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RCM History 9 > vocab > Flashcards

vocab Flashcards

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1
Q

Baroque

A
  • from the Portuguese barroco meaning “irregularly shaped or misshapen pearl”
  • first used as a derogatory term in reference to the overly ornate art of the era
  • now applied to art, architecture, and music of the 17th and early 18th centuries
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2
Q

basso continuo

A
  • baroque performance practice
  • generally involves two performers - one playing the notated baseline, one realizing the harmonies as indicated by the figured bass
  • harmonies usually play on harpsichord or organ
  • provides harmonic framework
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3
Q

figured bass

A
  • a musical shorthand developed in the Baroque era
  • numbers are placed below the baseline to show harmonic progression
  • performed or realized by the basso continuo
  • provides a structure for guided improvisation
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4
Q

the Affections

A
  • also refferd to as the “doctrine of affections” or the “affects”
  • a Baroque philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman writers and orators
  • refers to emotional states of the soul
    in Baroque music, a single “affect” (one clear emotion) is usually projected through an entire composition or movement
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5
Q

ornamentation

A
  • music embellishment to decorate a melodic line
  • either represented with symbols or improvised
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6
Q

monophonic texture

A
  • a single line of unaccompanied melody
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7
Q

polyphonic texture

A
  • a combination of two or more melodic lines
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8
Q

homophonic texture

A
  • a single line of melody supported by a harmonic accompaniment
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9
Q

concerto

A
  • a popular instrumental genre of the Baroque era for soloists and orchestra
  • generally in three movements: fast-slow-fast
  • frequently employed ritornello form
  • intended to showcase the virtuosity of the soloists
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10
Q

ritornello form

A
  • a structure employed in the first and third movements of the Baroque concerto
  • the opening passage is restated throughout the movement serving as a refrain
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11
Q

ripieno

A
  • Italian for “full” or “complete”
  • a term used to denote the use of the full orchestra in the Baroque concerto
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12
Q

ostinato

A
  • Italian for “obstinate” or “persistent”
  • a rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated for an extended period
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13
Q

pedal point

A
  • a note, or series of notes, sustained through harmony changes in other parts
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14
Q

programmatic writing

A
  • music with a descriptive element, inspired by extramusical associations, like a story or painting
  • evolved into a significant feature of 19th-century instrumental writing (program music)
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15
Q

idiomatic writing

A
  • highlights the unique technical capabilities of an instrument in the style of writing
  • opposite of “generic”
  • developed in the Baroque era
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16
Q

binary form

A
  • two-part form: A||B||
  • both parts often repeat
  • section A generally ends with an open cadence in the dominant or relative major key
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17
Q

rounded binary form

A
  • two-part form: A||B + A₁||
  • opening material from Section A returns after B material
  • key structure similar to binary form
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18
Q

ternary form

A
  • three-part form: A||B||A||
  • section A generally ends with a closed cadence in the tonic key
  • section B generally creates contrast in key and/or material
  • often used in Baroque arias and Classical menuet and trio movements
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19
Q

equal temperament

A
  • a method of tuning keyboard instruments
  • the octave is divided into twelve equal semitones
  • facilitated the composition and performance of music in all keys
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20
Q

clavier

A
  • a German word for keyboard instruments other than the organ
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21
Q

prelude

A
  • a short keyboard work in improvisatory style
  • often paired with a fugue
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22
Q

fugue

A
  • highly structured, imitative contrapuntal composition
  • a single theme or subject prevails
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23
Q

counterpoint

A
  • combination of two or more independent melodic lines
  • also referred to as “polyphonic texture”
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24
Q

subject

A
  • the initial statement of the main theme of a fugue
  • in the tonic key
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25
Q

answer

A
  • the second statement of the main theme in a fugue
  • usually in the dominant key
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26
Q

real answer

A
  • an exact transposition of the subject
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27
Q

tonal answer

A
  • a statement of the subject in which one or more intervals is adjusted to accommodate the harmony
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28
Q

countersubject

A
  • a recurring countermelody
  • accompanies entries of the subject and answer
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29
Q

episode

A
  • a passage within a fugue in which neither subject nor answer is present
  • frequently sequential
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30
Q

oratorio

A
  • a large-scale work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra
  • serious subject, generally based on biblical texts
  • consists of recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses
  • developed in the Baroque era
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31
Q

French overture

A
  • a Baroque orchestral genre, often the orchestral introduction to an opera or oratorio
  • first developed at the court of Louis XIV by Jean-Baptiste Lully
  • generally in two parts
  • first part - slow tempo, homophonic texture, features dotted figures
  • second part - fast tempo, imitative texture
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32
Q

libretto

A
  • the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata
  • usually written by someone other than the composer
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33
Q

recitative

A
  • a speech-like style of singing used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas
  • follows inflections of the text, resulting in rhythms flexibility
  • usually used to advance the plot or storyline; moves through text quickly
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34
Q

recitativo secco

A
  • Italian for “dry recitative”
  • a speech-like, declamatory style of singing
  • supported only by continuo
  • employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata
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35
Q

aria

A
  • Italian for “air”
  • a solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata
  • highly emotional and often virtuosic
  • may have lyrical or dramatic qualities; often serves to reveal the characters’ most intimate emotions
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36
Q

da capo aria

A
  • an aria (solo song) employing a ternary (ABA) structure
  • in performance, the return of Section A is generally ornamented
  • the most common type of aria in Baroque opera and oratorio
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37
Q

word painting

A
  • musical pictorialization
  • the music mirror the literal meaning of the words
  • achieved through melody, harmony, or rhythm
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38
Q

melisma

A
  • a group of notes sung on a single syllable/vowel
  • demonstrates vocal virtuosity and often serves to highlight key words
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39
Q

Classicism

A
  • refers to the art, architecture, and music of the late 18th century
  • adheres to principles of symmetry, balance, and proportion
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40
Q

Viennese

A
  • refers to the musical style forged by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and their contemporaries
  • in late 18th century Vienna, Austria flourished as a musical centre
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41
Q

absolute music

A
  • instrumental music without pictorial associations
  • generic titles reflecting tempos, genres, or forms
42
Q

sonata form

A
  • formal structure often used in the first movement of a sonata cycle
  • consists of exposition, development, and recapitulation
  • also known as sonata-allegro form
43
Q

exposition

A
  • the first main section in sonata form
  • two contrasting themes are stated
  • the first theme is in the tonic key
  • the second theme (or themes) are in a contrasting key, generally in the dominant or relative major
44
Q

development

A
  • the second main section in sonata form
  • themes from the exposition are developed through use of sequences, fragmentation, inversion, or changes to orchestration
  • modulations and increased harmonic tension and dissonance
  • new themes may also be introduced
  • generally ends with dominant preparation
45
Q

recapitulation

A
  • the third main section in sonata form
  • a recapitulation of the exposition
  • second theme and codetta are usually restated in the tonic
  • bridge remains in the tonic (no need to modulate)
46
Q

coda

A
  • Latin for “tail” (cauda)
  • a concluding section reaffirming the tonic key
  • not always present
47
Q

sonata cycle

A
  • multi-movement structure that emerged in the Classical era
  • demonstrated in the symphony, sonata, or concerto
48
Q

introduction

A
  • not a standard component of the form
  • usually slow
  • establishes the tonic key
  • creates musical tension
49
Q

first theme

A
  • establishes the tonic key
  • present a distinctive melodic and rhythmic character
  • often sets the mood for the entire movement
50
Q

bridge

A
  • begins in the tonic key and transitions into the key of the second theme
51
Q

second theme

A
  • a contrasting theme that establishes the new key (usually the dominant or relative major)
52
Q

codetta

A
  • affirms the new key
  • generally concludes with a repeat sign
53
Q

chamber music

A
  • music for small ensemble (two to ten players)
  • one player per part
  • usually performed without a conductor
54
Q

string quartet

A
  • the most important chamber music genre of the Classical era
  • performing forces: first violin, second violin, viola, cello
  • usually in four movements: fast-slow-moderately fast-fast
  • first movement is usually in sonata form
55
Q

theme and variations

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 the slow movement of a sonata cycle
56
Q

serenade

A
  • a multi-movement orchestral genre
  • for small orchestra or chamber ensemble
  • popular instrumental genre in the Classical era
57
Q

rocket theme

A
  • rapidly ascending melody outlining an arpeggio
  • often used as a dramatic opening motive in Classical-era works
58
Q

menuet and trio

A
  • menuet: a stylized dance of French origin developed in the Baroque era, in triple meter with a graceful, elegant character
  • trio: contrasting middle section
  • ternary (ABA) form (menuet, trio, menuet)
59
Q

rondo form

A
  • Classical formal structure often used in sonata cycle
  • Section A recurs, with alternating sections creating contrast
  • ABACA or ABACABA
60
Q

sonata-rondo form

A
  • combines elements of sonata form and rondo form
  • typical layout: ABACABA (ABA functions as the exposition; C functions as the development; second ABA functions as the recapitulation)
61
Q

symphony

A
  • a multi-movement orchestral work originating in the 18th century
  • usually in four movements: fast-slow-moderate-fast
  • at least one movement is in sonata form
62
Q

cyclical structure

A
  • material heard in one movement recurs in later movements
  • creates structural unity in a multi-movement work
63
Q

motive

A
  • a short melodic or rhythmic fragment used in building or developing a melody
64
Q

scherzo and trio

A
  • Italian for “jest” or “joke”
  • Beethoven substituted the scherzo in place of the menuet as the third movement in the sonata cycle
  • also in triple meter, but generally more dynamic than the elegant menuet
  • as with the menuet and trio, it contains a contrasting middle section (trio), resulting in ABA form (scherzo-trio-scherzo)
65
Q

Romanticism

A
  • origins can be traced to late 18th-century literature that served as inspiration for art and music
  • emphasis on creative imagination and expression of emotions
66
Q

program music

A
  • significant trend in 19th-century music
  • instrumental music with literary, poetic, or visual associations
  • descriptive titles are common
  • some works include a written text or “program” provided by the composer
67
Q

chromatic harmony

A
  • extensive use of notes outside the prevailing key range
  • from the Greek word for colour, khroma
  • increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music
68
Q

exoticism in music

A
  • fascination with foreign lands and cultures
  • important element of 19th-century musical style
  • evoked through melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration
69
Q

nationalism in music

A
  • patriotism expressed in music
  • important element of 19th-century musical style
  • influence of folk song and dance, myths and legend, landscapes, historical events
70
Q

art song

A
  • the musical setting of a poem
  • for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
71
Q

Lied

A
  • the musical setting of a German poem
  • for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment
  • flourished in the 19th century
72
Q

through-composed

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
73
Q

polonaise

A
  • stately Polish dance in triple meter
  • often proud and majestic in character
  • often includes characteristic rhythmic figures
74
Q

rubato

A
  • Italian for “robbed time”
  • a characteristic of Romantic music
  • a flexible tempo for expressive purposes
75
Q

program symphony

A
  • a 19th-century multi-movement orchestral work
  • modelled after the 18th-century symphony with programmatic elements
  • includes a descriptive title
  • the accompanying text often outlines the program
76
Q

idée fixé

A
  • French for “fixed idea”
  • devised by Berlioz
  • a recurring theme that undergoes transformation
  • serves as a unifying thread in a multi-movement composition
  • in Symphonie Fantastique, it represents “the beloved”
77
Q

col legno

A
  • Italian for “with the wood”
  • novel effect used by Berlioz
  • players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows
78
Q

Dies irae

A
  • Latin for “day of wrath”
  • a monophonic chant melody dating from late Middle Ages
  • drawn from the Romantic Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead)
  • 19th-century audiences would have associated the tune with funeral services
79
Q

opera

A
  • drama that is sung
  • combines vocal and instrumental music with actin, costume, and scenery
  • components include recitative, arias, ensembles, and choruses
  • originated in Italy around 1600
80
Q

habañera

A
  • Cuban dance-song
  • 2/4 time
  • characteristic rhythmic motive, often used as an ostinato
81
Q

modal scales

A
  • the use of scales (modes) in which the pattern of whole steps and half scales is different from conventional major and minor scales; for example, Dorian, Lydian, and Mixolydian
  • common in music of the Middle AGes and Renaissance; rediscovered by 20th-century composers
82
Q

whole-tone scale

A
  • a non-traditional scale employed by composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries
  • consists of six different pitches, all spaces a whole tone apart
83
Q

pentatonic

A
  • a scale consisting of five different pitches
  • common to the folk music of many European and Asian cultures
84
Q

expanded tonality

A
  • the use of extremely chromatic harmony while still maintaining allegiance to a tonal centre
85
Q

polytonality

A
  • the simultaneous use of two or more tonal centres
86
Q

atonality

A
  • the total absence of any tonal centre
  • characterized by unresolved dissonances
87
Q

changing meter

A
  • shift of metrical groupings
  • manifested through changes of time signatures
88
Q

polyrhythm

A
  • the simultaneous use of two or more conflicting rhythms
89
Q

symphonic poem

A
  • one of the most important forms of orchestral program
  • a single-movement work, generally in free form, with literary or pictorial associations
  • invented by Franz Liszt
90
Q

impressionism in music

A
  • employs harmonic vocabulary: whole-tone, modal, pentatonic scales; parallel chords
  • suggests images rather than directly depicting them
  • features individual treatment of instruments and use of muted instruments
  • metric pulse is frequently obscured
91
Q

Symbolism

A
  • a French literary movement of the late 19th century
  • authors sought to suggest subject matter rather than depict it specifically
92
Q

ballet

A
  • a highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story
  • first developed in the 17th century
93
Q

choreography

A
  • the art of designing the dance steps and movements in a ballet (or musical)
94
Q

primitivism

A
  • an effect created largely through rhythm
  • use of strong accents, heavy syncopation, polyrhythms, expanded percussion section
  • demonstrated best in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring
95
Q

musical

A
  • a unique 20th-century genre developed in the United States
  • a play with spoken dialogue but featuring musical numbers: songs, dances, choruses
96
Q

jazz

A
  • a musical style developed in the early 20th century in the United States
  • combines elements of African, popular, and European music
  • based on improvisation
97
Q

verse-chorus structure

A
  • a common song structure in popular music
  • verses develop the character/storyline, while the “chorus” acts as a tuneful refrain
98
Q

hemiola

A
  • a temporary shift of the metric accents
  • notes grouped in threes are momentarily grouped in twos or vice versa
99
Q

minimalism in music

A
  • characterized by the. repetition of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns with little variation
100
Q

fanfare

A
  • a loud ceremonial tune
  • features brass instruments
  • used to herald the arrival of an important person, the launch of an event, or in commemoration of someone

RCM History 9 (3 decks)

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