Basic music terminology

Question 1

What is texture?

Answer 1

How instrumental or vocal layers are combined.

Monophonic: A single melody with no harmony

Homophonic: Melody with harmony

Polyphonic: Two or more independent melodies

Question 2

What is timbre?

Answer 2

A word used to describe the character or colour of a musical sound

Question 3

What is pitch?

Answer 3

How high or low a sound is

Question 4

What is structure?

Answer 4

How a piece of music is organized (also called form)

Music can be made up of contrasting musical sections, which we label using letters.

Binary form: AB
Ternary form: ABA
Rondo form: ABACA

Question 5

What is tempo?

Answer 5

How fast or slow music is
Largo: Very slow
Adagio: Slow
Andante: Walking pace
Moderato: Moderate
Allegro: Quick
Presto: Very quick

Question 6

List 4 examples using italian musical terminology that a music can change tempo

Answer 6

Accelerando (accel.) - gradually getting quicker
Rallentando (rall.) - gradually getting slower
Ritardando (rit.) - gradually getting slower
A tempo - return to original tempo

Question 7

What are dynamics?

Answer 7

How loudly or quietly music should be played

Question 8

What is rhythm?

Answer 8

Patterns of sounds that have different durations, played in time with the pulse.
Semibreve: 4 beats
Minim: 2 beats
Crotchet: 1 beat
Quaver: 1/2 beat
Semiquaver: 1/4 beat