Words Flashcards
Disjunct
A melody which moves in leaps, using larger intervals than a 2nd.
Conjunct
A melody that moves by step.
Atonal
melodies are not based on any key or tonal centre
Phrases
Phrases are the musical version of sentences. They end with different types of cadance - like commas or full stops.
Phrases can be different lengths, depending on the piece of music.
Imitation
Where one musical part copies another.
Ornaments
Notes added to decorate a melody.
Mordents, trills and turns
Articulation
How notes are performed; whether they are smooth or short, accented or not
Cadence
A two-chord progression that ends a phrase or section
Chord
Two or more notes played together
Composer
Person who wrote the music
Dynamics
How loud or soft the music is
Harmony
A progression of chords often to accompany a melody
Interval
The distance between two notes
Key
The scale that a section or piece of music is based on.
Melody
A tune
Metre
A pattern of beats often indicated by a time signature
Modulation
How music moves from one key (scale) to another
Ornament
A musical decoration
Trills, turns, mordents
Range
The interval between the highest and lowest notes of a melody or a whole piece or a section.
Rhythm
The combination of notes of different length
Structure
How the music is organised into sections
Tempo
How fast or slow the music is
Texture
How various parts or layers are combined together to create a musical effect.
Timbre
The tone quality or specific sound that an instrument or combination of instruments make
Tonality
Major, minor, chromatic or without a clear key (atonal).
Legato
Smooth notes that flow from one to another
Staccato
Short notes that are detached from one another
Accent
Emphasis on a note or chord to be played louder or more forceful so that it is heard really clearly.
Can also be called sforzando
Perfect cadence
Chord V –> chord I
Makes music sound complete. It can end a phrase, section or a complete piece.
Plagal cadence
Chord IV –> chord I
Sounds complete, often used at the end of church music or hymns on the word ‘Amen’.
Imperfect cadence
Always ends with chord V
First chord can be I, II, or IV.
Interrupted cadence
Chord V –> chord VI
Unexpected, as if the cadence has been ‘interrupted’.
Notes of scales
I - Tonic II - Supertonic III - Mediant IV - Subdominant V - Dominant VI - Submediant VII - Leading note
Block chords
Where all the notes sound together
Broken/ arpeggiated chords
Where the notes of a chords sound one at a time
Dissonance
Where the notes in a chord clash
Chromatic
Here some of the notes in chord progressions move chromatically (in semitones)
Primary Chords
I, IV and V
Most commonly used chords
Rich
Where the harmony sounds romantic or luscious
Repetition
Where the parts of the melody repeat
perhaps at the beginning of two phrases.
Sequence
Short pattern of notes in melody that is immediately repeated at a different pitch. Often a note higher or lower.
Countermelody
Another melody is played at the same time as the main melody; this is often above the main melody but it doesn’t have to be.
Trill
Where two notes that are next to one another alternate really quickly
Mordent
Where there is just one quick alternation of notes that are next to one another
Mini trill
Turn
Notes literally turn around the main note very quickly
Pedal note
Lowest note in a phrase
Originates from organ
Tonic
First note of a key
Tonic –> supertonic –> mediant –> subdominant –> dominant
Dominant
5th note/chord
Tonic –> supertonic –> mediant –> subdominant –> dominant
Falsetto
High pitch voice, usually male, where it usually breaks so it sounds soft
Vibrato
a rapid slight variation in pitch, vibrating of note
Ostinato
Commonly repeated phrase
Relative minor
2 notes back
Relative minor of G = e minor
Grave
Very slow tempo 40 or less bpm, made for funeral music and such
