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167 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
Choreology |
The study of dance steps. |
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Couple Dance |
Dance in which two people perform face-to-face within an intimate space, especially common in dances of Western European origin. |
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Line Dance |
Dance performed by multiple dancers side by side or in a horizontal sequence, particularly popular in the Middle East. |
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pas de deux |
Extended duet in Western ballet between the leading female and leading male dancer. |
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mime |
Movement form that imitates characters or actions through exaggerated silent gestures. |
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capoeira |
Afro-Brazilian performance style that combines elements of martial art, dance, and musical accompaniment; the name of practitioners of this martial art/dance. |
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martial art |
Form of patterned movement such as boxing, fencing, judo, or karate, that embeds values of a particular culture. |
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berimbau |
Musical bow used to accompany capoeira. |
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berimbau gunga |
Lowest and loudest berimbau. |
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berimbau medio |
Middle-range berimbau. |
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berimbau viola |
Highest-range berimbau. |
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roda |
Capoeira ring where stylized physical motions are performed by two competing performers. |
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atabaque |
Tall, cylindrical drum used to accompany capoeira. |
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pandeiro |
Brazilian frame drum used to accompany capoeira. |
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agogo |
Idiophone of West African origin with two cowbells welded together, used to accompany capoeira. |
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reco-reco |
Brazilian scraper in capoeira made of notched wood or bamboo. |
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ginga |
The “sway,” a basic side-to-side motion in a wide-legged stance in capoeira. |
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caxixi |
Small wicker rattle filled with seeds shaken by berimbau player. |
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batuques |
Colonial-era Afro-Brazilian song and dance gatherings. |
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mestres |
Master of capoeira. |
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angoleiro |
Practitioner of Angola-style capoeira. |
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ladainha |
First section of the capoeira ritual, which contains historical and philosophical content. |
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chula |
The second responsorial section of the capoeira ritual, with salutations and greetings. |
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corrido |
A type of ballad, usually strophic, that commemorates important events and memorable individuals in Mexican and Mexican American history; a responsorial vocal section that signals that the capoeira game can begin. |
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toque |
The rhythmic patterns played by the batá drum in Santería ceremonies and by the berimbau in capoeira. |
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bhangra |
A tightly choreographed men’s group dance, originally from the Punjab region of North India and Pakistan, with pronounced leg and shoulder movements and occasional waving of arms high overhead; bhangra is a popular competitive dance in the Asian diaspora. |
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giddha |
A dance performed by Punjabi women that is equivalent to the male bhangra. |
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dhol |
A double-headed South Asian membranophone associated with bhangra. |
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dhamma |
Left, lower-pitched head of the dohl drum in bhangra. |
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purha |
Right, higher-pitched head of the dohl drum in bhangra. |
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jhummar |
Traditional rhythm of the dohl drum as well as a common motion in bhangra with both arms and left leg lifted. |
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bugdu |
Single-pitched string instrument used in bhangra. |
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algoza |
Double-flute used in bhangra. |
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chimta |
Metal idiophone with discs attached used to accompany bhangra. |
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bharata natyam |
South Indian temple dance. |
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Arangetram |
Formal recital performed by a bharata natyam dancer after years of study. |
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dholaki |
Smaller dohl, often played with the large dohl to accompany bhangra. |
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bolis |
Short solo phrases traditionally sung at the beginning of Punjabi songs. |
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mela |
Festival with South Asian roots often held in the South Asian diaspora. |
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tango |
An Argentinean-derived style of song and dance. |
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bandoneon |
A button accordion associated with the tango. |
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accordion |
A free aerophone with reeds that are hidden within two rectangular headboards connected by a folding bellows, with keys or buttons to play a melody and chords. |
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compradito |
Urban Argentinean cowboy and underworld figure whose posture and dress influenced the male tango dancer. |
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bellows shaking |
An accordion technique that results in an intensified tremolo or vibrato. |
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habanera rhythm |
Long-short Cuban rhythm prominently used in the tango. |
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step (or figure) |
Standard movement pattern in dance. |
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orquesta tipica |
Instrumental ensemble with one or more bandoneón, string instruments, and piano that played tango to accompany dance. |
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gaucho |
The Argentinean word for cowboy. |
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tango-romanza |
Early form of the tango, with two contrasting sections, both set in quadruple meter with long-short rhythms. |
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tango song |
Sung tango, with a more irregular tempo for dramatic purposes. |
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countermelody |
A melody that contrasts with a main melody, or tune, played at the same time. |
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organitos |
Spanish for organ grinder. |
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sonata form |
A Western classical form that generally consists of an exposition, in which one group of themes is presented in a “home” key and a second in a “foreign” key; a development section, in which the themes are elaborated on; and a recapitulation (restatement), in which both groups return, in the home key. |
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development |
(1) The process of elaborating or varying a theme. (2) The middle, contrasting section of Western sonata form. |
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restatement |
Repetition of a melody or section of music. |
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milonga |
Argentinean gathering featuring tango music and dance. |
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syncopation |
A rhythmic effect that provides an unexpected accent, often by temporarily unsettling the meter through a change in the established pattern of stressed and unstressed beats. |
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ritardando |
Dramatically slowing down music’s tempo. |
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coda |
Term for a concluding section added to a composition in Western classical music. |
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ritual |
An established set of rites, or the observance of such a set of rites. |
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bar mitzvah |
The religious ceremony that marks the formal passage of Jewish boys to adulthood at age thirteen. |
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Torah scroll |
Handwritten copy of Five Books of Moses used in Jewish rituals. |
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communitas |
Feelings of social union and togetherness generated by rituals. |
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Mass |
Central complex of prayers and ceremonies in Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christian worship. |
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sadhana |
A Tibetan Buddhist ritual meditation text. |
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mantra |
Ritual phrase or formula in Buddhism. |
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dbyang |
A type of biphonic Tibetan chant characterized by sustained notes in a low register and audible harmonics. |
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dbyangs-yig |
A song book of Tibetan dbyang; literally, “written account of the song.” |
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rol mo |
Instrumental ensemble accompanying Buddhist chant; the cymbals (concussion idiophones) in Tibetan Buddhist religious practice. |
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biphonic singing |
A singing technique of Inner Asian origin in which two tones, the fundamental and an overtone, are made audible simultaneously by a single singer; also known as harmonic singing. |
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Tantra voice |
Biphonic singing style used in Tibetan Buddhist rituals, associated with Tantric belief and philosophy. |
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mdzo voice |
Colloquial term for biphonic vocal style in Tibetan Buddhist chant. |
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Mahalaka ritual |
Ceremony in honor of Tibetan Buddhist deity Mahalaka. |
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mandala |
Circular symbol in Buddhism representing the universe. |
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brdung |
Beat in Tibetan Buddhist musical practice. |
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Santeria |
An Afro-Cuban religious and musical practice. |
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cabildos |
Mutual aid societies established by slaves in Cuba that also transmitted Yoruba-derived rituals. |
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orishas |
Saint, in the Santería tradition. |
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santero |
Initiated priest of the orishas in Santería. |
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bata drums |
Double-headed membranophones usually played in sets of three (the iyá, the itótole, and the okónkolo) in Santería ceremonies. |
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iya |
The largest and deepest of the double-headed membranophones in the batá ensemble. |
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itotele |
The middle-sized double-headed membranophone in the batá ensemble. |
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okonkolo |
The smallest of the double-headed membranophones in the batá ensemble. |
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toque |
The rhythmic patterns played by the batá drum in Santería ceremonies and by the berimbau in capoeira. |
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viro |
A “turn,” referring to a change in toque during Santería performance. |
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Ethiopian Christian chant |
The music of the Ethiopian Christian liturgy. See also chant (zema). |
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Hymnary |
Chant book containing repertory performed in Ethiopian Christian rituals as well as the performance of these chants. |
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Mahlet |
Performance of the Hymnary on annual Ethiopian Christian holidays accompanied by instruments and dance. |
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kebaro |
Ethiopian double-headed conical membranophone. |
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zema |
Ethiopian Christian chant; the music of the Ethiopian Christian liturgy. |
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dewel |
Resonant stone slabs struck to call Ethiopian Christians to prayer. |
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melekket |
The notational signs in Ethiopian Christian chant, derived from Ge‘ez language characters, each representing a short melody; can refer to one sign or to the entire system. |
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debtara |
Ethiopian church musicians who are also scribes and healers. |
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marigeta |
Head of the musicians (debtara) in the Ethiopian Christian church. |
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angergari |
A group of celebratory Ethiopian Christian chants. |
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qum zema |
Ethiopian term for monophonic chant or plainchant. |
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rekrek |
The vocal slides characteristic of the Ge‘ez mode in Ethiopian Christian chant. |
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falsetto |
The process of singing by men in a high register above the normal male singing range. |
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melisma |
Vocal embellishment with three or more pitches performed on one textual syllable. |
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cadence |
A melodic or harmonic figure, typically at the end of a phrase or piece, that creates a sense of repose or resolution. |
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antiphonal style |
A performance practice that features alternation between two or more groups of singers or players. |
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Sunday School Songs |
A repertory of Ethiopian Christian hymns first composed in the 1960s with texts in the vernacular language, Amharic, instead of in Ge‘ez. |
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Muzak |
Customized, recorded music used to provide sonic background and set mood in public spaces. |
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Barbershop quartet |
A cappella ensemble of four men singing in close harmony. |
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identity |
Defining characteristics by which a person is recognized by him- or herself and by others. |
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ethnic group |
People within a larger society who have common ancestry, memories of a shared historical past, and elements in common such as kinship, religious affiliation, and/or language. |
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invented traditions |
Traditions constructed without reference to actual historical realities. |
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consort |
Group of like instruments, such as strings and winds, in different sizes and ranges. |
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orchestra |
A large Western instrumental ensemble. See Western orchestra. |
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string quartet |
Ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola, and a cello. |
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Cultural Revolution |
Decade (1966–76) of social and political upheaval initiated by Mao Zedong in China. |
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new wave composers |
Chinese composers who emerged after the Cultural Revolution. |
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Gloria |
Section of the Catholic Mass that offers praise to God. |
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drone |
A steady single tone or a pipe on a bagpipe that produces one. |
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biphonic singing |
A singing technique of Inner Asian origin in which two tones, the fundamental and an overtone, are made audible simultaneously by a single singer; also known as harmonic singing. |
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shadow |
Lei Liang’s term for a secondary melodic line in his compositions. |
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one-note polyphony |
Technique used by composer Lei Liang in which the same pitch is sounded in different instruments with different timbres. |
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guqin |
Seven-string Chinese zither. |
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breathing |
Lei Liang’s term relating the flow of melody to the human breath. |
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long song |
Mongolian song and its vocal style with a dramatically wide range. |
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living entity |
Lei Liang’s concept of sound transformation. |
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wenren |
Traditional Chinese philosopher-artist. |
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transcultural music |
Music that crosses cultural boundaries and is shared by different peoples. |
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jinghu |
Two-string Chinese fiddle. |
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Peking opera |
Chinese opera genre that includes music, dance, drama, and acrobatics. |
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Mahayana Buddhism |
Major school of Buddhism in East Asia. |
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calligraphy |
Literally, “beautiful writing.” |
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heterophonic texture |
A musical texture in which two or more parts sound almost the same melody at almost the same time; often with the parts ornamented differently. |
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inversion |
Intervals that move in the opposite direction of the original melody. |
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retrograde |
Melody presented backward, from the end to the beginning. |
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glissando |
A musical gesture that entails sliding from one pitch to another. |
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pizzicato |
Plucking a string that is usually bowed. |
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col legno |
Striking a string with the wood of the bow. |
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karaoke |
Literally, “empty orchestra”; live singing, usually into a microphone, with a recorded accompaniment, performed in restaurants, clubs, or private homes. |
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kata |
A Japanese aesthetic principle; literally, “patterned form.” |
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kabuki theater |
Japanese music drama. |
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debayashi |
Onstage ensemble in kabuki theater. |
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geza |
Offstage ensemble in kabuki theater. |
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kata shigiri |
Well-known kabuki musical pattern marking beginning and end of a section. |
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noh flute |
Flute used in noh drama and kabuki theater. |
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kakegoe |
Drum calls in kabuki theater. |
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enka |
A genre of popular song with melodramatic themes of love, used in Japanese karaoke. |
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hayashi |
Accompanying ensemble in kabuki theater. |
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kobushi |
Melodic ornaments in enka music. |
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no rae pang |
(1) Literally, “song room”; a Korean style of karaoke performed with a small group of friends in a private rented room. (2) The room where the karaoke takes place. |
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Cajun/Creole |
A corruption of the term “Acadian,” a French-speaking people in Louisiana; their style of music; their cultural life. |
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bayou |
French-derived word for a swampy stream. |
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ethnic recordings |
78-rpm discs issued from approximately 1900 to 1950, targeted for a particular subgroup united by a shared national, linguistic, racial, or religious background. |
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fiddle |
(1) A name used for the violin in the context of a wide range of Euro-American folk and vernacular musics. (2) Any bowed instrument of the lute family. |
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Cajun |
A corruption of the term “Acadian,” a French-speaking people in Louisiana; their style of music; their cultural life. |
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fais-dodo |
A Cajun term meaning dance music; the dance halls where such music is performed. |
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Cajun jitterbug |
Cajun dance with knee and ankle bends on beats 2 and 4. |
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Cajun two-step |
Cajun dance with sinking movement on beats 1 and 3. |
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double bounce |
Distinctive Cajun sinking dance movement on beats 1 and 3. |
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rhythm section |
Instruments that keep the beat within a jazz ensemble. |
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antecedent-consequent |
First half of the phrase is completed by the second half; often compared to a question and an answer. |
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Creole |
People of color with mixed heritage in the West Indies and Southern United States. |
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code noir |
(“black code”) An eighteenth-century social system with a free black class. |
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zydeco |
Dance music that emerged in the 1950s among the Creoles of the Gulf Coast. The name zydeco is said to derive from a French expression, les haricots(literally, “the beans”), alluding to a metaphor popular among Creole peoples of color that “the beans are not salty,” that is, they are not flavored by expensive salted meat. |
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gumbo |
Spicy Creole stew. |
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frottoir |
Idiophone (rub board) used in zydeco. |
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bals de maison |
Creole and Cajun dancehouses. |
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patois |
dialect |
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fill |
Drum pattern that fills in a gap. |
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call-and-response |
A performance practice in which a leader makes a musical statement and another performer (or group of performers) responds with a musical answer. |
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pick-up |
In jazz, a melody that starts on a weak (unaccented) beat. |
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swing rhythm |
Beat subdivided into long-short rhythms. |