring musical theme associated with a particular character or idea.
What is a librettist?
A person who writes the text for an opera or musical.
What is Mannheim crescendo?
A gradual increase in volume, often used in orchestral music.
What is a mass in music?
A choral composition setting the texts of the Eucharistic liturgy.
What does minimalist refer to in music?
A style characterized by simplicity and repetition.
What is a muse?
A source of inspiration for artists and musicians.
What is music drama?
A form of opera that emphasizes the integration of music and drama.
What are musical commissions?
Contracts for composers to create new works.
What is opera?
A dramatic work combining singing, orchestration, and acting.
What is opera buffa?
A comic opera, typically in Italian.
What is opera seria?
A serious opera, often with historical or mythological themes.
What does opus refer to?
A term used to denote a musical work or composition.
What is an oratorio?
A large-scale musical work for orchestra and voices, typically on a sacred theme.
What is orchestration?
The arrangement of music for performance by an orchestra.
What is ornamentation?
The embellishment of a melody with decorative notes.
What is an overture?
An orchestral introduction to an opera or concert.
What is the patronage system?
A system where composers are supported by patrons for their work.
What is a period in music?
A distinct historical era characterized by specific styles and practices.
What is a phrase in music?
A musical unit that expresses a complete thought.
What is piano reduction?
A simplified version of a musical score for piano.
What is program music?
Instrumental music that tells a story or describes a scene.
What is recitative?
A style of delivery in opera that resembles speech.
What is a recorder?
A woodwind instrument with a whistle mouthpiece.
What is relative minor?
The minor key that shares the same key signature as a major key.
What is a requiem?
A mass for the deceased, often set to music.
What is ripieno?
The full orchestra in a concerto grosso.
What is ritornello?
A recurring passage in Baroque music.
What is sacred music?
Music composed for religious purposes.
What is a scherzo?
A lively, often playful musical composition.
What is secco recitative?
A style of recitative accompanied only by a continuo.
What does secular mean?
Music that is not religious in nature.
What is secular music?
Music composed for non-religious contexts.
What is a sequence in music?
A repetition of a musical motif at different pitches.
What is a serenade?
A musical composition typically performed in the evening.
What is a singspiel?
A German opera with spoken dialogue.
What is a solo concerto?
A concerto featuring a single solo instrument.
What is a sonata?
A musical composition for one or more instruments, typically in three movements.
What is sonata de camera?
A chamber sonata, typically with dance movements.
What is sonata de chiesa?
A church sonata, often more serious in character.
What is sonata form?
A musical structure consisting of exposition, development, and recapitulation.
What is a soprano?
The highest vocal range for female singers.
What does staccato mean?
A style of playing or singing where notes are sharply separated.
What is a string orchestra?
An ensemble consisting primarily of string instruments.
What is a string quartet?
A chamber ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello.
What is a suite?
A collection of short musical pieces, often based on dance forms.
What is theme and variation form?
A musical form where a theme is presented and then altered in successive variations.
What are timpani?
Kettle drums used in orchestral music.
What is a toccata?
A virtuosic piece typically for keyboard instruments.
What does tonic refer to?
The first note of a scale, serving as the home note.
What are tragédie-lyriques?
A French opera genre combining drama and music.
What is a trill?
A rapid alternation between two adjacent notes.
What does triple time mean?
A musical meter with three beats per measure.
What are triplets?
A group of three notes played in the time of two.
What is a valve in music?
A device used on brass instruments to change pitch.
What does verismo refer to?
A style of opera that emphasizes realism and everyday life.
What is a viola de gamba?
A string instrument played between the legs, popular in the Renaissance.
What is virtuosity?
Exceptional skill in music performance.
