Timbre
The quality of a musical note or sound that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments.
Melody
A coherent succession of single pitches in a musically-expressive order.
Rhythm
The orderly movement of music in time.
Harmony
The combination of tones to produce chords.
Form
The organization or structure of a composition.
Interval
The relationship between the pitches of two notes.
Narrow Range
The difference between the highest and lowest notes is small.
Wide Range
The difference between the highest and lowest notes is large.
Conjunct Movement
In a melody, there are no wide intervals or leaps between notes.
Disjunct Movement
In a melody, there are wide leaps between notes.
Phrase
A unit of meaning within a larger structure. Ends with a cadence.
Antecedent Phrase
The musical question. Ends with an incomplete cadence.
Consequent Phrase
The musical answer. Ends with a complete cadence.
Countermelody
A melody that plays against and contrasts with the main melody.
Accent
Emphasis on a certain beat.
Meter
Grouping of beats by accents into a pattern.
Measure
a measurement of musical time with a fixed number of beats.
Tempo
Speed of a composition.
Duple Meter
Beats fall into groups of 2 or 4.
Triple Meter
Beats fall into groups of 3.
Simple Meter
Dividing beats into two parts.
Compound Meter
Dividing beat into three parts.
Syncopation
Accent is shifted from weak beat to off beat.
Shifting Meter
Grouping of the beats shifts from duple to triple or vice versa.
Polyrhythm
Simultaneous contrasting rhythms involving a conflict of meter or accent.
Additive Meter
Grouping of an irregular number of beats that add up to a larger overall pattern.
Nonmetric
No discernable beat or meter.
Apollonian Music
Greek music associated with Apollo. Calming. Instrument: Lyre. Poetic forms: ode and epic.
Dionysian Music
Greek music associated with Dionysus. Exciting. Instrument: Aulos. Poetic forms: dithyramb and drama.