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Musical Traditions in the Western World
LAIS 320
55
Music
Undergraduate 3
03/25/2012

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Term
absolute music
Definition
music without a program or extra-musical connotation. a piece that doesn't have a picture or something it is trying to convey to the listener
Term
a cappela
Definition
singing without accompaniment
Term
aleatoric
Definition
chance music, game music
Term
basso continuo
Definition
continuing bass line; bass line from the baroque time
Term
binary form
Definition
AABA 2 parts
Term
cadence
Definition
chords that end a section; the last chords of a movement of a piece
Term
canon
Definition
melody that comes back on itself to produce harmony; like a round (ex. "row row row your boat")
Term
cantus firmus
Definition
the lowest voice in polyphony; initial chant line; basso continuo from renaissance
Term
chord
Definition
3 or more notes played simultaneously
Term
chromaticism
Definition
notes off scale
Term
concerto style
Definition
small group played against a bit group; soli against tutti
Term
consonance
Definition
stable, comfortable sound that seems to be at the rest as compared with a dissonant restless sound
Term
contrapuntal
Definition
note against note;
Term
contrary motion
Definition
general movement of two melodic lines with respect to each other
Term
counterpoint
Definition
note against note; interval structure like polyphony
Term
diatonic
Definition
within the scale; notes on scale
Term
dissonance
Definition
tension/release; needs to be resolved;
Term
dominant
Definition
chord built on 5th and 1st scale tone. the 5th is the dominant
Term
double-stop
Definition
play 2 strings at the same time
Term
drone
Definition
first and fifth low notes that constantly play under some melody
Term
dynamics
Definition
changes in volume
Term
episode
Definition
where a motive is introduced (in baroque period)
Term
falsetto
Definition
guy who sings an octave higher and sounds unnatural
Term
figured bass
Definition
another step of the bass line after basso continuo, and cantus firmus
Term
harmony
Definition
simultaneous sounds that make vertical consonance
Term
homophony
Definition
vertical lines of notes
Term
imitation
Definition
melody or motive repeated
Term
incipit
Definition
little snippet of melody sung at the beginning that is then used as a bass line
Term
interval
Definition
2 notes stacked on each other
Term
inversion
Definition
play melody or motive backwards; take bottom note of interval and put to top
Term
legato
Definition
smooth and connected notes
Term
melisma
Definition
singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession; same syllable, multiple notes
Term
meter
Definition
the grouping of notes in a rhythmic pattern in groups of 2, 3, or 4
Term
modulation
Definition
to go from key to key; the act or process of changing from one key to another; to change from one tonality to another frequently by harmonic progressions
Term
motive
Definition
short melodic pattern or phrase that is used for further development and is the basis of a section of music or composition; musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition.
Term
ornamentation
Definition
using extra notes outside the theme or motive to decorate; embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody, but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line
Term
period
Definition
group of two of more phrases in antecedent/ consequence
Term
phrase
Definition
2 motives that are call and response
Term
pitch
Definition
the highness or lowness of a tone produced by a single frequency.
Term
polyphony
Definition
note against note; vertical and horizontal lines
Term
programmatic music
Definition
music that has an extra-musical agenda or a picture in mind
Term
range
Definition
distance from the lowest to the highest pitch a music instrument can play
Term
refrain
Definition
a reoccurring melodic piece in a music; the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song.
Term
scale
Definition
a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order
Term
sequence
Definition
playng one motive after another; immediate restatement of a motif or longer melodic (or harmonic) passage at a higher or lower pitch in the same voice
Term
syncopation
Definition
emphasis on off-beat; a placement of rhythmic stresses or accents where they wouldn't normally occur; a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected which make an off-beat tune or piece of music
Term
tempo
Definition
is the speed or pace of a given piece
Term
theme
Definition
the material, usually a recognizable melody, upon which part or all of a composition is based
Term
timbre
Definition
the overtone series created by an instrument that gives you the specific sound of an instrument; the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production
Term
tonic
Definition
the one chord in any scale; the first scale degree of the diatonic scale and the tonal center or final resolution tone
Term
tremolo
Definition
to vibrate in and out of amplitude; a musical term that describes various trembling effects, falling roughly into two types
Term
triad
Definition
three notes simultaneously; a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds
Term
tutti
Definition
all or together and is used as a musical term, for the whole orchestra as opposed to the soloist
Term
vibrato
Definition
to vibrate in and out of pitch; a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch.
Term
monophony
Definition
single line
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