Tessitura
General pitch level of a piece of vocal music: an uncomfortably high tessitura; range of a voice
Audiation
Mentally hearing and comprehending music, even when no physical sound is present
Soft Palate
The movable fold, consisting of muscular fibers enclosed in a mucous membrane, that is suspended from the rear of the hard palate and closes off the nasal cavity from the oral cavity during swallowing or sucking.
TEKS
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills state standards for Texas public schools.
A due (a2)
Marking signifies that on a staff that normally carries parts for two players, both players are to play the single part in unison
Accelerando
Gradually increasing the tempo
Agitato
Play quickly; with agitation and excitement.
Allargando
Broadening, becoming a little slower each time
Allegretto
A little lively, moderately fast
Amoroso
Lovingly
Andantino
Slightly slower than andante, in which case its BPM is between 64-72.
Arco
the bow used for playing some string instrument; i.e., played with the bow, As opposed to pizzicato (plucked), in music for bowed instruments; normally used to cancel a pizzicato direction
Attaca
go straight on; i.e., at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause
Caesura
A complete break in sound (sometimes nicknamed “railroad tracks” in reference to their appearance
Calando
Falling away, or lowering; i.e., getting slower and quieter; ritardando along with diminuendo
Cantabile
Singing
Cappricoso
Capriciously, unpredictable, volatile
Cedez
yield, give way
Con sordino
With a mute, or with mutes
Cuivre
Brassy. Used almost exclusively as a French Horn technique to indicate a forced, rough tone. A note marked both stopped and loud will be cuivre automatically[1]
Al fine
to the finish; to the end
Alla breve
Cut time
Dolce
Sweetly
Doloroso
Sorrowfully, plaintivel
Doppio movimento
Twice as fast
A poco
A little
A tempo
In tempo
Ad libitum
At pleasure
Becken
Cymbals
Bouche
Stopped french horn
Clarinetto
Clarinet
Con brio
With brilliance
Con fuoco
With fire
Cor
French horn
Cor Anglais
English horn
Corno
French horn
Corno Inglese
English horn
Dampfer
Mute
Fagotto
Bassoon
Diminuendo
Diminishing
Flauto
Flute
Flote
Flute
Gestopft
Stopped French horn
Giocoso
Playful
Grave
Heavy, serious
Grazioso
Graceful
Hautbois
Oboe
Immer
Always
Klarinette
Clarinet
Kleine Flote
Piccolo
Langsam
Slow
Larghetto
Slow and dignified (faster than largo)
Largo
Broad
Lebhaft
Lively
L’istesso tempo
Same tempo
Loco
Where written
Ma non troppo
But not too much
Maestoso
Majestsically
Marcato
Well marked
Meno mosso
Less motion
Mezzo
Half
Mit Dampfer
With mute
Moderato
Moderately
Molto
Much
Morendo
Fading away
Niente
Nothing
Often
Open
Ohne Dampfer
Without mute
Ottavino
Piccolo
Partitura
Score
Pauken
Timpani
Perdendosi
Gradually dying away
Pesante
Heavy
Petite flute
Piccolo
Peu a peu
Little by little
Piacere
At the performer’s pleasure
Piatti
Cymbals
Piccola Cassa Tamburo
Snare drum
Piu
More
Poco a poco
Little by little
Posaune
Trombone
Quasi
Almost
Rubato
Somewhat freely
Sans Sourdine
Without mute
Sassofono
Saxophone
Schalltrichter hoch
Lift bells in the air
Scherzando
Jokingly, playfully
Schnell
Quick
Sec, secco
Dry
Segno
Sign
Segue
Continue without a break
Sempre
Always
Senza sordino
Without mute
Sostenuto
Sustaining all the notes full value
Sotto voce
In a subdued voice
Stringendo
Gradual acceleration
Subito
Immediately
Tacet tacit
Silent
Tema
Theme
Tempo I
At original speed
Tromba
Trumpet
Trommel
Snare drum
Tutti
Everybody
Vivace
Lively
Opus
A musical work or composition
Con anima
With animation; spirited
Apassionato
Intensely; passionately; with deep feeling
Arioso
Vocal style; similar to cantabile
Assai
very
Ben
Well
Brilliante
Brilliantly
Con
with
Coda
The final added measures of a musical composition
Energico
Energetically
Fermata
A hold or pause
Forte
Loud
Con forza
With force
Furioso
Furiously
Chromatic
By semi-tones
Marziale
Martial
Marcia
March style
Piano
Softly
Diminuendo
Gradually softer
Passaggio
Vocal range where the voice ‘shifts’ or transitions into a different register
Falsetto
Male singing voice, falsetto denotes a specific timbre or vocal sound (differentiated from head voice, or voce piena in testa) in the male upper-range that is imitative of upper-range female voice quality, although it is not solely such. The term itself – derived from the Italian word for ‘false’ – suggests a departure from timbre reality; from true or legitimate vocal timbre.
Larynx
The part of the respiratory tract between the pharynx and the trachea, having walls of cartilage and muscle and containing the vocal cords enveloped in folds of mucous membrane.
Vocal Cords
Either of two pairs of mucomembranous folds in the larynx. The upper pair (false vocal cords) are not concerned with vocal production; the lower pair (true vocal cords or vocal folds) can be made to vibrate and produce sound when air from the lungs is forced over them.
Cartilages
A tough, elastic, fibrous connective tissue found in various parts of the body, such as the joints, outer ear, and larynx. A major constituent of the embryonic and young vertebrate skeleton, it is converted largely to bone with maturation.
Pharynx
The section of the alimentary canal that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx, where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.
Hard palate
Anterior bony portion of the roof of the mouth, extending backwards to the soft palate
Resonators
Something that resonates; An instrument for detecting the presence of a particular frequency by means of resonance; Hollow enclosure designed to cause energy of a certain frequency, as sound waves or microwaves, to resonate; An electrical circuit that exhibits resonance at a certain frequency.
A due corde
Upon two strings; lengthen the bow stroke
A punta d’arco
At the point of the bow
Arco
Use the bow
A una corda
On one string
Bogen
Violin bow
Coll’arco
Play with the bow
Colle
A bowing in which the string is pinched lightly, followed by a lift to prepare for the next stroke
Col legno
With the wood part of the bow
Con sordini
With mutes
Corda
String
Cordatura
The notes to which the strings, any strings, are tuned
Legno
Wood or stick part of the bow
Leggiero
Light, delicate
Legato
Smooth or sometimes tied together
Head
Point of the violin bow
Double stop
Playing simultaneously on two strings
Coup d’archet
Stroke of the bow
Detache
Literally ‘detached’; any form of separated bowing on the string
Down bow
The bow is drawn from the hand away from the instrument
Due corde
Two strings
Flautando
Light, airy; played over the fingerboard
Frog
The lower end of the bow, to which the hair is fastened
Glissando
Slide the fingers in gliding manner
Lever l’archet
Lift the bow
Loure
Bowing style for pulsed or legato notes
Punta
The point or bow tip
Pointe
Tip of the bow
Una corda
On one string only
Sul tasto
Over the fingerboard
Saltando
Leaping, skipping the bow
Tip
Head of the bow
Order of Violin strings
EADG
Order of Viola strings
ADGC
Order of the Cello strings
ADGC
Order of the bass strings
GDAE
etude
a study
forzando
forcefully accented
Con fuoco
With fire, energy
Giocoso
Joyfully
Grandioso
Grand or noble style
Leggiero
Lightly
Lento
very slow
Largo
very slow
molto
very
Morendo
dying away
non troppo
not too much
Pesante
Heavily; with emphasis
poco
little
D.C (De capo)
from the beginning
D.S (Dal segno)
from the sign
Con brio
with spirit; brilliantly
prestissimo
very fast; more so than presto
Presto
very fast
Primo
first
Rallentando
Gradually slower
Religioso
in solemn style
Ritardando
Gradually slower
Ritenuto
a steady pace, but slower than preceding tempo
Rubato
Temporary irregularity of time, lengthening certain notes at the expense of others
Scherzo
Playfully; usually in rapid tempo with rhythmic and dynamic contrasts
Scherzando
in light, playful style
Segno
the sign
Sempre
Always; continually
Senza
without
sforzando
forced; with emphasis
simile
the same; continue in same manner
Smorzando
dying away
Soli
more than one performer in unison
Solo
a composition or passage for one one performer
Sordino
mute
Sostenuto
sustained
Stringendo
gradually faster
subito
suddenly
tacet
silent
tenuto
sustain full value
valse
waltz
Veloce
fast
vivace
lively; vivacious
vivo
lively; brisk
Arpeggio
notes of a chord played in broken fashion
Marcato
Refers to an accentuated or well-marked style of bowing
Martele
Hammered or sharply accented style of bowing
Mute (strings)
A small clamp made of various metals or wood and placed on the bridge to dampen the sound of the instrument
Neck
That part of a string instrument extending from the head to the body; the fingerboard is attached to it
Nut
The small bridge at the upper end of the fingerboard over which the strings pass into the peg box; sometimes it is used synonymously with the frog
parlando
in a declamatory style using a variety of expressive bowings as if “to speak”
pique
a martele style of bowing at the tip
ponticello
bow close to the bridge to produce a “squeky” effect
portamento
gliding effect from note to note for expressive purposes
Ricochet
a bouncing style of bowing that involves two or more slurred notes; the bow is dropped on the string so that it ricochets
Sautille
a rapid bouncing bow that occurs through the natural resiliency of the stick
Scordatura
a special tuning of the open strings
spicato
a bouncing bow that is controlled by the hand
tremolo
a note or chord reiterated at a rapid rate; it may or may not be measured
up-bow
the sign is V; start at the point of the bow and move the hand toward the instrument
Renaissance (time period)
(1400-1600)
Renaissance Rhythm
Macro rhythm (basic meter)
Macro rhythm (agogic accent)
Renaissance Melody
Modal
Renaissance Harmony
Triads, first inversions, and non-harmonic on a polyphonic base
Renaissance Forms
Mass, Motet, Chanson, Canon, Madrigal, Toccata, Ricercare, Fantasia
Renaissance Color
Vibrato and pizzicato on string instruments
Renaissance texture
3 to 6 voices
polyphony imitation
polychoral style
Renaissance dynamics
contrast in number of voices
mf, p, f in the bar form of the master singers
Renaissance composers
Dunstable
Dufay
Ockeghem
Josquin
Tavener
Tye
Cabezon
Lassus
Vittorio
Binchoirs
Obrecht
Milan
Tallis
Palestrino
Byrd
Morenzio
Gabrieli
Frescoboldi
Renaissance Instruments
Sacbut
Slide trumpet
Timpani
Bassoon
polish geigs
bass trombone
french horn
circular horn
oboe
Baroque (time period)
(1600-1750)
Baroque Rhythm
Bar line regularity
Simple and compound meters
Baroque Melody
Development of major and minor tonalities
Development of instrumental character
Baroque Harmony
Thorough bass
Dominance of major and minor tonalities
Functional harmony, triads, seventh chords
Modulation to closely related keys
Baroque Forms
opera, ballet, oratorio, sinfonia, overture, choral prelude, choral, fugue, prelude, concerto grosso, suites
Baroque Color
instrumental
Beginnings of orchestration
Baroque texture
Vocal and instrumental contrast
Development of a distinctly instrumental style
Baroque Dynamics
Contrast of large and small groups, loud and soft instruments, loud and soft keyboards
Instruments
Violin
Flute
2-key oboe
3-key bassoon
2-key clarinet
cello
pianoforte
Baroque Composers
Monteverdi
Gibbons
Schutz
Corelli
Lully
A. Scarlatti
Vivaldi
Bach
Handel
Purcell
Classic (time period)
1750-1825
Classic rhythm
Bar line regularity
Dominance of simple meters
Classic melody
Diatonic lines in major and minor modes
Tuneful, singable melodies
Classic harmony
Triads
Seventh chords
Chromatic alteration
Modulation to foreign keys
Classic forms
Development of sonata form
Sonata
Trio
Quartet
Concerto
Opera
Oratorio
Quintet
Symphony
Classic Color
Secondorization of instrumental combinations
Classic texture
homophony
solo quartet
trio quartet
quintet
symphony
concerto
Classic dynamics
from pp to ff
crescendo and diminuendo
Sudden changes
Classic instruments
double bass
keyed trumpet
valve horn
valve trumpet
english horn
Classic Composers
Gluck
Hayden
J.C Bach
Cimorosa
Paganini
Sammartini
Mozart
Weber
Beethoven
Romantic (time period)
1815-1913
Romantic rhythm
bar line regularity
simple meters with misplaced accents
exploitation of ritardando and accelerando
Romantic melody
diatonic and chromatic lines in major and minor modes
singable melodies of a more emotional character
Romantic harmony
emphasis on seventh, ninth, and eleventh chords
chromatic progressions
Romantic forms
Traditional forms
art song
character piece
music drama
symphonic poems
cyclic form
leit motif
Romantic color
development of the possibilities of each instrumental and vocal type
rise of the virtuoso
Romantic texture
fuller orchestras
larger choral groups
larger combinations of voices and instruments
Romantic dynamics
from ppp to ffff crescendo and diminuendo
more sensitive changes
Romantic instruments
albert system clarinet
piccolo
alto and bass clarinet
heckel system bassoon
eb bass
saxaphone
BBb bass
boehm system flute and clarinet
modern oboe
machine-tuned tempani
alto flute
celesta
contrabassoon
marimba
mellophone
Romantic composers
Czerny
Schubert
Chopin
Verdi
Gounod
Bruckner
Mussorgksy
Puccini
Sousa
Mahler
Elgar
Dvorak
Tchaikovsky
J. Strauss
Berlioz
Liszt
Wagner
Brahms
Grieg
Rimsky-korsokoff
Modern (time period)
1900-present
Modern rhythm
syncopation
asymmetric meters
mixed meters
Modern melody
whole tone scale
modes
synthetic scales
serial technique
micro-tones
angular melodic lines
Modern harmony
impressionists
polytonality
atonality
changing tonalities
chords of 4ths and 5ths
added notes
tone clusters
denial of functional harmony
Modern forms
forms from old, previous periods
arch form
jazz
Modern color
Exploitation of instrumental and vocal color
Modern texture
from monophony to huge masses of sound
Renewed emphasis on polyphonic style
Modern dynamics
From a whisper to the extreme possibilities of loudness
Modern instruments
Complete families of wind instruments
electronic instruments
Modern instruments
Complete families of wind instruments
electronic instruments
Modern composers
MacDowell
Sibelius
Schoenberg
Berg
Stravinsky
Barber
Holst
Debussy
Vaughn-williams
Copland
Ravel
R. Strauss
Ives
Prokofieff
Hindemith
Schuman
Shostokovich
Hanson
Ionian Mode
(major)
Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1
Dorian Mode
Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do, Re
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2
becomes–
1, 2, b3, 4, 5, 6, b7, 1
Phrygian Mode
Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3
becomes–
1, b2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, 1
Lydian Mode
Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi, Fa
4, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4
becomes–
1, 2, 3, #4, 5, 6, 7, 1
Mixolydian Mode
Sol, La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol
5, 6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
becomes–
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7, 1
Aeolian Mode
(natural minor) La, Ti, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La
6, 7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
becomes–
1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b6, b7, 1
Locrian Mode
Ti, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti
7, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
becomes–
1, b2, b3, 4, b5, b6, b7, 1
Hemiola
a metrical pattern in which two bars in triple time (3/2) or (3/4) are articulated as if they were three bars in duple time (2/2) or (2/4)
“123, 123, 12, 12, 12”
Augmentation
Lengths of the notes are prolonged. A melody originally consisting of four eighth-notes for example, is augmented if it later appears with four quarter-notes instead.
Sequence
Repeating a pattern at a higher or lower pitch level
Major Chord
root, major third, minor third (CEG)
Minor Chord
root, minor, third, major third (CEbG)
Major/minor seventh chord
root, major third, perfect fifth, minor seventh
Diminished seventh chord
root, minor third, diminished fifth (tritone), diminished seventh (sixth)
(CEgGbBbb)
Authentic cadence
V to i. the phrase perfect cadence is sometimes used as a synonym for authentic cadence, but can also have a more precise meaning depending on the chord voicing
Half cadence
Any cadence ending on V, whether preceded by ii, IV, I, or any other chord
Plagal cadence
IV to I, also known as the ‘amen cadence’ because of its frequent appearance in hymns
Deceptive cadence
V to any chord except I (typically vi or VI). This is considered one of the weakest cadences because of the ‘hanging’ (suspended) feel it invokes
Monophonic texture
one voice (unison)
polyphonic texture
multiple voices
homophonic texture
melody and harmony
12 bar blues
the most common musical form of blues. 12 refers to the number of measures.
I IV I I
I IV I I
V IV V I
Tone row
refers to a non-repetitive ordering of the twelve notes (pitch-classes in musical set theory) of the chromatic scale. Tone rows are the basis of Schoenberg’s twelve tone technique.
Ostinato
a motif or phrase which is repeated over and over again at the same pitch. musical pattern that is continuously repeated during a sections or throughout a complete piece of music. the repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody.
Activators
breath, diaphragm
Vibrators
vocal chords, larynx
Resonators
head, (mouth, nose, sinuses), throat, chest
Articulators
tongue, teeth, jaw, hard and soft palates
Cambiata
changing voices
Vocal registers
head voice/chest voice
Voice classifications
soprano, mezzo soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass
Choral performance criteria
correct notes and rhythms
phrasing
balance
blend
intonation
tone quality
stage prescence/facial expressions
vocal health
hydration, overuse or abuse, illness, talking at clubs or on bus trips, medications
Typical vocal faults
posture and breathing
range extension and flexibility needs
register changes
breathy, strident, tense tone
vibrato unevenness
intonation
diction
TEKS
perception
creative expression/performance
historical/cultural heritage
response/evaluation
Fundamental principles of music
rhythm
texture
dynamics
melody
timbre
form