Listening To Western Music, Unit 1, Terms

Front 1

Classical Music

Back 1

traditional music of any culture, usually involving a specialized technical vocabulary and requiring long years of training; it is "high art" or "learned" music that is enjoyed generation after generation.

Front 2

Popular Music

Back 2

broad category of music designed to please a large section of the general public; sometimes used in contradiction to more "serious" or more "learned" classical music.

Front 3

Acoustic Instruments

Back 3

instruments that produce sounds naturally when strings are bowed or plucked, a tube has air passed through it, or percussion instruments are struck.

Front 4

Encore

Back 4

(french for "again") repeat of a piece demanded by an appreciative audience; extra piece added at the end of a concert.

Front 5

symphony

Back 5

a genre of instrumental music for orchestra consisting of several movements; also the orchestral ensemble that plays this genre.

Front 6

Movements

Back 6

large, independent section of a major instrumental work, such as a sonata, dance suite, symphony, quartet, or concerto.

Front 7

Orchestra (symphony orchestra)

Back 7

large instrumental ensemble that plays symphonies, overtures, concertos, and the like.

Front 8

Motive

Back 8

short, distinctive melodic figure that stands by itself.

Front 9

crescendo

Back 9

a gradual increase in the volume of sound.

Front 10

diminuendo

Back 10

a gradual decrease in the volume of sound.

Front 11

concerto

Back 11

an instrumental genre in which one or more soloists play with and against a larger orchestra.

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chord

Back 12

two or more simultaneously sounding pitches.

Front 13

melody

Back 13

series of notes arranged in order to form a distinctive, recognizable musical unit; most often placed in the treble.

Front 14

pizzicato

Back 14

the process whereby a performer plucks the strings of an instrument rather than bowing them.

Front 15

tone poem

Back 15

one movement work for orchestra of the Romantic era that gives musical expression to the emotions and events associated with a story, play, political occurrence, personal experience, or encounter with nature.

Front 16

music

Back 16

sound that moves through time in an organized fashion.

Front 17

rhythm

Back 17

organization of time in music.

Front 18

beat

Back 18

even pulse that divides the passing of time into equal units.

Front 19

measure (bar)

Back 19

a group of beats, usually consisting of either two, three, or four beats per measure, although in some cases there can be more.

Front 20

meter

Back 20

gathering of beats into regular groups

Front 21

meter signature (time signature)

Back 21

two numbers, one on top of the other, placed at the beginning of the music to tell the performer how the beats of the music are to be grouped.

Front 22

score

Back 22

musical notation.

Front 23

downbeat

Back 23

first beat, usually represents the strongest beat in any given measure.

Front 24

upbeat

Back 24

signaled by an upward motion

Front 25

pickup

Back 25

usually only a note or two, but it gives a little momentum or extra push into the first downbeat.

Front 26

accent

Back 26

musical stress

Front 27

syncopation

Back 27

places the accent either on a weak beat or between the beats.

Front 28

tempo

Back 28

speed at which the beats progress.

Front 29

ritard

Back 29

slowing down.

Front 30

melody

Back 30

series of pitches arranged to form a cohesive, pleasing musical line.

Front 31

pitch

Back 31

the relative position, high or low, of a musical sound.

Front 32

octave

Back 32

duplicating pitch at a higher or lower pitch

Front 33

staff

Back 33

gridwork of lines and spaces in which notes can be situated on.

Front 34

clef

Back 34

sign used to indicate the range of pitch in which the melody is to be played or sung.

Front 35

treble clef

Back 35

designates the upper range and is appropriate for high instruments like the trumpet and the violin, or a woman's voice.

Front 36

bass clef

Back 36

covers the lower range and is used for lower instruments like the tuba or the cello, or a man's voice.

Front 37

great staff

Back 37

combination of clefs

Front 38

sharp

Back 38

raises the note to the key immediately above

Front 39

flat

Back 39

lowers the note to the key immediately below.

Front 40

natural

Back 40

cancels sharps and flats.

Front 41

tonic

Back 41

central pitch around which the melodies gravitate and on which they usually end.

Front 42

tonality

Back 42

organization of music around this central pitch (tonic)

Front 43

key

Back 43

indicates the tonal central around which a piece is built and also the scale that it employs.

Front 44

scale

Back 44

an arrangement of pitches within the octave that ascends and descends according to a fixed pattern.

Front 45

major scale

Back 45

succession of whole and half steps that proceeds 1-1-1/2-1-1-1-1/2.

Front 46

minor scale

Back 46

succession of whole and half steps that proceeds 1-1/2-1-1-1/2-1-1.

Front 47

key signature

Back 47

preplaced sharps or flats

Front 48

modulation

Back 48

change from one key to another.

Front 49

mode

Back 49

changing from major to minor

Front 50

chromatic scale

Back 50

employs all twelve notes in a scale.

Front 51

step

Back 51

moving from one letter name of the scale to the next

Front 52

leap

Back 52

a jump of more than one letter name

Front 53

phrase

Back 53

constitutes a dependent idea within a melody

Front 54

antecedent

Back 54

the opening, incomplete-sounding phrase of a melody; often followed by a consequent phrase that brings the melody to closure

Front 55

consequent phrase

Back 55

the second phrase of a two-part melodic unit that brings a melody to a point of repose or closure

Front 56

cadence

Back 56

concluding part of a musical phrase

Front 57

harmony

Back 57

sounds that provide a support and enrichment for melody.

Front 58

triad

Back 58

three pitches arranged in a very specific way

Front 59

interval

Back 59

distance between notes

Front 60

dominant

Back 60

always built on the fifth note of the scale, these triads are likely to move to tonic triads at the end of musical phrases, helping to create the strong effect of a full cadence.

Front 61

subdominant

Back 61

built on the fourth note of the scale, just below the dominant. often moves to the dominant.

Front 62

chord progression

Back 62

a movement of chords in a purposeful fashion

Front 63

arpeggio

Back 63

broken or staggered triad

Front 64

dissonance

Back 64

pitches sounding disagreeable and unstable

Front 65

consonance

Back 65

pitches sounding agreeable and stable.

Front 66

blues

Back 66

expressive, soulful style of singing that unfolds above repeating chord changes.

Front 67

twelve-bar blues

Back 67

the chords do not sound for the same length of time, making an irregular rate of harmonic change.

Front 68

dynamics

Back 68

various levels of volume, loud and soft, at which sounds are produced.

Front 69

forte

Back 69

loud

Front 70

piano

Back 70

soft

Front 71

sforzando

Back 71

sudden, loud attack on one note or chord

Front 72

color (timbre)

Back 72

tone quality of any sound produced by a voice or an instrument.

Front 73

soprano

Back 73

highest female vocal part

Front 74

alto

Back 74

lower of the two female voice parts.

Front 75

tenor

Back 75

higher male voice part

Front 76

bass

Back 76

lowest male voice part

Front 77

chorus

Back 77

when many voices join together

Front 78

mezzo-soprano

Back 78

area of pitch shared by the soprano and alto and is sometimes designated as a separate vocal range

Front 79

baritone

Back 79

area of pitch shared by the tenor and bass.

Front 80

violin

Back 80

smallest stringed instrument, highest pitch

Front 81

viola

Back 81

somewhat lower sound compared to a violin

Front 82

cello

Back 82

player sits with this instrument between the legs. pitch below a viola.

Front 83

double bass

Back 83

gives weight and power to the bass line in orchestra. largest, lowest-sounding string instrument.

Front 84

vibrato

Back 84

wobble in pitch. adds richness to the tone of the string, creates a blend of two or more pitches.

Front 85

tremolo

Back 85

musical tremor by rapidly repeating the same pitch with a quick up and down strokes of the bow

Front 86

trill

Back 86

performer rapidly alternates between two distinctively separate but neighboring pitches.

Front 87

mute

Back 87

metal or rubber clamp on the instrument, dampens the tone

Front 88

harp

Back 88

sometimes added to the modern symphony orchestra to add its distinctive color or to create special effects

Front 89

glissando

Back 89

rapid run up or down the instrument

Front 90

flute

Back 90

high-sounding member of the woodwind family

Front 91

piccolo

Back 91

smaller cousin of the flute

Front 92

clarinet

Back 92

produces sound when the player blows against a single reed fitted to the mouthpiece.

Front 93

bass clarinet

Back 93

lower, larger version of the clarinet

Front 94

oboe

Back 94

equipped with double reeds. creates a nasal, slightly exotic sound.

Front 95

english horn

Back 95

larger version of the oboe that originated in europe. creates a dark, haunting sound

Front 96

bassoon

Back 96

serves as a bass for the woodwinds.

Front 97

contrabassoon

Back 97

double bass. sounds deep and sluggish.

Front 98

saxaphone

Back 98

mostly occurs in jazz ensembles, but can be added to a symphony orchestra

Front 99

mouthpiece

Back 99

cup-shaped object that brass players blow into to produce sound

Front 100

trumpet

Back 100

high, bright, cutting sound of brass family.

Front 101

trombone

Back 101

middle range of brass family. large and full sound. slide is moved to produce sound

Front 102

french horn

Back 102

first brass instrument to join the orchestra.

Front 103

tuba

Back 103

largest and lowest sounding of the brass instruments.

Front 104

timpani

Back 104

percussion instrument most often heard in classical music. adds depth, tension, and drama to music.

Front 105

snare

Back 105

creates a rat-ta-tat-tat sound.

Front 106

bass drum

Back 106

dull thud

Front 107

cymbals

Back 107

does not create a specific musical tone, loud crash sound.

Front 108

xylophone

Back 108

set of wooden bars that produce a dry, wooden sound.

Front 109

glockenspiel

Back 109

bars made of metal that produce a brighter tone with more ringing. (percussion).

Front 110

celesta

Back 110

hammers strike metal bars, much like a piano. creates a bright and tinkling sound.

Front 111

orchestral score

Back 111

composite notation of all the instrumental parts for a particular piece.

Front 112

pipe organ

Back 112

player depresses a key that allows air to rush into a pipe, thereby producing sound.

Front 113

stop

Back 113

a knob pulled on an organ to create different sounds

Front 114

harpsichord

Back 114

strings are plucked, creating a bright, jangling sound.

Front 115

piano

Back 115

strings are hit by soft hammers

Front 116

texture

Back 116

density and disposition of the musical lines that make up a musical composition.

Front 117

monophony

Back 117

single line of music with no accompaniment.

Front 118

unison

Back 118

when a group of men or women sing the same pitches together.

Front 119

polyphony

Back 119

two or more lines in the musical fabric. they compete equally for the listener's attention

Front 120

counterpoint

Back 120

when the lines of music usually move against one another

Front 121

canon

Back 121

when singing, each voice enters later, imitating the first voice from beginning to end.

Front 122

homophony

Back 122

"same sounding". voices, or lines, move to new pitches at roughly the same time.

Front 123

form

Back 123

purposeful arrangement of important musical events.

Front 124

repetition

Back 124

usually sets forth the formal guideposts within a piece, declaring each return an important musical event.

Front 125

contrast

Back 125

can be used a foil to familiar material, to provide variety, and even conflict.

Front 126

variation

Back 126

original melody returns but is altered in some way.

Front 127

strophic form

Back 127

composer sets the words of the first stanza and then uses the same entire melody for all subsequent stanzas.

Front 128

theme and variations

Back 128

a musical form in which a theme continually returns but is varied by changing the notes of the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, or some other feature of the music.

Front 129

binary form

Back 129

consists of two contrasting units, A and B.

Front 130

ternary form

Back 130

consists of three sections, ABA.

Front 131

rondo form

Back 131

usually follows one of these forms: ABACA, ABACABA, or ABACADA.

Front 132

style

Back 132

distinctive sound produced by the interaction of the elements of music: rhythm, melody, harmony, color, texture ,and form.