Harmony/Vocab
The note that gives the scale its name
Tonic
Violin, viola, cello, double bass
Strings
The word we use when there is no distance between two notes, as when two people are singing the same note
Unison
c. 1600–c. 1750
Baroque
French composer, conductor, and, for a time, administrator of a center for music and technology
Early in his career, he used a technique called “integral serialism” or “total serialism,” which seemed to allow almost every dimension of a musical composition to be determined by a system that was established before a composition was begun
Pierre Boulez
The relationship between a melody and all other music that happens along with it
Texture
Flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon
Woodwinds
What are all the characters of scales
Major, Minor, Chromatic
c.1945–c. 1980
Postwar
American composer, pianist, singer, improviser, and dancer
Central figure in new music in the 70s and 80s, centered first in Buffalo NY, and then in New York City where he was part of what’s often called the “Downtown music” scene
Julius Eastman
When the tonic changes over the course of a tonal composition
Modulation
Trumpet, french horn, trombone, and tuba
Brass
Music to express what many felt was the newness of the twentieth century
often experimented with new or different scales, which weren’t limited to major or minor
Modernism
c. 1750–c. 1820
Classical
Inuk vocal artist, whose work is rooted in Inuit throat singing
She became internationally famous in the wake of her 2004 collaborations with Björk—she performs on Björk’s album Medúlla, and she toured with Björks as well
Tanya Tagaq
The “distance” between any two notes
Interval
Xylophone, timpani or piano
Bass drum, cymbals or castanets
Percussion
An organized series of pitches; combines pitch and rhythm
Melody
c. 1820–c. 1900
Romantic
Known as a virtuoso performer on piano, trombone, and percussion; he’s also known for his perfect pitch and photographic memory
Tyshawn Sorey
There two or more lines, which have their own distinct paths and identities
Polyphony
Person who leads the orchestra
Conductor
Can sound discordant, can create tension
Dissonance
c. 1980-today
Recent and contemporary
A “modernist” composer—he was someone who wanted to make music that sounded very new, maybe shockingly new.
Edgar Varèse