Chords, Tempo, etc.
Terms to Know
Examples
MISC
Technicalities
100
A chord composed of three consecutive tones in a chromatic scale
What is a cluster? An easy way to remember that cluster chords are made up of consecutive semitones is to picture what the chord would look like written on the staff. With very little space between the notes, the chord would resemble a "cluster." While supertonic triads begin on the second note of the scale, they are still made up of first, third, and fifth intervals.
100
The solo of a soloist in an orchestra performing freestyle without accompaniment
What is a Cadenza? A cadenza is a mini-solo that was traditionally improvised by vocalists. It is sometimes confused with a cadence (a fancy chord progression). In fact, cadenzas originated when vocalists began to take certain artistic liberties with the cadences written in their arias.
100
The opening phrase of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is an example of this
What is disjunct melody? The octave jump that opens "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is an example of a disjunct melody. This wide range is the opposite of a conjunct melody which is characterized by pitches that are close together.
100
The period in which Western musicians begin adopting equal temperament tuning
What is Baroque? Western music has been characterized by equal temperament tuning since the Baroque period. Prior to the advent of equal temperament tuning, musicians relied on intonation
100
This is the unit of measurement is used to measure sound wave frequency
What is hertz? The hertz-defined as the number of oscillation cycles per second-is the unit of sound wave frequency. Measuring frequency in sound waves per second would result in various fractions that are too small to be practical.
200
The tempo an upbeat dance remix MOST likely be played in.
What is "presto" Presto is a very fast tempo perfect for dancing. Allegro is a brisk walking speed and allegretto is a bit slower than allegro. Accelerando can result in a fast dance tempo, but it is not a tempo; it merely instructs a musician to increase the tempo.
200
A round is an example of this
What is imitative polyphony? Imitative polyphony occurs when one melody appears several times in a piece of music but at different times. It is distinct from non-imitative polyphony, which occurs when two melodically distinct melodies overlap, and heterophony, which is common in Eastern music.
200
The notation Da Capo al Fine instructs a musician to repeat this
The piece from the beginning to the "fine". Da Capo al Fine – often abbreviated D.C. al fine – instructs a musician to repeat a piece of music from the beginning to the fine. It should not be confused with Da Capo al Coda, which instructs a musician to repeat the piece from beginning to end and then play a brief concluding passage known as the coda. [
200
The family of musical instruments the piano belongs to.
What are chordophones? Even though the piano does not resemble the other instruments in the chordophone family (e.g., violin, bass), it still produces sound by striking stretched strings.
200
This is the ratio of frequencies between pitches that are an octave apart
What is 2:1. An octave is defined as two pitches whose frequencies are either double or half of one another. Although we normally associate the number eight with octaves, octaves are eight tones apart.
300
A major scale is organized around this.
What is tonic? The tonic, or first note of the scale, is the scale's center.
300
The first beat of a measure is called this.
What is downbeat? Each measure of music begins with a downbeat. Accents or stressed beats can appear anywhere in a musical phrase.
300
In Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, the grandfather character is always represented by a particular melody played on the bassoon, which is an example of this.
What is leitmotif? Leitmotif is a concept coined by Wagner who used musical themes to represent specific characters in his operas. A chorus may repeat, but it is not usually linked with a particular character. Likewise, variations on a theme concern musical structure and not character development.
300
A musical phrase marked stringendo would require a musician to do this
What is speed up? Stringendo literally translates as "to press on faster." It is a temporary tempo that speeds up an already lively section of music.
300
In western music, an orchestra tunes to this.
What is A4? An orchestra tunes itself to the open A on a violin, which is the A4 (frequency 440 Hz).
400
An F clef is also known as this.
What is bass clef? The F clef is another name for the bass clef. The treble clef is also known as the G clef; the alto, tenor and baritone clefs all fall under a category known as the C clefs.
400
If tones are identical in pitch but notated differently, then they are called this.
What are enharmonic pitches? "Harmonic" pitches may sound almost like "enharmonic pitches," but there is a crucial difference. Harmonic pitches cannot be the same note. Enharmonic pitches, on the other hand, sound the same but are notated differently
400
A version of the song "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" that puts the stress on the second and fourth beats so that the song goes "twink-LE twink-LE litt-LE star" is an example of this.
What is syncopation? Syncopation occurs when accents come unexpectedly or on usually unaccented beats
400
The number of semitones that make up a minor third
What is four? A major interval is made minor by lowering the top pitch by one semitone. If we count chromatically up the scale, a major third is made up of five semitones. Thus, a minor fifth must have four semitones.
400
One cycle of one sound wave is composed of these
What are compression and rarefaction? Compression indicates an increase in pressure, and rarefaction indicates a decrease in pressure. These sequential changes in pressure occur when an instrument vibrates and produces sound waves.
500
In terms of its relative major, the tonal center or a minor scale is this
What is the submediant? The minor scale creates its melancholic sound by shifting the tonal center away from the tonic and onto the sixth note of the scale-the submediant.
500
If a piano and a clarinet both play the same note, the note will differ in this.
What is timbre? The timbre of a particular instrument is what makes that instrument's sound distinct from that of all other instruments. The materials the instrument is made of and the harmonics it produces both contribute to the instrument's unique timbre. The pitch of two instruments may be the same, but the quality of the sound will differ.
500
A piece that is meant to be played sorrowfully would be marked this.
What is lacrimoso? Lacrimoso is a mood marking that indicates weeping, or sorrow. Dolce might apply to a sorrowful piece, but it is not nearly as specific as lacrimoso.
500
The lowest voice classification assigned to a female voice is this.
What is contralto? Although some women can hit the same notes as a tenor, women who sing low are traditionally classified as contraltos
500
The type of note that gets one beat in a 3/8 time signature.
What is eighth? In a time signature, the top number indicates the number of beats per measure and the bottom number indicates what kind of note is worth one beat. An eight on the bottom means the eighth note is worth one beat.
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