Pitch
Highness or lowness in sound
Range
Distance between lowest and highest tones
Dynamics
Degrees of loudness or softness in music
Pianismo (pp)
very soft
Piano (p)
soft
Mezzo Piano (mp)
Moderately soft
Mezzo Forte (mf)
Moderately loud
Forte (f)
loud
Fortissmo (ff)
Very loud
Tone color (timbre)
Quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another
The Firebird Finale
Repeats melody over and over
Tone colors through instrumentation
Dynamic contrasts
The Firebird Finale was written by
Igor Stravinsky
Women
Soprano
Mezzo-Soprano
Alto(contralto)
Men
Tenor
Baritone
Bass
String
Has the greatest versatility and expressive range
Bow
What strings are often played with
Pizzicato
Plucked string
Double stop
Two notes at once
Vibrato
Throbbing,expressive tone. Small pitch fluctuations that make the tone warmer
Mute
Veiling or muffling the tone with a clamp
Tremolo
Musician rapidly repeats tones by quick up and down strokes of bow. Sense of tension when loud & Shimmering sound when soft
Woodwind
Produce vibrations of air within a tube that was traditionally made of wood
Brass
Often used at climaxes and for bold heroic statements.
Percussion
Emphasizes rhythm, and hightens climaxes
Keyboard
Exceptionally versatile. Among most popular instruments.
Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra written by
Benjamin Britten
Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra
An intro to the instruments of the orchestra
Beat
Regular recurrent pulsations
Meter
Organization of beats into regular groups
Accent
Emphasis
Syncopation
When accented notes come where we would normally not expect one
Tempo
Speed of the beat
Largo
very slow, broad
Grave
Very slow, solemn
Adagio
Slow
Andante
Moderately slow, walking pace
Moderato
moderate
Allegretto
Moderately fast
Allegro
fast
Vivace
lively
Presto
Very fast
Prestissimo
As fast as possible
Staff
Five hortizontal lines
Grand staff
Combination of treble and bass staves
Clefs
Placed at beginning of a staff to show the pitch of each line and space.
Ledger lines
Pitch falls above or below the range indicated. Lines added to clef
Key signature
Sharp or flat signs following clef sign that indicates the key in which instrument is to be played.
Meter signature (time)
Shows meter of the piece. Consists of 2 numbers.
Score
Shows music for each instrumental or vocal category in a group
Melody
Series of single notes that add up to a recognizable tone.
Steps vs. leaps
Melody moves by small intervals or by larger ones.
Legato vs. staccato
Tones of melody played in smooth connected style or short, detached manner.
Phrases
Melodies made up of shorter parts.
Sequence
Repetition of melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch.
Incompatible cadence
Resting place at the end of a phrase. Sets up expectations.
Complete cadence
Gives a sense of finality
Chord
Combo of 3 or more tones sounded at once
Triad
Simplest, most basic chord. 3 tones
Consonance
Tone combo that is stable.
Dissonance
Tone combo that is unstable
Tonic chord
Main chord of a piece. A triad built on the scale.
Dominant chord
Next in importance tot he tonic. Sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord
Arpeggio
Broken chord. When individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another.
Prelude in E minor, Op.28 No.4 written by
Frederic Chopin
Prelude in E minor, Op.28 No.4
Melody hardly moves. Alternates between long and short note.
Tonic or keynote
Central tone
Major scale
half and whole steps. Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do
Minor scale
Like the major scale but differs in its pattern of intervals
Dominant chord
Next in importance tot he tonic. Sets up tension that is resolved by the tonic chord
Arpeggio
Broken chord. When individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another.
Prelude in E minor, Op.28 No.4 written by
Frederic Chopin
Prelude in E minor, Op.28 No.4
Melody hardly moves. Alternates between long and short note.
Tonic or keynote
Central tone
Major scale
half and whole steps. Do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do
Minor scale
Like the major scale but differs in its pattern of intervals
Chromatic scale
Twelve tones of the octave
Modulation
Shifting from one key to another in the same piece
Tonic or home key
Central key (Mentioned 3x already..I’m assuming it’s important)
Monophonic
Having one sound
Polyphonic
Many sounds
Counterpoint
Technique of combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole
Imitation
Restated. Often in polyphonic music
Homophonic
One melody accompanied by chords
Farandole from the L’Arlesienne Suite written by
George Bizet
Farandole from the L’Arlesienne Suite
Two kinds of homophonic texture. March theme. Includes two kinds of polyphony. Monophonic texture too. It’s got it all 😛
Form
Organization of musical elements in time
Repetition
Sense of unity
Contrast
Provides variety
Variation
Unity and variety at the same time
Ternary (three-part) A B A
Statement, contrast, return
Binary (two-part) A B
statement and counterstatement
Binary (two-part) A B
statement and counterstatement
Dance of the Reed Pipes from The Nutcracker Suite written by
Peter Tchaikovsky
Dance of the Reed Pipes from The Nutcracker Suite
Example of ternary form
Bourree from Suite for Lute in E minor written by
J.S. Bach
Bourree from Suite for Lute in E minor
Example of binary form
Gregorian Chant
Official music of Roman Catholic church. Monophonic. Melody set to sacred Latin text sung w/o accompaniment.
Church Modes
Unfamiliar scales used by gregorian chant.
Secular music
Songs about love. Composed by French nobles called troubadours. Often perfomed by minstrels. often had a regular meter with a defined beat.
Alleluia:Vidimus Stellam written by
Anonymous
Alleluia:Vidimus Stellam
We Have Seen His Star. Monophonic. Ternary form.
O Successores (You Successores)written by
Hildegard of Bingen
O Successores
Gregorian chant. Christ referred to as “lion” and “lamb”
Estampie
A medieval dance. One of the earliest surviving forms of instrumental music Monophonic
Organum
Medieval pholyphony that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines.
Hildegard of Bingen
Nun who wrote poetry and music. she was the first woman composer from whom a large number of works have survived.
School of Notre Dame: Measured Rhythm
composers of this school created music with definite time values and clearly defined meter.
Leonin
Part of School of Notre Dame, used measured rhythm.
Perotin
Part of School of Notre Dame, used measured rhythm. wrote Alleluia: Nativitas
Ars Nova
New art – changes in musical style in the fourteenth century
Guillaume de Machaut
Famous as both a musician and a poet. One of the first important composers whose works have survived. Most well known for Notre Dame Mass
Kyrie eleison
Mass ordinary text. Lord, have mercy.
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest
Credo
The apostles creed
Sanctus
Holy, Holy, Holy
Agnus Dei
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.(also song by Machaut) In triple meter. complex rhythmic patterns.
Notre Dame Mass
Written by Machaut. First polyphonic treatment of the mass ordinary by a known composer. (combines all the mass ordinary texts)
Puis qu’en oubli
Composed by Machaut
secular composition
vocal melody accompanied by two lower parts
syncopation
Texture
Mostly polyphonic
Rhythm and Melody
Gentle Rhythmic flow
Josquin Desprez
Luther’s fave composer
Wrote Ave Maria
Motet
Polyphonic choral work set to Latin text
Characteristics of Renaissance
Words and music, texture, rhythm and melody
Words and music
Word painting-poetic images
Ave Maria
Motet, imitative polyphony
Giovanni Palestrina
Near end of Renaissance. Counter-Reformation composer
Pope Marcellus Mass
By Palestrina. Polyphonic. A capella.
Madrigal
Love songs. Word paint.
Thomas Weelkes
“As Vesta was Descending”. Word painting.
Lute Song
for solo voice. homophonic.
John Dowland
“Flow My Tears”. Lute song. Four-note descent.
Instrumental Music
Renaissance. Polyphonic.