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Musi 1306-Elements: Important Terms

Musi 1306-Elements: Important Terms

by Kassco7, Jan. 2014

Subjects: Music: An Appreciation Brief Edition

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201 Cards in this Set

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	Sound	Vibrations that are transmitted, usually through air, to the eardrum, which sends impulses to the brain.
	Pitch	Relative highness or lowness of a sound.
	Tone	Sound that has a definite pitch, or frequency.
	Interval	“Distance” in pitch between any two tones.
	Octave	Interval between two tones in which the higher tone has twice the frequency of the lower tone.
	Pitch range	Distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce.
	Dynamics	Degrees of loudness or softness in music.
	Pianissimo	Very soft.
	Piano	Widely used keyboard instrument of great range and versatility, whose sound is produced by felt-covered hammers striking against steel strings.
	Mezzo piano	Moderately soft.
	Mezzo forte	Moderately loud.
	Forte	Loud
	Fortissimo	Very loud
	Decrescendo (diminuendo)	Gradually softer.
	Crescendo	Gradually louder. (Often abbreviated cresc.)
	Accent	Emphasis of a note, which may result from its being louder, longer, or higher in pitch than the notes near it.
	Tone color (timbre)	Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.
	Improvisation	Creation of music at the same time as it is performed.
	Soprano	Female voice of high range.
	Mezzo-soprano	Female voice of fairly low range, though not so low as alto.
	Alto (contralto)	Female voice of low range.
	Tenor	Male voice of high range.
	Baritone	Male voice range lower than a tenor and higher than a bass.
	Bass	(1) Male voice of low range. (2) See double bass.
	Registar	Part of the total range of an instrument or voice. The tone color of the instrument or voice may vary with the register in which it is played or sung.
	Conductor	Leader of a performing group of musicians.
	Baton	Thin stick used by many conductors to beat time and indicate pulse and tempo.
	Concertmaster	Principal first violinist in a symphony orchestra.
	String instrument	Instrument whose sound is produced by the vibration of strings.
	Violin	String instrument with the highest range of the string family.
	Viola	String instrument with a lower range than the violin and a higher range than the cello.
	Cello (violoncello)	String instrument with a range lower than that of the viola and higher than that of the double bass.
	Double bass (bass)	Largest string instrument, having the lowest range of the string family.
	Bow	Slightly curved stick strung tightly with horsehair, used to play string instruments.
	Pizzicato	Means of playing a string instrument by which the strings are plucked, usually with a finger of the right hand.
	Double stop	Means of playing a string instrument by which the bow is drawn across two, three, or four strings at the same time or almost the same time.
	Triple stop	Means of playing a string instrument by which the bow is drawn across two, three, or four strings at the same time or almost the same time.
	Quadruple stop	Means of playing a string instrument by which the bow is drawn across two, three, or four strings at the same time or almost the same time.
	Vibrato	Small fluctuations of pitch that make the tone warmer, produced in string instruments by rocking the left hand while it presses the string down.
	Mute	Device used to veil or muffle the tone of an instrument. For string instruments, the mute is a clamp that fits onto the bridge; for brass instruments, it is a funnel-shaped piece of wood, metal, or plastic that fits into the bell.
	Tremolo	Rapid repetition of a tone, produced in string instruments by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow.
	Harmonics	Very high-pitched whistle-like tones, produced in bowed string instruments by lightly touching the string at certain points while bowing.
	Plectrum	Small wedge of plastic, leather, or quill used to pluck the strings of certain instruments, such as the guitar, koto, and harpsichord. (Plural, plectra.)
	Harp	Plucked string instrument, consisting of strings stretched within a triangular frame.
	Guitar	Plucked string instrument with six strings stretched along a fretted fingerboard.
	Woodwind instrument	Instrument whose sound is produced by vibrations of air in a tube; holes along the length of tube are opened and closed by the fingers, or by pads, to control the pitch.
	Piccolo	Smallest woodwind instrument, having the highest range; a smaller version of the flute.
	Flute	Woodwind instrument, usually made of metal, with a high range, whose tone is produced by blowing across the edge of a mouth hole.
	Clarinet	Single-reed woodwind instrument with a beak-shaped mouthpiece, cylindrical in shape with a slightly flared bell.
	Bass clarinet	Member of the clarinet family, having a low range. Its shape is curved at the end before flaring into a bell.
	Oboe	Double-reed woodwind instrument with a relatively high range, conical in shape with a small flared bell.
	English horn	Double-reed woodwind instrument, slightly larger than the oboe and with a lower range, straight in shape with an egg-shaped bell.
	Bassoon	Double-reed woodwind instrument, made of wood, having a low range.
	Contrabassoon	Double-reed woodwind instrument with a register one octave lower than that of the bassoon.
	Recorder	Family of woodwind instruments whose sound is produced by blowing into a “whistle” mouthpiece, usually made of wood or plastic.
	Reed	Very thin piece of cane, used in woodwind instruments to produce sound as it is set into vibration by a stream of air.
	Single-reed woodwinds	Instruments whose sound is produced by a single piece of cane, or reed, fastened over a hole in the mouthpiece. The reed vibrates when the player blows into the mouthpiece.
	Saxophone	Family of single-reed woodwind instruments.
	Double-reed woodwinds	Instruments whose sound is produced by two narrow pieces of cane held between the player’s lips; these pieces vibrate when the player blows between them.
	Brass instrument	Instrument, made of brass or silver, whose sound is produced by the vibrations of the player’s lips as he or she blows into a cup- or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. The vibrations are amplified and colored in a tube that is flared at the end.
	Trumpet	Brass instrument with the highest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz and rock groups.
	French horn	Brass instrument of medium range, whose tube is coiled into a roughly circular shape and fitted with valves; commonly used in symphony orchestras and in bands. (Sometimes called simply a horn.)
	Trombone	Brass instrument of moderately low range, whose tube is an elongated loop with a movable slide, commonly used in symphony orchestras, bands, and jazz ensembles.
	Tuba	Largest brass instrument, with the lowest range, commonly used in symphony orchestras and bands.
	Cornet	Brass instrument similar in shape to the trumpet, with a mellower tone.
	Baritone horn	Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba, with a higher range, commonly used in bands.
	Euphonium	Brass instrument similar in shape to the tuba and the baritone horn, with a higher range than the tuba’s, commonly used in bands.
	Mute	Device used to veil or muffle the tone of an instrument. For string instruments, the mute is a clamp that fits onto the bridge; for brass instruments, it is a funnel-shaped piece of wood, metal, or plastic that fits into the bell.
	Percussion instrument	Instrument of definite or indefinite pitch whose sound is produced by striking by hand, or with a stick or hammer, or by shaking or rubbing.
	Definite Pitch	See next flashcard set
	Timpani (kettledrums)	Percussion instruments of definite pitch, shaped like large kettles with calfskin or plastic stretched across the tops, played with soft padded mallets.
	Glockenspiel	Percussion instrument of definite pitch, made up of flat metal bars set in a frame and played by striking with small metal hammers.
	Xylophone	Percussion instrument of definite pitch, consisting of flat wooden bars set in a frame and played by striking with hard plastic or wooden hammers.
	Celesta	Percussion instrument of definite pitch, with metal bars that are struck by hammers controlled by a keyboard.
	Chimes	Percussion instrument of definite pitch, with suspended metal tubes that are struck with a hammer.
	Indefinite Pitch	See next Flashcard set
	Snare drum (side drum)	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, in the shape of a cylinder with a stretched skin at either end. A “snare” of gut or metal is stretched below the lower skin and produces a rattling sound when the drum is struck.
	Bass drum	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, the largest of the orchestral drums.
	Tambourine	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a skin stretched across a shallow cylinder, with small circular plates set into the cylinder which jingle when the skin is struck or the cylinder is shaken.
	Triangle	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a triangular length of metal suspended from a hook or cord, played by striking with a metal rod.
	Cymbals	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, consisting of a pair of metal plates, played by striking the plates against each other.
	Gong (tam-tam)	Percussion instrument of indefinite pitch, made up of a large flat metal plate that is suspended and struck with a mallet.
	Keyboard instrument	Instrument—such as the piano, organ, or harpsichord—played by pressing a series of keys with the fingers.
	Piano	Widely used keyboard instrument of great range and versatility, whose sound is produced by felt-covered hammers striking against steel strings.
	Harpsichord	Keyboard instrument, widely used from about 1500 to 1775, whose sound is produced by plectra that pluck its wire strings. The harpsichord was revived during the twentieth century.
	Pipe organ	Keyboard instrument with many sets of pipes controlled from two or more keyboards, including a pedal keyboard played by the organist’s feet. The keys control valves from which air is blown across or through openings in the pipes. (The electric organ is an electronic instrument that is sometimes designed to imitate the sound of a pipe organ.)
	Accordion	Instrument consisting of a bellows between two keyboards (piano-like keys played by the right hand, and buttons played by the left hand) whose sound is produced by air pressure that causes free steel reeds to vibrate.
	Electronic instrument	Instrument whose sound is produced, modified, or amplified by electronic means.
	Tape studio	Studio with tape recorders and other equipment used to create electronic music by modifying and combining recorded sounds.
	Synthesizer	System of electronic components that can generate, modify, and control sound; used to compose music and to perform it.
	Computer	Tool used to synthesize music, to help composers write scores, to store samples of audio signals, and to control synthesizing mechanisms.
	Computer music	Composition including sounds generated and manipulated by computer.
	Theme	Melody that serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music.
	Variation	Changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others.
	Rhythm	Ordered flow of music through time; the pattern of durations of notes and silences in music.
	Beat	Regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time.
	Meter	Organization of beats into regular groups.
	Duple meter	Pattern of 2 beats to the measure.
	Triple meter	Pattern of 3 beats to the measure.
	Quadruple meter	Pattern of 4 beats to the measure.
	Quintuple meter	Pattern of 5 beats to the measure.
	Sextuple meter	Pattern of 6 beats to the measure.
	Septuple meter	Pattern of 7 beats to the measure.
	Measure	Rhythmic group set off by bar lines, containing a fixed number of beats.
	Downbeat	First, or stressed, beat of a measure.Upbeat Unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat.
	Accent	Emphasis of a note, which may result from its being louder, longer, or higher in pitch than the notes near it.
	Syncopation	Accenting of a note at an unexpected time, as between two beats or on a weak beat. Syncopation is a major characteristic of jazz.
	Tempo	Basic pace of the music.
	Tempo indication	Words, usually at the beginning of a piece of music and often in Italian, which specify the pace at which the music should be played.
	Largo	Very slow, broad.
	Grave	Very slow, solemn.
	Adagio	Slow.
	Andante	Moderately slow, a walking pace.
	Moderato	Moderate tempo.
	Allegretto	Moderately fast.
	Allegro	Fast.
	Vicace	Lively tempo.
	Presto	Very fast tempo.
	Prestissimo	As fast a tempo as possible.
	Accelerando	Becoming faster.
	Ritardando	Becoming slower.
	Metronome	Apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired constant speed.
	Notation	System of writing down music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated.
	Note	In notation, a black or white oval to which a stem and flags can be added.
	Staff	In notation, a set of five horizontal lines between or on which notes are positioned.
	Ledger lines	Short, horizontal lines above or below the staff, used to indicate a pitch that falls above or below the range indicated by the staff.
	Sharp sign	Symbol which notates a pitch one half step higher than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated—for example, the next higher black key on the piano.
	Flat sign	Symbol which notates a pitch one half step lower than the pitch that would otherwise be indicated—for example, the next lower key on the piano.
	Natural sign	Symbol used in notation of pitch to cancel a previous sharp or flat sign.
	Treble clef	Notation on a staff to indicate relatively high pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist’s right hand.
	Bass clef	Symbol on the staff indicating relatively low pitch ranges, such as those played by a pianist’s left hand.
	Grand staff	Combination of the treble and bass staves, used in keyboard music to encompass the wide range of pitches produced by both hands.
	Middle C	Note C nearest to the center of the piano keyboard, notated as the pitch on the ledger line below the treble clef and above the bass clef.
	Stem	Vertical line on a note indicating how long that note is to be held relative to the notes around it.
	Flag	Wavy line attached to the stem on a note, indicating how long that note is to be held relative to the notes around it.
	Beam	Horizontal line connecting the flags of several eighth notes or sixteenth notes in succession, to facilitate reading these notes.
	Dotted note	Note with a dot to the right of it. This dot increases the note’s undotted duration by half.
	Dotted rhythm	Long-short rhythmic pattern in which a dotted note is followed by a note that is much shorter.
	Tie	In notation of rhythm, an arc between two notes of the same pitch indicating that the second note should not be played but should be added to the duration of the first.
	Triplet	In notation of rhythm, three notes of equal duration grouped within a curved line with the numeral 3, lasting only as long as two notes of the same length would normally last.
	Rest	In notation of rhythm, a symbol to indicate the duration of silence in the music.
	Time signature (meter signature)	Two numbers, one above the other, appearing at the beginning of a staff or the start of a piece, indicating the meter of the piece.
	Score	Notation showing all the parts of a musical ensemble, with a separate staff for each part, and with simultaneously sounded notes aligned vertically; used by the conductor.
	Melody	Series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole.
	Step	Interval between two adjacent tones in the scale.
	Leap	Interval larger than that between two adjacent tones in the scale.
	Legato	Smooth, connected manner of performing a melody.
	Staccato	Short, detached manner of performing a melody.
	Phrase	Part of a melody.
	Cadence	(1) Resting place at the end of a phrase in a melody. (2) Progression giving a sense of conclusion, often from the dominant chord to the tonic chord.
	Incomplete cadence	Inconclusive resting point at the end of a phrase, which sets up expectations for the following phrase.
	Complete cadence	Definite resting place, giving a sense of finality, at the end of a phrase in a melody.
	Climax	Highest tone or emotional focal point in a melody or a larger musical composition.
	Sequence	In a melody, the immediate repetition of a melodic pattern on a higher or lower pitch.
	Theme	Melody that serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music.
	Harmony	How chords are constructed and how they follow each other.
	Chord	Combination of three or more tones sounded at once.
	Progression	Series of chords.
	Consonance	Tone combination that is stable and restful.
	Dissonance	Tone combination that is unstable and tense.
	Resolution	Progression from a dissonance to a consonance.
	Triad	Most basic of chords, consisting of three alternate tones of the scale, such as do, mi, sol.
	Tonic chord	Triad built on the first, or tonic, note of the scale, serving as the main chord of a piece and usually beginning and ending it.
	Dominant chord	Triad built on the fifth note of the scale, which sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord.
	Cadence	(1) Resting place at the end of a phrase in a melody. (2) Progression giving a sense of conclusion, often from the dominant chord to the tonic chord.
	Broken chord (arpeggio)	Sounding of the individual tones of a chord in sequence rather than simultaneously.
	Keynote (tonic)	Central tone of a melody or larger piece of music. When a piece is in the key of C major, for example, C is the keynote.
	Key (tonality)	Central note, scale, and chord within a piece, in relationship to which all other tones in the composition are heard.
	Scale	Series of pitches arranged in order from low to high or high to low.
	Major scale	Series of seven different tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, consisting of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the whole step between the second and third tones is characteristic.
	Half step	Smallest interval traditionally used in western music; for example, the interval between ti and do.
	Whole step	Interval twice as large as the half step; for example, the interval between do and re.
	Minor scale	Series of seven tones within an octave, with an eighth tone repeating the first tone an octave higher, composed of a specific pattern of whole and half steps; the half step between the second and third tones is characteristic.
	Major key	Music based on a major scale.
	Minor key	Music based on a minor scale.
	Key signature	Sharp or flat signs immediately following the clef sign at the beginning of a piece of music, indicating the key in which the music is to be played.
	Chromatic scale	Scale including all twelve tones of the octave; each tone is a half step away from the next one.
	Modulation	Shift from one key to another within the same piece.
	Tonic key (home key)	Central key of a piece of music, usually both beginning and ending the piece, regardless of how many other keys are included.
	Musical texture	Number of layers of sound that are heard at once, what kinds of layers they are, and how they are related to each other.
	Monophonic texture	Single melodic line without accompaniment.
	Unison	Performance of a single melodic line by more than one instrument or voice at the same pitch or in different octaves.
	Polyphonic texture	Performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest at the same time.
	Counterpoint	Technique of combining two or more melodic lines into a meaningful whole.
	Imitation	Presentation of a melodic idea by one voice or instrument that is immediately followed by its restatement by another voice or instrument, as in a round.
	Homophonic texture	Term describing music in which one main melody is accompanied by chords.
	Form	Organization of musical ideas in time.
	Repetition	Reiteration of a motive, phrase, or section, often used to create a sense of unity.
	Contrast	Striking differences of pitch, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo that provide variety and change of mood.
	Variation	Changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others.
	Three-part form (A B A)	Form that can be represented as statement (A); contrast (B); return of statement (A).
	Two-part form (A B)	Form that can be represented as statement (A) and counterstatement (B).
	Style	Characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone, color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form in music.
	Elements: Featured Composers	See next Flashcard set
	Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971)	The Firebird, Scene 2 (1910) In the second—and final—scene of the ballet The Firebird, Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971) repeats one melody over and over, creating variety and contrast through changes of dynamics, tone color, and rhythm. During this scene, the hero triumphs and becomes engaged to a beautiful princess. The second scene begins softly but becomes increasingly grand as the music gradually grows louder (crescendo), more instruments play, and the melody is repeated at higher pitches. After this slow buildup to a climax, there’s a sudden quiet as all the instruments but the strings stop playing. A quick crescendo then leads to a brilliant concluding section.
	Duke Ellington (1899-1974)	C-Jam Blues (1942) A succession of different tone colors contributes to the variety within C-Jam Blues (1942), as performed by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra. A repeated-note melody is played first by the piano and then by saxophones. Then we hear solos by the violin, cornet, tenor saxophone, trombone, and clarinet. These solos are improvised by the players. Improvisation is the term used for music created at the same time as it is performed. Each instrument is first heard alone and then heard with accompaniment. The cornet and trombones are played with mutes, devices inserted into the instrument to alter its sound. C-Jam Blues ends climactically when the full band is heard for the first time.
	Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)	an English composer, wrote the attractive Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra in 1946 as an introduction to the instruments of the orchestra.
	Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)	Prelude in E Minor for Piano, Op. 28, No. 4 (1839) Chopin’s harmony makes a vital contribution to the brooding quality of this miniature lasting around 2 minutes.
	Georges Bizet (1838-1875)	Farandole from L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2 (1879) The Farandole comes from music by Georges Bizet for the play L’Arlésienne (The Woman of Arles), set in southern France.
	Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)	Dance of the Reed Pipes from Nutcracker Suite (1892) Three-part (ternary) form: A B A Dance of the Reed Pipes is a particularly clear example of A B A′ form.
	Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)	Bourrée from Suite in E Minor for Lute (probably around 1710) This lighthearted bourrée—a type of dance-inspired piece in duple meter—comes from the Suite in E minor for lute. The lute is a plucked string instrument popular during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

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