sound
vibrations transmitted to our ears by a medium that is usually air
interval
distance” between any two tones
dynamics
degree of loudness or softness in music
diminuendo; decrescendo
Gradually softer
theme
melody that serves as the starting point for an extended piece of music
beat; pulse
regular recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time
accent
an emphasized tone that is played more loudly than the other tones around it
step
melody moves by small intervals
legato
smooth connected style-everything rolls together
sequence
a repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch (string of similar events)
harmony
refers to the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other
dissonance
tone combination is unstable (nasty sounding)
cadence
a resting place at the end of a phrase
polyphonic
one or more line of equal importance; having many sounds
homophonic
one main melody accompanied by chords
contrast
striking differences of pitch, dynamics, rhythm, and tempo that provide variety and change mood
style
refers to a characteristic way of using melody, rhythm, tone color, dynamics, harmony, texture, and form
pitch
the relative highness or lowness in a sound
octave
Tones separated by the interval; 0 It is the interval between the first and the last tones of the familiar scale
crescendo
gradually louder
variations
changing some features of a musical idea while retaining others
meter
organization of beats into regular groups
syncopation
when an “off-beat” note is accented, stress between two beats
leap
melody moves by large intervals
staccato
short detached manner
chord
a combination of three or more tones sounded at once
resolution
dissonance moves towards consonance
monophonic
same melody
counterpoint
technique of combining two or more melodic lines into a meaningful whole
form
in music is the organization of musical elements in time
three-part form
A B A; form that can be represented as statement A contrast B return of statement A
tone
a sound that has a definite pitch
pitch range
distance between the highest and lowest tones that a given voice or instrument can produce
tone color; timbre
described by words such as bright, dark, brilliant, mellow, and rich
rhythm
flow of music through time, more specifically it can be defined as the particular arrangement of note lengths in a piece of music (noise over time)
measure
a group containing a fixed number of beats
tempo
speed of the beat
climax
highest note of a melody
phase
shorter parts of a melody that have similar pitch and rhythm
consonance
a tone combination that is stable (pleasant sounding)
triad
simplest most basic chord, 3 notes
unison
performance of a single melodic line by more than one instrument or voice at the same pitch or in different octaves
imitation
presentation of a melodic idea by one voice or instrument that is immediately followed by it’s restatement by another voice or instrument, as in a round
repetition
reiteration of a motive, phrase, or section, often used to create a sense of unity
two-part form
A B; a form that can be represented as a statement A and a counterstatement B