Music Midterm

Front 1

sound

Back 1

vibrations transmitted to the eardrum, sending impulses to the brain

Front 2

pitch

Back 2

the relative highness of lowness that we hear in a sound

Front 3

tone

Back 3

a sound that has a definite pitch

Front 4

interval

Back 4

the “distance” between any two tones

Front 5

octave

Back 5

when tones are separated by the interval

Front 6

pitch range

Back 6

the distance between the lowest and highest tones that a voice or instrument can produce

Front 7

dynamics

Back 7

Degrees of loudness or softness in music

Front 8

accent

Back 8

emphasizing a tone by playing it more loudly that the tones around it

Front 9

tone color/timbre

Back 9

the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument from another

Front 10

instrument

Back 10

any mechanism that produces musical sounds

Front 11

bow

Back 11

a slightly curved stick strung tightly with horsehair. All string instruments need a bow to vibrate

Front 12

pizzicato

Back 12

to pluck the strings (makes a staccato sound)

Front 13

double stop

Back 13

by drawing the bow across two strings, a string player can sound two notes at once

Front 14

vibrato

Back 14

The string player can produce a throbbing, expressive tone by rocking the left hand while pressing the string down. This causes small pitch fluctuations that make the tone warmer

Front 15

mute

Back 15

any device that alters or muffles sound (it also creates sound effects)

Front 16

tremolo

Back 16

the musician rapidly repeats tones by quick up and down strokes of the bow. This can create a sense of tension, when loud, or a shimmering sound, when soft

Front 17

harmonics

Back 17

Very high-pitched tones that are produced when the musician lightly touches certain points on the string

Front 18

string quartet

Back 18

2 violins, 1 viola and 1 cello

Front 19

reed

Back 19

a very thin piece of cane, about 2 ½ inches long, that is set into vibration by a stream of air

Front 20

rhythm

Back 20

the flow of music through time

Front 21

beat

Back 21

a regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time

Front 22

meter

Back 22

the organization of beats into regular groups

Front 23

downbeat

Back 23

the first or stressed beat of the measure

Front 24

upbeat

Back 24

an unaccented pulse preceding the downbeat

Front 25

accent

Back 25

a note that is emphasized most obviously by being played louder than the notes around it

Front 26

syncopation

Back 26

when an accented note comes where we normally would not expect one

Front 27

tempo

Back 27

the speed of the beat

Front 28

largo

Back 28

very slow, broad

Front 29

grave

Back 29

very slow, solemn

Front 30

adagio

Back 30

slow

Front 31

andante

Back 31

moderately slow, a walking pace

Front 32

moderato

Back 32

moderate

Front 33

allegretto

Back 33

moderately fast

Front 34

allegro

Back 34

fast

Front 35

vivace

Back 35

lively

Front 36

presto

Back 36

very fast

Front 37

prestissimo

Back 37

as fast as possible

Front 38

accelerando

Back 38

a gradual quickening of tempo

Front 39

ritardano

Back 39

a gradual slowing down of tempo

Front 40

metronome

Back 40

an apparatus that produces ticking sounds or flashes of light at any desired musical speed

Front 41

notation

Back 41

a system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be communicated

Front 42

ledger lines

Back 42

lines used when the pitch falls above or below the range

Front 43

staff

Back 43

a set of five horizontal lines

Front 44

clef

Back 44

placed at the beginning of the staff to show the pitch of each line and space

Front 45

middle C

Back 45

the C nearest to the middle of the keyboard

Front 46

score

Back 46

shows the music for each instrument or vocal category in a performing group

Front 47

time signature

Back 47

shows the meter of a piece

Front 48

semitone

Back 48

closest possible distance from one key to another on the keyboard (half step)

Front 49

melody

Back 49

a series of single tones that add up to a recognizable whole

Front 50

step

Back 50

small intervals

Front 51

leap

Back 51

larger intervals

Front 52

legato

Back 52

tones that are played or sung in a smooth, connected style

Front 53

staccato

Back 53

tones that are played in a short, detached manner (Has a dot above/below the note)

Front 54

phrase

Back 54

melodies that are made up of shorter parts

Front 55

cadence

Back 55

a resting place at the end of a phrase

Front 56

incomplete cadence

Back 56

a phrase that ends and sets up expectations (usually the first phrase)

Front 57

complete cadence

Back 57

a phrase that gives an answer, sense of finality (follows the first phrase)

Front 58

climax

Back 58

the highest tone of a melody, called the emotional focal point

Front 59

sequence

Back 59

a repetition of a melodic pattern on a higher or lower pitch

Front 60

theme

Back 60

a melody that will serve as the starting point for a more extended piece of music and it will go through all kinds of changes

Front 61

harmony

Back 61

refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other

Front 62

chord

Back 62

a combination of three or more tones sounded at once

Front 63

progression

Back 63

a specific series of chords

Front 64

consonance

Back 64

a tone combination that is stable

Front 65

dissonance

Back 65

a tone combination that is unstable

Front 66

resolution

Back 66

when a dissonance moves to a consonance

Front 67

triad

Back 67

the simplest, most basic chord which consists of three tones

Front 68

tonic chord

Back 68

the main chord of a piece that is the most stable and conclusive

Front 69

dominant chord

Back 69

the triad built on the fifth note of the scale

Front 70

cadence

Back 70

a progression from dominant chord to tonic chord

Front 71

broken chord/arpeggio

Back 71

when the individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another

Front 72

monophonic texture

Back 72

the texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment

Front 73

polyphonic texture

Back 73

simultaneous performance of two or more melodic lines of relatively equal interest produces this texture

Front 74

homophonic texture

Back 74

one main melody accompanied by chords

Front 75

unison

Back 75

- performance of a single melodic line at the same pitch by more than one instrument or voice is playing or singing

Front 76

counterpoint

Back 76

the technique of combing several melodic lines into a meaningful whole

Front 77

imitation

Back 77

occurs when a melodic idea is presented by one voice or instrument and is then restated immediately by another voice or instrument

Front 78

form

Back 78

the organization of musical elements in time

Front 79

repetition

Back 79

reiteration of a phrase, section or entire movement, often used to create a sense of unity

Front 80

contrast

Back 80

striking differences of pitch, dynamics, rhythm and tempo that provide variety and change of mood

Front 81

variation

Back 81

changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others

Front 82

3 part form (ABA)

Back 82

form that can be represented as statement, contrast, return of statement

Front 83

2 part form (AB)

Back 83

form that can be represented as statement and counterstatement

Front 84

gregorian chant

Back 84

consists of melody set to sacred Latin texts and sung without accompaniment

Front 85

church modes

Back 85

consist of seven different tones and an eighth tone that duplicates the first an octave higher

Front 86

drone

Back 86

consists of one or more long, sustained notes accompanying a melody

Front 87

organum

Back 87

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

Front 88

cantus firmus

Back 88

a chant that is used as the basis for polyphony

Front 89

ballata

Back 89

an Italian poetic and musical form that originated as a dance-song

Front 90

motet

Back 90

a polyphonic choral work set to a scared Latin text other than the ordinary of the mass

Front 91

mass

Back 91

a polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus dei

Front 92

word/text painting

Back 92

the music reflects the words being sung

Front 93

acappella

Back 93

unaccompanied choral music

Front 94

madrigal

Back 94

a piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love. It combines homophonic and polyphonic textures

Front 95

ballett (fa-la)

Back 95

a dancelike song for several voices

Front 96

lute

Back 96

a versatile plucked string instrument with a body shaped like half a pear