Vocabulary Flashcards
Explain con sordini
With the mute
Explain monophonic
one melody line
Explain homophonic
one melody line and accompaniment
Explain polyphonic
Two or more melody lines intertwined to create harmony (ex:canon)
Explain Binary form
Ends on B phrase (different to main theme) ex: ABAB
Explain Ternery form
Ends on A phrase (main phrase) ex: ABBA
Explain ostinato
Repeated musical idea (ex: drumbeat)
Explain motif
Small musical idea or fragment
Explain word painting
Music reflect meaning of words (ex: Beatles)
Explain programme music
Music composed to represent story/emotion/nature/idea
Explain concerto
Orchestral work in three movements for soloist and orchestra ex: mozart
1st movement: fast, major
2nd movements: slow, minor
3rd movements: fast, major
Explain symphony
Orchestral work in four movements for orchestra. 1st movement: fast, major 2nd movements: slow, minor 3rd movements: minuet and trio 4th movement: fast, major
Explain canon
Same melody overlapping upon itself at a certain time distance and pitch interval apart
Explain Poss
Play as many notes as possible in a given time frame
Explain Double stopping
play two strings at the same time- chords
Explain diminution
halving note values
Explain augmentation
doubling note values
Explain addition
adding one note each time theme is heard. eg: 1–2–3
Explain subtraction
deducting one note each time the theme is heard eg: 6–5–4
Explain Retragrade
turning melody backwards
Explain permutation
changing order of notes ex: 123456 — 342615
Explain inversion
turning the melody upside down - opposite direction
Explain col legio
play with back or wooden part of the bow
Explain klangfarben melody
melody divided across many instruments of orchestra to create “sound colour”
Explain sul tasto
play on fingerboard (on string instrument)
Explain sul ponteicello
play across the bridge (on string instruments)
Explain loco
return to normal pitch after 8 va or 15ma
Explain burtok pizzicato
snap string of instrument
Explain pzt
left hand pizzicato
Explain sonata form
Large form
- Exposition - exposes themes
- Development - describes themes
- Recapitulation - recap themes
Explain rondo form
recurring theme (ritornello) heard between different episodes
Explain da capo
ABA - repeated idenically form
Explain del sago
Return to sign and repeat music to end
Explain Tiercedi picordie
Minor keys ends with a major chord
Explain sequence
Same melody repeating itself up or down a step or third
Explain pedal point
Repeated or sustained note which grounds music in a certain key/chord
Explain countermelody
Secondary melody heard above or below main melody (like harmony)
Explain ritornello
Recurring theme
Explain vibrato
Shake finger on string to create a warm sound
Explain senza vibrato
no vibrato
Explain tonality
in a key
Explain atonality
not in a key
Explain range
Distance between the highest and lowest notes in a piece
Explain cadenza
Section where soloist shows off their technical ability
Explain virtuoso
Soloist which shows off the technical ability
Explain Unison
Everyone plays on the same note
Explain Dialogue
Call and response
Explain Staccato
Hop off the note
Explain Legato
Play smoothly from note to note
Explain Chromatisism
Notes which do not belong in the key - used for colour
Explain Step movement
moving in step between notes
Explain Triadic leaps
Leaping to notes of the triad d,m,s
Explain syllabic
Each syllable of text has one note of music
Explain melismatic
Each syllable of text has more than one note of music
Explain disonance
Two sounds of notes don’t sound nice together
Explain consonance
When two sounds of notes sound nice together
Explain triplet
Three notes played in the time of two
Explain pentatonic
A 5 note scale do, re, mi, so, la
Explain fusion
The mixture of two different styles of music
Explain ornamentation
Decoration of the melody
Explain Syncopation
When the strongest or longest beat is on the weakest part of the bar
Explain modulation
Changing key by moving the melody on to a different note
Explain Transposition
Changing Key by moving the melody on to a different note
Explain Panning
Moving into sound from one speaker to the other to give a sense of space
Explain distortion
Pedal is pushed to distort sound coming out of speakers and create a grungy effect- electric guitar
Explain Multi tracking
Recording where each sound is separately recorded on different tracks. Each track can be recorded or deleted without effecting the other tracks. created at different times to create a cohesive whole.
Explain overdubbing
Layering sounds to create a thicker texture. ie. recording same sound over and over while listening to instrumental parts of headphones
Explain power chords
instrumental technique performed on guitars especially electric, chord with tonic and dominant
Explain Note bending
Instrumental technique varying pitch of a note using the ‘whammy bar’ (tremolo bar) to bend the note on an electric guitar
Explain Antiphony
Call and answer
Explain antiphonial texture
Where the lines of melody performed in call and answer
Explain Divis(i)
Divide 2 players reading some lines of score divide to play two different notes
Explain Unis
Unify/play together
Explain Sempre
Always
Explain Con Ped.
With pedal
Explain Con Sord.
with mute
Explain Staggered entry
Enter at various times
Explain Totentanz
A dance of death, a rhythm in 7/4 - three groups of quavers, 4 semiquavers, two groups of quavers, 4 semiquavers
Explain dance macabre
Medieval dance of death
Explain Dies Irae
Day of Judgement, an ancient gregorian chant
Explain Strum
Strum like a guitar (cello/violin)
Explain glissando
Sliding up and down (on a violin/cello)
Explain Flageolet
Play the harmonic - Splitting the vibrations on a single note on a stringed instrument so it is heard in the upper octave.
Explain tonal anchor
Chords which music are based around
Explain Soprano
Highest singing voice (usually adult female)
Explain Alto
Lowest adult female voice
Explain tenor
Highest adult male voice
Explain bass
Lowest male voice
Explain arco
Play with the bow
Explain root position
Chordal position dms
Explain first inversion
msd
Explain second inversion
sdm
Explain imitation
where one voice mimics another at a fixed distance and pitch (may not have a definite ending)
Explain articulation
symbols/words indicating how the music should be approached/attacked (legato/staccato)
Explain transposition
moving the same melody to a different key
Explain parallel movement
2 or more line of music moving in the same direction (intervals)
Explain Detache
Non-Legato
Explain grace notes
decoration of ornaments added to a note or melody
Explain elision
Joining phrases together in an overlapping manner ex: 1234, 1234, 1234/1234
Explain Zu2
All instruments reading the line of music divide into 2 parts
Explain a2
players reading one line in unison
Explain alberti bass
An arpeggiated broken chord with specific pattern of low, high, middle, high played repetitively by the left-hand
Explain Appoggitura
An ornamental note of long or short duration temporarily displaces and subsequently resolves into a main note, usually by stepwise motion
