pitch
highness or lowness of a sound
frequency
rate of a sound wave’s vibration
dynamic level
level of volume
tone
sound with specific pitch, produced by a constant rate of vibration of the sound-producing medium.
sharp
sign (#) indicating that a tone is to be performed one-half step higher than noted
flat
sign indicating that a tone is to be performed one-half step lower than notated.
staff
five lines and four spaces on which music is notated
clef
sign that fixes the tone represented by each line and space on the staff.
interval
distance between two pitches
octave
interval of an eighth, as from C to C.
forte
loud
piano
soft
crescendo
becoming louder
decrescendo or diminuendo
becoming softer
richard strauss
Title: Thus Spake Zarathustra
Composed: 1986
Timbre: Orchestra and Organ
rhythm
arrangement of time in music
elements of music
basic material of which music is composed: rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre.
tempo
rate of speed at which a musical piece is performed
rest
sign that indicates silence, or the cessation of musical sound
beat
basic rhythmic pulse of music
metered music
music in which rhythm is organized into patterns of strong and weak beats
measure (bar)
unit containing a number of beats
duple meter
two beats per measure
triple meter
three beats per measure
quadruple meter
four beats per measure
accent
strong sound. accents may be achieved by stress, duration, or position of a tone.
syncopation
occurrence of accents in unexpected places
ragtime
popular piano style in which the syncopated melody in the right hand is accompanied by regular beats in the left hand.
rag
piece in ragtime
strain
melodic section of a march or rag
downbeat
first beat of a measure
upbeat
last beat of a measure
Scott Joplin
title: maple leaf rag
meter: duple. rhythm is highly syncopated
timbre: piano
form: AABBACCDD
duple
triple
quadruple
row row row your boat
my country tis of thee
yankee doodle
Camille Saint-Saens
title: my heart opens to your voice
melodic type: chromatic
Timbre: soprano voice with orchestra
Form: strophic aria
strophic
two or more versus of text are set to the same music
refrain
recurring section of text and melody that often becomes the most familiar part of a song.
claude debussy
title: voiles
composed: 1910
melody: based on the whole-tone scale
timbre: piano
melody
meaningful succession of pitches
phrase
section of a melody, comparable to a section or phrase of a sentence
cadence
stopping point
sequence
melodic phrase repeated at different levels of pitch
tune
melody that is easy to recognize, memorize, and sing.
theme
melody that recurs throughout a section, a movement, or an entire composition
motive, motivic melody
short melodic phrase tha may be effectively developed
lyrical melody
relatively long, songlike melody
scale
asecending or descending pattern of half steps, whole steps, or both
major sclae
ascending pattern of steps as follows: whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half
minor scale
ascending pattern of steps as follows: whole, half, whole, whole, half, whole,whole
tonic
first and most important note of the major or minor scale, to which all other notes in the scale are subordinate. The tonic is represented by the Roman numeral I.
key
tonic note, and the major or minor scale, on which a composition is based
chromatic scale
twelve consecutive half steps within the range of an octave.
strophic form
the most popular song form, which has two or more verses set to the same music
refrain
section of melody and text that recurs at the end of each verse of a strophic song.
whole-tone scale
six consecutivbe whole steps within the range of an octave
pentatonic scale
five-note scale
harmony
simultaneous sounding of two or more different tones
dissonance
active, unsettled sound
consonance
passive sound that seems to be at rest
chord
meaningufl (as opposed to random) combination of three or more tones
triad
chord with threee tones, consisting of two superimposed thirds
tonality/tonal system
system of harmony, based on the major and minor scales, that has dominated Western music since the seventeenth century
dominant(V)
fifth note of the major or minor scale
subdominant(IV)
fourth note of the major or minor scale
texture
manner in which melodic lines are used in music
monophonic texture
monophony. one unaccompanied melodic line
polyphonic texture
polyphony. Combination of two or more simultaneous melodic lines
round
melody that may be performed by two or more voices entering at different times, producing meaningful harmony
homophonic texture
homophony. melodic line accompanied by chordal harmony
Shenandoah
composer: keith jarrett
melody: pentatonic
meter: quadruple
timbre: piano
tempo: slow
timbre
the characteristic quality of the sound of a voice or instrument
soprano
high female singing voice
mezzo-soprano
medium-range female voice
alto (contralto)
low female voice
tenor
high male voice
baritone
medium-range male voice
bass
low male voice
symphony orchestra
an instrumental ensemble consisting of members of the four families of instruments, dominated by strings
string instruments
instruments that may be bowed, strummed, struck, or plucked. orchestral string instruments include the violin, viola, cello, string bass (or double bass), and harp
pizzicato
the technique of plucking string instruments
woodwinds
wind instruments that include the piccolo, flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone
brass
wind insturments that include the trumpet, trombone, (french) horm, and tuba
percussion
all instruments that may be played by shaking, rubbing, or striking the instrument itself. these include the timpani (tuned kettledrums), other drums, chimes, tambourine, triangle, cymbals, and various mallet instruments, such as the xylophone
keyboard instruments
instruments on which sound is produced by pressing keys on a keyboard
stops
levers, handles, or buttons that allow an organist to change timbres at will
electronic synthesizer
a highly verstaile electronic sound generator capable of producing and altering an infinte variety of sounds
MIDI
a system allowing composers to manage quantities of complex information, and making it possible for unrelated electronic devices to communicate with each other
benajim britten
title: a young person’s guide to the orchestra