Music Theory 4

Front 1

New Approaches to Traditional Techniques

Back 1

Techniques based on earlier practices have been extended
or altered to create new devices, such as the construction of chords of intervals other than 3rds, scale
patterns other than major or minor, new configurations of rhythmic groups.

Front 2

Original Systems

Back 2

Music based on newly created systems of composition by the composer such as the
Tone row (“twelve-tone”) method.

Front 3

New Sound Sources

Back 3

Music based on the requirement of the use of sound sources never utilized before
such as the synthesizer or the computer.

Front 4

New Performance Practices

Back 4

Music based on improvisation and aleatoric devices. However, certain
performance techniques are indicated in the score, more so than in past eras, which places a greater
portion of the responsibility of the actual performance on the composer.

Front 5

Primitivism

Back 5

emphasis on the “earthy” aspects of music with rhythm being the primary structural
element. The music tends to be simplistic within a narrow pitch range with parallel movement, but can
have thick chords to produce sharp percussive effects.

Front 6

Neoclassicism

Back 6

music which exemplifies a return to classical values such as symmetry and balance
while upholding contemporary tonal material.

Front 7

Pandiatonicism

Back 7

the absence of functional harmony from a “common practice” point of view with
minimal chromatic alterations.

Front 8

Polytonality

Back 8

the simultaneous sounding of two or more tonalities (often called “bitonality” if only
two are concurrent.)

Front 9

Dual Modality

Back 9

the simultaneous sounding of contrasting modes, including “Church Modes.”

Front 10

Shifted Tonality

Back 10

sudden tonality change without modulation according to common practice
standards.

Front 11

Free Tonality

Back 11

the achievement of a tonal center apart from the functional standards of common
practice.

Front 12

Polychords

Back 12

two or more traditional chords sounding together simultaneously with appropriate
spacing making each chord recognizable.

Front 13

Quartal Chords

Back 13

chords constructed of fourths (previously introduced in Impressionism) are
common in the contemporary period.

Front 14

Clusters

Back 14

a chord containing three or more notes and all of them are no more than a whole step apart.

Front 15

Changing Meter

Back 15

from measure to measure was utilized in order to indicate shifting rhythm
patterns and to better indicate accented beats. Changing meters were especially utilized with the
occurrence of additive rhythm, when even the unit value changes.

Front 16

Asymmetric Meters

Back 16

are where groups of meters within a measure cannot be divisible by two or
three, (based on the Common Practice standard).

Front 17

Nonaccentual Rhythms

Back 17

generally are rhythms not defined by the presence of time signatures or
dynamic accents, but primarily by agogic accents (accents by virtue of duration).

Front 18

Set Theory

Back 18

the analysis is based on a collection of pitch classes.

Front 19

Pitch class

Back 19

a particular pitch in any octave

Front 20

Set

Back 20

an ordered group of pitch classes. A set can contain any number of pitch classes from two
through twelve.

Front 21

Set Type

Back 21

is categorized according to the number of pitches contained within (trichord – 3 notes,
Tetrachord – 4 notes, etc.) and are classified according to the interval distance from the first pitch
(lowest) of the set to each successive pitch class and are expressed by the number of half steps in the
interval.

Front 22

Normal Order

Back 22

the pitches of a set organized in ascending order.

Front 23

Inversion

Back 23

the original direction of the intervals is turned upside down.

Front 24

Serialism

Back 24

extension of the 12-tone technique to rhythm (rhythmic series) and to
dynamics (dynamic series). It can also include articulations and tone color.

Front 25

Indeterminacy

Back 25

also known as aleatoric. Certain aspects of a composition and/or the
performance are beyond the composer’s control with certain guidelines
specified by him/her. Still, some musical decisions are unpredictable or left
to chance.

Front 26

Improvisation

Back 26

extemporaneous, spontaneous, or impromptu realization of any or every
aspect of composition.

Front 27

Musique concrete

Back 27

sounds recorded from the environment and then modified by means
created by the recording industry such as splicing; reversing the tape;
varying the playing speed; editing, looping the tape; and finally by tape
delay.

Front 28

Sound Mass

Back 28

indicates a texture so dense and complex that the musical effect is
dependent on the whole and not the focus on any characteristics of the
individual parts. Individual parts would not be distinguished when listening
to the whole.

Front 29

Extended Techniques

Back 29

the development of techniques with traditional instruments
beyond what was excepted in “Common Practice” as well as the use of
unusual combinations of instruments in ensemble work. This also included
unusual vocal techniques as well as the use of new instruments, “noninstruments,
and additional apparatus such as amplifiers.

Front 30

Minimalism

Back 30

the incremental development of a limited body of motivic material
frequently with a great deal of literal repetition. The motivic material can be
just about anything, but most often is simple, tonal or modal, and primarily
diatonic.