Music Exam 2 Vocabulary

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aerophone

Back 1

Any instrument- such as a flue or trumpet- whose sound is generated by a vibrating column of air

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Aria

Back 2

Song or solo voice with orchestral accompaniment, usually expressing an emotional state through its outpouring of melody; found in operas, oratorios, and cantatas

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aria

Back 3

song for solo voice with orcehstral accompaniement, usually expressing an emotional state through its outpouring of melody; found in operas, oratorios, and cantatas

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aerophone

Back 4

Any instrument- such as a flue or trumpet- whose sounds is generated by a vibrating column of air

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bandoneon

Back 5

square accordion used in tango bands, operated entirely with buttons

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cadence

Back 6

(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

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cadenza

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Unaccompanied section of viruso display for the soloist in a concerto, usually appearing near the end of the first movement and sometimes in the last movement

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chamber music

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Music using a small group of musicians, with one player to a part

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chordophone

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Instrument- such as a harp or lute- whose sounds is generated by a stretched string

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concerto

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Extended composition for instrumental soloist and orchestra, usually in three movements: (1) fast (2) slow (3) fast

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Gregorian Chant

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Melodies set to sacred Latin texts, sung without accompaniment; Gregorian chant was the official music of the Roman Catholic church

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ground bass

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variation form in which a musical idea in the bass is repeated over and over while the melodies above it constantly change; common in baroque music

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idiophone

Back 13

Instrument- such as bells, a gong, a scraper, a rattle, or a xylophone- whose sound is generated by the instrument's own material

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libretto

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text of an opera

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lute

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plucked string instrument shaped like half a pear; used in Renaissance and baroque music

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madigral

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Composition for several voices set to a short secular poem, usually about love, combining homophonic and polyphonic textures and often using word painting; common in Renaissance music

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mass

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sacred choral composition made up of five sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei

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membranophone

Back 18

Instrument- basically, a drum- whose sound is generated by stretched skin or another membrane

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minuet and trio

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compositional form- derivved from a dance- in three parts: minuet (a), trio (b), minuet (a). Often used as the third movement of classical symphonies, string quartets, and other works, it is in triple meter and usually in a moderate tempo

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motet

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polyphonic choral work set to a sacred latin text other than that of the mass; one of the two main forms of sacred renaissance music

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opera

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drama that is sung to orchestral accompaniment, usually a large-scale composition involving vocal soloists, chorus, orchestra, costumes, and scenery

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ostinato

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motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch, used in twentieth-century music to stabilize a group of pitches

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organum

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medieval polyphony that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines

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pentatonic scale

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scale made up of five different tones, used in folk music and music of the far east

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raga

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pattern of notes serving as a melodic framework for the creation of an improvisation, characteristic of Indian Classical music

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recitative

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vocal line in an opera, oratorio, or cantata that imitates the rhythms and pitch fluctuations of speech, often serving to lead into an aria

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rondo

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compositional form featuring a main theme (a) which returns several times in alternation with other themes, such as A B A C A and A B A C A B A. Rondo is often the form of the last movement in classical symphonies, string quartets, and sonatas

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sitar

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most popular chordophone of north India. It is a long-necked lute with nineteen to twenty-three movable frets. Seven strings are plucked and nine to thirteen strings vibrate sympathetically

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scherzo

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compositional form in three parts (A,B,A) sometimes used as the third movement in classical and romantic symphonies, string quartets, and other works. A scherzo is usually in triple meter, with a faster tempo than a minuet.

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Sonata

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In baroque music, an instrumental composition in several movements for one to eight players. In music after the baroque period, an instrumental composition usually in several movements for one or two players

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sonata form

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form of a single movement, consisting of three main sections: the exposition, where the themes are presented; the development, where themes are treated in new ways; and the recapitulation, where the themes return. A concluding section, the coda, often follows the recapitulation.

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string quartet

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composition for two violins, a viola, and a cello; usually consisting of four movements

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symphony

Back 33

orchestral composition, usually in four movements, typically lasting between 20 and 45 minutes, exploiting the expanded range of tone color and dynamics of the orchestra

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tabla

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pair of single-headed drums in which the right-hand drum is generally tuned to the tonic note and the left-hand drum functions as a bass drum; the most important percussion instrument in north Indian music

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tala

Back 35

repeated cycle of beats organizing the rhythm in Indian classical music

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theme and variations

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form in which a basic musical idea (the theme) is repeated over and over and is changed each time in melody, rhythm, harmony, dynamics, or tone color. Used either as an independent piece or as one movement of a larger work

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word painting

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musical representation of specific poetic images- for example, a falling melodic line to accompany the word descending- often found in Renaissance and baroque music

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bunraku

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is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684

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canzona

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a 16th-century multipart vocal setting of a literary canzone and a 16th- and 17th-century instrumental composition

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consort

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"instrument ensemble"

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courtly love

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medieval European conception of nobly and chivalrously expressing love and admiration

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tonic

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the first note of a musical scale in the tonal method of musical composition. The triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord. More generally, the tonic is the pitch upon which all other pitches of a piece are hierarchically referenced.

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dominant

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the fifth degree (pitch) of a musical scale. The dominant (diatonic function) has the role of creating instability that requires the tonic or goal-tone for release.

For example, in the C major scale (white keys on a piano, starting with C), the dominant is the note G; and the dominant chord uses the notes G, B, and D.

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ethnomusicology

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the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts

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gaguku

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"elegant music" music of the imperial court of japan, associated with the Emperor and important Buddhist and Shinto shrines, imported into Japan from China & Korea

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gamelan

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the classical music of Indonesia, performed by the gamelan- court orchestra

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kabuki

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the highly stylized classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.

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koto

Back 48

a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument derived from the Chinese guzheng. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about 180 centimetres (71 in) width, and made from kiri wood. They have 13 strings that are strung over 13 movable bridges along the width of the instrument. Players can adjust the string pitches by moving these bridges before playing, and use three finger picks (on thumb, index finger, and middle finger) to pluck the strings.

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liturgical music

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originated as a part of religious ceremony, and includes a number of traditions, both ancient and modern. Liturgical music is well known as a part of Catholic Mass

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Magnus Liber Organi

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a compilation of the medieval music known as organum. Represents the evolution to Western Music.

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maqam

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a modal structure that characterizes the art of music of countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.

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mbira

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a musical instrument consisting of a wooden board to which staggered metal keys have been attached.

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melismatic

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the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession.

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modes

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concept involving scale and melody type. Also referred to as a interval

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noh

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a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century

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Oridinary of the Mass

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These texts are traditionally sung to a number of Gregorian melodies in Catholic Church

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plainchant

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a body of traditional songs used in the liturgies of the Roman Catholic Church

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polyphony

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texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice

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sacred music

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music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence

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secular music

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non-sacred music that developed in the Medieval period and was used in the renaissance

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shakuhachi

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a Japanese end-blown flute

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shamisen

Back 62

a three-stringed Japanese musical instrument played with a plectrum called a bachi

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sho

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a Japanese free reed musical instrument that was introduced from China during the Nara period.

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troubadour

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composer and performer of Occitan lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages

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trouvere

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refers to poet-composers who were roughly contemporary with and influenced by the troubadours but who composed their works in the northern dialects of France.