Frequency
Pitch, vibrations per second, highness or lowness of a sound
Melody
Sucession of single tones or pitches perceived as unity
Range
distance the lowest and highest tones
Shape
graphic description (waves, arc, rising line)
Conjunct motion
Smooth, connected melody that moves principally by small intervals
Disjunct motion
Disjointed or disconnected melody with many leaps
Phrase
Significant portion of melody
Cadence
Resting place in a musical phrase; music punctuation
Countermelody
A melody that complements the main melody momentarily (it is NOT the main idea nor is it a background accompanying figure)
Beat
Regular pulsation; basic unit of length
Meter
Organization of rhythm in time; grouping of beats into larger, regular patterns
Measure
Rhythmic group or metrical unit that contains a fixed number of beats
Metrical patterns
Patterns of beats
Duple, triple and quadruple meter
Pattern of 2, 3, or 4 beats to a measure
Simple meter
Grouping of rhythms in which the beat is subdivided into two
Compound meter
Meter in which each beat is subdivided into three rather than two
Syncopation
Deliberate upsetting of the meter or pulse through a temporary shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat
Harmony
The simultaneous combination of notes and the ensuring relationships of intervals and cords
Chord
Simultaneous combination of three or more tones that constitute a single block of harmony
Scale
Series of tones in ascending or descending order
Triad
Common chord type consisting of three pitches built on alternate tones of the scale (steps 1-3-5)
Tonic
First note of the scale
Tonality
Principle of organization around a tonic, or home, pitch, based on a major or minor scale
Major scale
Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps. Third degree raised half a step
Minor scale
Scale consisting of seven different tones that comprise a specific pattern of whole and half steps. Third degree lowered half a step
Diatonic
Melody using seven or eight notes
Chromatic
Melody using all of the notes
Dissonance
Combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution
Consonance
Concordant or harmonious combination of tones that provides a sense of relaxation in music
Monophony
Single voiced
Contrapuntal devices
Texture employing counterpoint, or two or more melodic lines
Imitation
Melodic idea presented in one voice and then restated in another, each part continuing as others enter
Canon
Sing the same thing but enter at different points
Round
Perceptual canon at the unison in which each voice enters in sucession with the same melody
Retrograde inversion
Mirror image and backward statement of a melody
Augmentation
Statement of a melody in longer note values, often twice as slow as the original
Diminution
Statement of a melody in shorter note values, often twice as fast as the original
Binary form
Two part form with each section normally repeated
Call and Response
Performance styler with a singing leader who is imitated by a chorus of followers
Responsorial
Singing in which a solist or group of soloists alternates with the choir
Contrast
The new; relief from melodic idea
Repetition
The familiar
Variation
The compositional procedure of altering a pre-existing musical idea
Improvisation
Creation of a musical composition while its being performed
Theme
Melodic idea used as a basic building block in the construction of a composition
Sequence
Restatement of an idea or motive at a different pitch level
Motive
Short melodic or rhythmic idea; the smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-harmonic-rythmic unit
Ostinato
Repetitive idea that supports a melody
Movement
Complete, self-contained part within a larger musical work
Tempo
Rate of speed or pace of music
Dynamics
Element of musical expression relating to the degree of loudness or softness, or volume, of a sound
Timbre
The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another
Soprano
Highest range voice (women or boys)
Alto
Lowest of the female voices
Tenor
Male voice of high range
Bass
Male voice of low range
Woodwind
Wood or metal whose tone is produced by a column of air vibrating within a pipe that has holes
Brass
Wind instrument with a cup-shaped mouthpiece, a tube that flares into a bell, and slides or valves to vary pitch
Percussion
Instrument that is made to sound by striking, shaking, scraping, or plucking
String
Bowed and plucked instruments whose sound is produced by the vibration of one or more strings
Middle Ages
400-1450
Renaissance Period
1450-1600
Baroque Period
1600-1750
Classical Period
1750-1825
Romantic Period
1820-1900
Post-Romantic/Impressionist Period
1890-1915
Modern/Contemporary Period
1900-present