Deck 1 Flashcards
(291 cards)
1
Q
Absolute Music
A
Music that is independent of words, drama, visual images, or any kind of representational aspects. The term was used by Wagner to condemn music that was deprived of the necessary solid basis in poetry or drama.
2
Q
A capella
A
Italian “in chapel style” Manner of choral singing without instrumental accompaniment.
3
Q
Ad libitum
A
Latin. 1)At will; at pleasure; changing the rhythm of a particular passage at the discretion of the performer. 2)A part that may be omitted if desired. 3) In jazz, the term “ad lib” generally refers to an improvised solo over an accompaniment.
4
Q
A due
A
Italian, “By two”. Used in orchestral scores to indicate that a single part normally for two players is to be played by both, OR that two parts that are being notated on a staff normally for one part is to be played by different players.
5
Q
Aerophone
A
A musical instrument that uses a vibrating body of air to produce sound, such as a flute, trumpet or organ
6
Q
Agréments
A
French “charm” Ornament in French music usually indicated by a sign. Includes turns, mordents, trills, etc.
7
Q
Air de cour
A
French for “court air.” Type of song for voice and accompaniment prominent in France from about 1580 through the 17th century.
8
Q
Alberti bass
A
Broken-chord accompaniment common in the second half of the 18th century and named after Domencio Alberti, who used the configuration frequently.
9
Q
Aleatoric
A
Music whose elements include chance or randomness. Also known as “chance music.”
10
Q
Alla breve
A
Italian. Originally 4/4 rhythm, so called from the fact that one breve, or double-whole-note, filled each measure. Today the term is more generally applied to 2/2 rhythm or cut time.
11
Q
Allemande
A
French “German” Highly stylized dance in binary form, in moderately fast quadruple meter with almost continuous movement, beginning with an upbeat. Popular during the Renaissance and Baroque; appearing often as the first dance in a suite.
12
Q
Altissimo
A
Italian. The highest, extremely high in pitch, generally referring to extended high ranges of instruments beyond the traditional high register.
13
Q
am Steg
A
An instruction to bow at the bridge of a stringed instrument.
14
Q
Answer
A
In the exposition of a fugue, the second entry of the subject, normally on the dominant the subject was on the tonic, and vice versa. Also refers to subsequent answers to the subject.
15
Q
Anthem
A
A polyphonic sacred work with a sacred or moralizing text in English for Anglican religious services.
16
Q
Anticipation
A
One of more harmonic voices or parts moving to their particular position in a new chord, in advance of the other part or in advance of the next beat.
17
Q
Antiphonal singing
A
Adjective describing a manner of performance in which two or more groups alternate.
18
Q
Appoggiatura
A
Italian. A non-chord tone on a strong beat, whose expressive quality comes in its delayed resolution.
19
Q
Arco
A
Italian. 1) The bow for a string instrument. 2) An instrument to play with the bow (rather than pizzicato.)
20
Q
Aria
A
Italian “Air” 1) In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, any section of an Italian strophic poem for a solo singer. 2) Lyrical monologue in an opera or other vocal work such as Cantata or Oratorio.
21
Q
Arioso
A
1) Recitativo arioso. 2) Short, aria-like passage. 3) Style of vocal writing that approaches the lyricism of an aria but is freer in form.
22
Q
Ars Antiqua
A
Literally “old art” the term generally indicates music of the 12th and 13th centuries, especially that by early polyphonists Leonin and Perotin. This repertoire is considered the beginning of free composition and counterpoint.
23
Q
Ars Nova
A
Latin “new art” Style of polyphony from 14th century France, distinguished from earlier styles by a new system of rhythmic notation that allowed duple or triple division of note values, syncopation, and great rhythmic flexibility.
24
Q
Augmentation
A
Changing the rhythmic values of a theme into notes of longer duration than the original presentation.
25
Auxiliary tone
“Neighbor note,” non-chord-tone in counterpoint.
26
Bagatelle
Literally a trifle or toy, a short easy piece of music, often for solo piano.
27
Ballad
1) In folk music traditions, a strophic song sued to tell a story of ten tragic or heroic in character. 2) A light style of music used both in singing and dancing.
28
Ballade
French. One of the French formes fixes of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, featuring rigid rules for the repetition of verse, refrain and music.
29
Ballata
Italian “to dance” 14th Century Italian song genre with the form AbbaA, which which “A” is the ripresa or refrain, and the single stanza consists of two pedi (bb) and a volta (a) sung to the music of the ripresa.
30
Ballad opera
Genre of the 18th Century. English comic play featuring songs in which new words are set to borrowed tunes.
31
Bar form
Song form in which the first section of melody is sung twice with different texts (the two stolen) and the remainder (the abgesang) is sung once.
32
Bariolage
French. A flashy passage, usually for violin, in which open strings are especially used to facilitate fast passagework across several strings.
33
Bel canto
“Beautiful song” Elegant Italian vocal style of the early 19th Century marked by lyrical, embellished, and florid melodies that show off the beauty, agility and fluency of the singer’s voice.
34
Binary form
A form comprised of two complementary section, each of which is repeated. The First section usually ends on the dominant or the relative major, although it may end on the tonic or other key; the second section returns to the tonic.
35
Bitonality
A musical passage featuring two simultaneous key centers.
36
Blues
1) African-American vocal genre that is based on a simple repetitive formula and characterized by a distinctive style of performance. 2) Twelve-bar blues.
37
Boehm system
A system of fingering for woodwind instruments developed in the 1830s by Theobald Boehm. His development was a rational placement of tone holes and the mechanized key system to cover them.
38
Bologna school
A group of composers in Bologna, Italy in the second half of the 17th c. particularly associated with important developments in instrumental styles, such as the sonata and concerto.
39
Bourrée
An old French dance said to have come from Auvergne, but others claim it to be a Spanish dance coming from Biscay, where it I still in use. It is very rapid and hearty, generally in ¾ or in 2/2 time.
40
Burgundian School
The group of northern European composers of the early 15th Century pioneering the next generation of harmony and polyphony, including Dufay.
41
Cabaletta
Italian. A simple melody of a pleasing and attractive character, an operatic air like the rondo in form, also called “cavaletta.”
42
Caccia
Italian. 1) Music for chase or hunt. 2) A canon where the voices “chase” each other. Common in the 14th and early 15th c.
43
Cadence
1) Any division or close of a phrase in melody or harmony, creating a partial punctuation of the phrase, or a final termination. 2) Ornamental passage decorating such a junction.
44
Cadenza
Italian. An ornamental passage often near the close of a song or solo either provided by the composer or improvised by the performer. Cadenzas originated as a brief elaboration and texture break, and over the centuries evolved to include significantly long passages for concerto soloists.
45
Cambiata
(1. Tones 2. Voice) Italian. 1) Non-chord tone approached by a leap and resolved by a step in the opposite direction. 2) In species counterpoint, a dissonance approached by a descending step and followed by a descending skip of a third. 3) The voice part of an adolescent male whose vocal range is in the middle of changing, generally similar to a baritone.
46
Canon
Literally meaning “rule,” the strictest form of contrapuntal composition, in which each voice exactly imitates the melody sung or played by the first voice. The imitation may be exact repetition, or an exact transformation by a rule, such as “twice the rhythmic value” or “a perfect 5th higher.”
47
Cantata
Italian. A vocal composition typically in several movements, and traditionally comprising airs, recitatives, and choruses. French-Cantate, German-Cantate
48
Cantilena
Italian. 1) Any light and simple song, or in instrumental music, a piece of songlike character. 2) The melody or principal part in any composition generally the highest vocal part.
49
Cantus Firmus
Latin. The subject or “fixed song” against which other melodic figures are et, “point against point,” in contrapuntal writing.
50
Canzona
Italian. 1) Song, ballad. 2) A graceful and somewhat elaborate air in two or three strains or divisions. 3) An air in two or three parts which passages of fugue and imitation, somewhat similar to the madrigal.
51
Capriccio
Italian. A fanciful and irregular species of composition; in a capricious and free style.
52
Catch
A humorous composition for 3 or 4 voices, of English tradition. The parts are so contrived that individual vocal parts enter introducing simple and innocent texts, generally with ample rests between phrases. Then when they repeat as over lapping parts, the newly juxtaposed syllables conjoin resulting in a new composite text, or goals.
53
Cavatina
Italian. An air, traditionally of one strain only; generally of simple and expressive characters. The first part of a bel canto aria.
54
Cembalo
Italian. Harpsichord.
55
Chace
French for hunt. A 14th century French composition incorporating canon and including naturalistic sounds, i.e. those of the hunt (like a caccia).
56
Chaconne, passacaglia
French. A traditional form of composition consisting of variation on a brief and reoccurring chord progression. When a repeating bass line supports the recurring chords, that line is called a Ground Bass. Although similar, the chaconne should not be confused with Passacaglia in which a melodic line recurs with elaborations.
57
Chanson
French. Song.
58
Character piece
A short instrumental composition with a given mood or character, most often for solo piano.
59
Chorale
English. A hymn that is typically harmonized in 4-parts in block-chord style with brief cadences at the end of each text line, to be sung several times through with successive stanzas of texts. The tradition evolved through the early German Protestant church and continues to the present in church music.
60
Chorale Cantata
A cantata based on the words or on both the words and melody of a German Protestant chorale. Several types are found among the works of Bach.
61
Chorale Fantasia
1) A composition for organ in which a chorale melody is treated freely. Developed by mid-17th c. to mid-18th c. German organists such as Buxtehude. 2) An elaborate movement based on a chorale that was often the first movement of a Bach chorale cantata.
62
Chorale Fugue
Work for organ in which the first phrase of a Chorale is made into the subject of a fugue. Often by German composers of the late 17th-early 18th centuries, such as Bach and his relatives.
63
Chorale Prelude
Music for organ (or other instruments) based on a chorale tune, in which newly-composed music begins as the primary theme, and the familiar hymn is later introduced in counterpoint with the new theme.
64
Chorale variations
A set of variations on a chorale melody.
65
Chordophones
A musical instrument that produces sound through the vibration of strings, such as a violin, harp or guitar.
66
Church modes
The system of modes used in Gregorian chant, developed by 1000 a.d. 8 modes are definied according to their range (ambitus) and final.
67
Clarino
Italian [Clarion] 1) A small military ancestor of the trumpet, sounding higher and more shrill than the modern instrument. 2) A 4-foot organ reed stop tuned an octave above the trumpet stop.
68
Clausula
Latin. 1) A cadence. 2) A composition of the 12th or 13th centuries based on plainchant.
69
Col legno
Italian. With the wood; indicates a passage for string instruments where the wood side of the bow is used to tap on the strings, rather than bowing with the hair.
70
Coloratura
Italian. A high soprano with the vocal dexterity to perform striking ornamental passages, roulades and embellishments.
71
Comping
A style of jazz accompaniment that is discontinuous, focusing more on rhythm and sound than on melody.
72
Concertante
Italian. Concerto-like; the term can be used in many ways, such as a symphony or solo piece with concerto-like features such as highlighting a solo player.
73
Concertato
Italian. Of or pertaining to works of the early 17th century that combine and contrast voice and instruments, esp. through the introduction of a thoroughbass.
74
Concertino
Italian. 1) A short concerto usually in one movement. 2) The group of soloists in a concerto grosso.
75
Concerto grosso
1) A concerto of any musical era featuring an ensemble of soloists. 2) A Baroque-era concerto using a fully orchestra (ripeno) and a group of soloists (concertino) who may also be principal players within the orchestra, sitting in their conventional locations in performance.
76
Concert pitch
1) The actual sounding pitch of any instrument. For “non-transposing” instruments, this is synonymous with the pitch they are playing. For transposing instruments like Saxophone, the term describes the resulting pitch in real sound, which is different from the pitch name they are reading and fingering. 2) Occasionally used to describe a tuning standard, such as A440 or A442.
77
Conductus
Sacred, non-liturgical music of the Ars Antiqua.
78
Consort
A Renaissance term for a small group of instruments and/or singers. Often of only one family of instruments.
79
Conterpoint
Italian. In Baroque music, this describes the harmonic framework showing a bass part and numeric symbols, often called figured bass, instructing a keyboard player in what chords to play, giving the keyboardist latitude in improvising the accompaniment.
80
Contrapuntal
Using counterpoint
81
Courante
French. From the word for running, an old dance in rapid ¾ time.
82
Cross Relation
The contrast when a note occurs in one chord, and then is chromatically altered in the following chord, or vice versa. Ex: When an A Major chord immediately follows or proceeds a C Major Chord, there is a cross relation between C-natural and C-sharp. Also called a false relation.
83
Cyclic
A musical structure that includes a recurring theme in various successive movements.
84
Da capo aria
Italian. An aria with Da Capo form thereby resulting in an exact A-B-A structure. Return to the A section is often embellished. Ritornellos fall between movements.
85
Diapason
Latin. 1) A whole octave. 2) Among instrument makers, a rule or scale by which they adjust pipes of organs, holes of ? etc. to give the proper proportions for intonation. 3) The two foundation stops in an organ (sometimes called Principal) are the open diapason and the stopped diapason.
86
Diatonic
A scale or musical passage staying strictly within the 7 notes of its key signature, thus without chromatically altered notes.
87
Diegetic music
Source music in film, music that is heard or performed by the characters themselves.
88
Dies irae
Latin “Day of Wrath,” the Judgment Day. A principal movement in a requiem.
89
Diminution
The division of the notes of a melody into shorter ones for the purpose of ornamentation, either written out or improvised. 2)In counterpoint, the imitation of a given subject or theme, in notes of shorter length having the effect of speeding up. The opposite is called augmentation.
90
Discant
Latin. 1) The addition of one or more parts to a melody. The forerunner of modern counterpoint and harmony, this art grew out of earlier counterpoint and organum. Still popular in church and folk music. 2) In early music, term also indicates treble or soprano voice.
91
Divertimento
Italian. 1) From the word “diversion,” a short, light composition; sometimes a series of airs and dances introduced between the acts of an opera. 2) An instrumental composition like a suite of several short movements.
92
Divisi
Italian. “Divided, separated” 1) In ensemble or choral parts, this word instructs performers within a section to divide and share multiple notes shown for that part. 2) When not specified otherwise, divisi means split into 2 parts, but one also sees “divisia3,” “divisia4,” or occasionally larger numbers.
93
Dodecaphonic
Music organized through a “tone row” in which no pitch is repeated until all 12 pitches have been sounded.
94
Double
French. 1) An old name for a variation, particularly in the Baroque era. 2) To play or sing in unison, or in octaves, with another performer. 3) To play a second instrument. Playing a third or fourth instrument is also called doubling.
95
Double fugue
A fugue with two simultaneous subjects.
96
Double Stop
Two notes played simultaneously by one player on bowed string instruments.
97
Drone
1) A continuously-sounding sustained pitch, the term being used in folk music from many cultures around the world, and in Western art music when the goal is to evoke the static harmony of folk or world music. Also called “pedal tone.” 2) One or more non-fingered tubes on a bagpipe, sounding a static note in unison or octaves and serving as a perpetual bass.
98
Duplum
Latin “double” In polyphony, late 12th century, second voice from the bottom in a three or four-voice texture, above the tenor.
99
99. Échappée
French “escape tone” A non-chord tone approached by a step and resolved by a leap in the opposite direction.
100
101. Embouchure
French. 1) The facial muscle, lip, and jaw positioning involved producing sound on a woodwind or brass instrument. 2) Occasionally used in referring to a mouthpiece.
101
Enharmonic
An equivalent re-spelling, using a different pitchc name and different accidental. Ex: G# and Ab are enharmonics.
102
Envelope
The shape of a sound’s amplitude over time, whether acoustic or electric.
103
Episode
1) A portion of a composition digressing from the principal theme. 2) Part of a fugue that intervenes between statements of the subject.
104
Erhu
Chinese. A two-string fiddle used in Chinese music.
105
Estampie
French. Dance music from the 13th and 14th Centuries. Instrumental form similar to the vocal sequence, from which it was derived. 4-7 sections called puncta: aa, bb, cc, etc. Open and closed statements for each pair.
106
Ethnomusicology
From the perspective of traditional European art, music and mainstream western culture, the study and scholarship of other musical cultures and traditions in the context of their cultures.
107
Ethos
Greek. The ancient Greek concept that individual modes embody different characters or moods.
108
Étude
French. 1) A study or exercise, generally designed to focus on one special specific skill or musical focus. 2) A concert piece of etude-like nature.
109
Exposition
The initial section of a sonata form movement, fugue or other composition, in which most or all the thematic material is introduced. The exposition of a large work may be quite long and include many themes.
110
Expressionism
An attitude and approach in certain 20th century music whereby composers expressed intense gestures and feelings through very striking music, generally focusing on strong unresolved dissonance, and tragic stories or images. This was in stark opposition to the gentle style of Impressionism.
111
Fancy
A 16th and 17th Century term for lute, keyboard, and instrumental music of English origin. The form stems from the Italian Fantasia. They are fairly long compositions in which several themes are treated in imitation. Composers include Morley and Byrd.
112
Fantasia
Italian “Fantasy” 1) Instrumental composition that resembles an improvisation or lacks a strict form. 2) Imitative instrumental piece on a single subject. 3) In the 15th and 16th centuries the term was used interchangeably with ricercar. 4)Character pieces of the romantic era with a dreamlike mood or some other fanciful whim.
113
Fauxbourdon
French. A 15th century Burgundian genre where a cantus firmus (plainsong melody) is harmonized by notating a lower 6th or sometimes octave below and a 4th below is extemporized by a singer.
114
Formes fixes
French poetic structures developed during the 14th and 15th century eventually being used for the musical structure of songs. Main composer was Guillaume de Machaut
115
Fret
Narrow strips of wood, ivory, metal, plastic or other materials set across the fingerboard of a guitar, mandolin, banjo, or similar instrument, to mark exact points on the fingerboard for stopping the strings, also serving as temporary bridges to render the tone of plucked strings more brilliant.
116
Fugato
Italian. In the style of a fugue, a short fugue passage within a larger work.
117
Fugue
Italian. Fuga “flight” Composition or section of a composition in strict imitative counterpoint that is based on a single subject and begins with successive statements of the subject at contrasting pitches/tonalities.
118
Fuguing tune
18th century American type of psalm or hymn tune that features a passage in free imitation, usually preceded and followed by homophonic sections.
119
Fusion
A form of jazz with strong rock influence.
120
Gallant style
An elegant, light musical style, part of the Rococo movement of the 18th century, opposed to the serious, elaborate style of the Baroque. The appearance of this style accompanied the shift from church to salon as cultural center, from fugal treatment to accompanied melody, and from church music to secular.
121
Galliard
A lively and popular Renaissance dance in ¾ time.
122
Gamelan
Javanese. An ensemble of Indonesian origin consisting of gongs, drums, cymbals, and pitched percussion. Strings, flutes, and vocalists may be included too.
123
Gavotte
French. A graceful dance of even rhythm generally in 2 or 4, with a half-bar pickup to each phrase.
124
125. Gebrauchsmusik
German. Useful music; music with a function or for the enjoyment of amateur players.
125
Gigue
French. Jig, a lively species of dance in a fast triple meter, generally notated as 3/8, 6/8, or occasionally 4/4 with triplet subdivisions. The exuberant Gigue is often the last movement in a dance suite. The name was probably derived from the small 12th century French fiddle of the same name.
126
Gradual
1) That 2nd part of the Roman Catholic Proper of the Mass sung between the Epistle and the Gospel. The name comes from Gradus, a step. Responsorial chants with a respond and a verse 2) A cantatorium (book of chants) containing the graduals, introits, and other antiphons of the Catholic Mass.
127
Ground Bass
A short melodic phrase 4-8 measures, that is repeated over and over as a bass line with varying music for the upper parts. Ex: Chaconne.
128
Hemiola
Ex: A group of 2+2+2 beats, when 3+3 is expected. Used frequently in Baroque music, the hemiola is also very common in South American folk music, often notated as ¾ interjected into a 6/8 passage.
129
Heterophony
The opposite of homophony, the term describes differing or independent streams of melody being heard simultaneously.
130
Hexachord
A group of six notes; this term can be used to describe part of a scale and is often used to describe a six-note segment of a 12-tone row.
131
Hocket
A polyphonic technique from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, where one voice has short abrupt entrances during another voice’s brief rests, creating a “hiccup” effect from alternating interjections.
132
Homophony
Harmonized music in which all parts have the same rhythm, resulting in a “block chord” texture as in hymns and other simple chorales.
133
Homorhythmic (Isorhythmic; Chordal)
Music where all parts have the same rhythm.
134
Idée fixe
French. A “fixed idea” or recurring motif through a long composition.
135
Idiomatic style
A style appropriate for the instrument for which particular music is written. This is an important concern for a composer.
136
Idiophones
A musical instrument that produces sound through the vibration of the instrument itself.
137
Imitation
The repetition of a motif or phrase; as introduced by one instrument or voice part, next echoed one or several times in other voice parts. Canon and fugue are strict forms of imitation, however the term may be used in a freer general sense for any use of successive entrances on a similar motive.
138
Impressionism
A musical style most associated with Debussy, Ravel and other French composers of the late 19th and early 20th century, in which gentle moods and impressions are evoked by using sensual instrumentation and harmonies, often with textures evocative of the painters also called Impressionists. This implies that the composer is responding to impressions of sensing the outer world, in contrast to Expressionism.
139
Impromptu
Fanciful name for 19th century character pieces of the romantic period. i.e. Schubert's impromptus. The title describes the casual origin in the composer's mind, not an improvisational nature.
140
Incidental music
Descriptive music accompanying a spoken play, or an instrumental passage in an opera.
141
Incipit
Latin. “It begins” The incipit of a text is the first few words of a Gregorian chant text, employed as an identifying label and sung by the cantor until the chorus enters at an asterisk; an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose.
142
Intabulation
Arrangement of a vocal piece for lute or keyboard, typically written in tablature, or its accompaniment.
143
Intermezzo
Italian musical comedy/drama, performed between acts of a serious opera or play. a.k.a. intermedio. 16th century intermedi are forerunners of opera and featured great spectacle. 18th century intermezzi of operas were the predecessors of opera buffa.
144
Introit
Latin “entrance” First prayer in the Mass Proper, originally sung for the entrance procession, comprising of antiphon, psalm verse, lesser doxology, and reprise of the antiphon.
145
Isomelic
Greek isos “equal melodia “melody” A term referring to repeated uses of the same pitch contour, through with variations in rhythm.
146
Isorhythmic
Greek meaning “equal rhythm.” Repetition in a voice part (usually the tenor) of an extended pattern of durations throughout a section or an entire composition.
147
Inversion
1) A chord whose lowest pitch is not the root of that chord. 2) Any other switching of notes or lines to reverse high pitch and low pitch.
148
Jeté
French. Bouncing the bow of a violin (or other string instrument) on the string during a downbow, to produce a series of repeated notes.
149
Klangfarbenmelodie
German. A modern technique that breaks up the musical line and passes it between several instruments of varying timbre.
150
Landini cadence
A cadence named after 14th century composer Francesco Landini. The most conspicuous trait is the deflection of the leading tone to the 6th degree of the scale before resolving.
151
Laendler
An Austrian rustic country dance in ¾ inspiring concert music by composers including Schubert and Mahler. Like a slow waltz.
152
Lauda
Hymn of praise and devotion in the Italian language.
153
Leitmotiv
German. An easily recognizable theme or phrase associated with a specific character or concept in opera, theater, film or programmatic concert music. The device originated with Weber’s operas and flourished through Wagner and other late Romantic composers as a means to follow and dramatize the development of a story line.
154
L’homme armé
French. A French secular song from the Renaissance. Set in Dorian mode it was the most popular tune used for musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass. Over 40 separate compositions entitled “Missa L’homme arme” survive from the period.
155
Lied
German. A song; ballad; ahy.
156
Ligature
1) An adjustable brace securing the reed to the mouthpiece on clarinets and saxophones. 2) In plainchant and early music notation, a symbol that encompassed several notes of one melisma. 3) Formerly used to describe a slur or group of notes executed in one breath or phrase.
157
Live Electronics
Any kind of music that can include the use of electroacoustic instruments, various electronic sound-generating devices, and computers, but which generally ecludes the use of prerecorded or sampled material. Initially the practice developed in reaction to sound-based compositions for fixed media such as musique concrete, electronic music and early computer music.
158
Madrigal
Any secular a cappella vocal or choral composition, generally in three, four, five, or six voice parts. The madrigal’s golden period was during the Renaissance, primarily in England and Italy, although it was also popular in other European countries.
159
Magnificat
Latin. Part of the vespers, or evening service, at the Roman Catholic Church.
160
Mannheim School
German. A pocket of 18th Century German composers based in Mannheim who developed modern orchestral writing and were particularly known for using crescendos as an orchestral device.
161
Masque
A species of musical drama, or operetta, including singing and dancing, performed by characters in masks. The masque was a predecessor of opera.
162
Mass
(Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)- 1. Most important catholic service, stemming from commemoration of the last supper. An elaborate liturgy of chants prayers, and readings before and after the central canon. 2. Polyphonic vocal compositions performed during the celebration of High Mass in the Roman Catholic Church, usually set to the Ordinary, often accompanied by instruments. In church functions these are sung at different liturgical points of the mass and not as one continuous musical work.
163
Mazurka
A lively Polish dance in ¾ time, often characterized by dotted rhythms. Characterized by strong accents on the second or third beat and tendency to end on the dominant pitch on an unaccented 3rd beat. 2 or 4 sections of 6-8 measures, each repeated.
164
Mbira
(Kalimba) An African “thumb piano,” consisting of a palm-size sound box with metal spring-like keys attached to the top; a modernized version of the African mbira, it is used in traditional Zimbabwean music.
165
Meistersinger
German “master singer” Type of German amateur singer and poet-composer of the 14th-16th Century who was a guild member of a guild that cultivated a style of monophonic song derived from Minnelieder.
166
Melisma/melismatic
The singing of more than one notes to one syllable of text. / Of a melody, having many melismas.
167
Membranophones
Any percussion instrument whose sound is produced by striking a skin-like membrane such as drums or tambourine.
168
Mensural Notation
A system of indicating rhythms during the later Middle Ages (beginning in 1260) and Renaissance; considered the first notation system in Western music to employ individual note shapes for temporal values. Termed Franconian for Franco of Cologne.
169
Messa di voce
Italian. Gradual swelling and diminishing of a vocal tone through control of breath.
170
Microtone
Any interval smaller than a half step.
171
MIDI
Musical Instrument Digital Interface. Originally created as a shared open standard between several manufacturers of electronic instruments and software, to allow competing brands; instruments and sound modules to work in tandem. This standard quickly became a universal means for all computers, software and electronic instruments to communicate common language.
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Minimalism
One of the leading musical styles of the late 20th Century in which materials are reduced to a minimum and procedures simplified so that the musical content is immediately apparent. Often characterized by a constant pulse and many repetitions of simple rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic patterns with slight variations over time.
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Minnesinger
German. A German troubadour or minstrel of the 12th or 13th Century, they wandered from place to place singing a great variety of songs and melodies.
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Minuet
A light German dance in ¾, popular with 18th Century composers, the minuet became a standard inner movement in the symphony and other multi-movement forms. In this context it served as the opening and close of an ABA (ternary) structure, with the middle section consisting of a lighter Trio.
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Modality
Harmonies and/or melodies based on modes. An ordered series of musical intervals, or scale. The term “mode” most often refers to a diatonic scale pattern beyond the conventional major and minor. Aeolian, church modes, Dorian, Ionian, Locrian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Phyrigian, major and minor scales.
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Modulation
1) A transition of key; going from one key to another, by a certain succession of chords, either in a natural and flowing manner, or sometimes in a sudden and unexpected manner. 2) As applied to the voice, to accommodate the tone to a certain degree of intensity, or light and shade.
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Monody
A composition for a single melodic line, especially the Italian solo song of the first half of the 17th century. It is often associated with the publication of Caccini’s Le Nuove Musiche.
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Monophony
A single melodic line without any additional parts or accompaniment, as in plainchant.
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Mordent
- In Baroque music, a “shake” consisting of the principal note itself and the note above or below. The sign over the principal note calls for the upper auxiliary, and the same sign with a vertical line through it for the lower auxiliary. Mordent and inverted mordent have both been used to indicate the upper or lower neighbor.
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Motet
A sacred vocal work originating in the 13th century and through the 18th century. Motets are generally contrapuntal, and it is possible that the word is derived from moto (motion), because of the constant motion of all the parts.
Medieval Motet: 13th century, 2-3 voices, tenor drawn from chant, upper voices have secular texts.
Renaissance Motet: Polyphonic setting of a sacred Latin text, but not from the Ordinary.
Later Motet: After 1600, could mean imitative polyphony in the style of Palestrina or simply a sacred vocal composition for religious use.
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Motive, motif
A small succession of notes, perceived as a meaningful musical entity within a composition. Can be elaborated, transformed, or combined with other material.
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Musique concrete
Music created by the electronic manipulation of natural and man-made sounds.
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Musica ficta
A small succession of notes, perceived as a meaningful musical entity within a composition.
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Musica reservata/secreta
A style or performance practice in a cappella vocal music of the latter half of the 16th century mainly in Italy and Southern Germany, involving refinement, exclusivity of audience, and intense emotional expression of sung text, using the whole range of techniques for text expression.
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Mode, Time, Prolation
The three levels of rhythmic divison in Ars Nova notation. Mode is the division of longs into breves; time the divison of breves into semibreves; and prolations the division of semibreves into minims.
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Nationalism
The integration or infusion of one’s nation or culture, often through music, art, and literature; a European social movement most prevalent in the 19th and 20th centuries. Nationalistic music features the use of folk melodies, dances, and stories
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Neapolitan school
Associated with opera, a group of 18th century composers who studied or worked in Naples, Italy, the best known of whom is Alessandro Scarlatti, with whom “modern opera begins.” The language of the music speaks of feelings, emotions, and passions.
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Neoclassicism
An early 20th century musical movement in which composers drew inspiration from the forms and ideas of the Classical Period. Often applied to Stravinsky.
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Neapolitan sixth
A major triad constructed on the lowered second scale degree, usually serving as a dominant preparation; this chord appears most often in first inversion, when it is called the Neapolitan Sixth. In C Major, it would be spelled F-Ab-Db.
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Neumes
Notational style used in Western music, primarily plainsong, during the Middle Ages.
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Nocturne
1) A composition describing or evoking the night, usually with a dreamy and romantic character. 2) A serenade meant to be played at night, often in the open air.
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Nonharmonic tones
(Non chord tones) Notes that are not part of the harmony at a given time; they are usually categorized by the manner in which they are approached and resolved.
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Note bending
Commonly used in jazz and blues music; a musical note varied in pitch.
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Notes inegales
French. “Unequal Notes” 17th Century convention of performing French music in which passages notated in short, even durations, such as a succession of eighth notes, are performed by alternating longer notes on the beat with shorter offbeats to produce a lilting rhythm.
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Notre Dame School
(Notre Dame School of Polyphony) Group of composers working at or near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris from about 1160 to 1250, along with the music produced. Leonin and Perotin were the key composers, best composer of organum.
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Octatonic scale
An eight-note scale consisting of alternating whole steps and half steps; there are only three possible octatonic scales.
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Offeratory
A hymn, prayer, anthem, or instrumental piece sung or played during the collection of the offering. It follows the Credo in the Mass.
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Office
Latin “Obligation” or “ceremony” A series of eight prayer services of the Roman Catholic Church, celebrated daily at specified times, especially in monasteries and convents; also, any one of those services. Ex: Vespers, matins, etc.
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Opera buffa
Italian “Comic Opera” 18th century genre of Italian comic opera, sung throughout. Made greater use of ensembles, especially at the ends of acts.
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Opera comique
French “Comic Opera” 1) In the 18th century the light French comic opera, which used spoken dialogue instead of recitatives. 2) In 19th century France, opera with spoken dialogue, whether comic or tragic.
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Opera seria
“Serious opera” 18th Century genre of Italian opera, on a serious subject but normally with a happy ending, usually without comic characters and scenes. Featured pattern of recit and da Capo aria. Composers include Scarlatti and Handel.
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Oratorio
Genre of dramatic music that originated in the 17th century combining narrative, dialogue, and commentary through arias, recitatives, ensembles, choruses, and instrumental music like an un-staged opera. Could be sacred or secular.
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Ordinary
Latin “usual” Prayers of the mass that remain the same on most or all days of the church calendar, although the tunes may change.
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Ostinato
Italian “obstinate” Short musical pattern that is repeated persistently throughout a piece or section.
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Overture
1) An orchestral piece introducing an opera or other long work. 2) Independent orchestral work in one movement, usually descriptive.
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Pandiatonicism
The use of the diatonic scale without the limitations of functional tonality. Often employs dissonant diatonic harmonies with added sixths, sevenths, ninths. Used by Prokofiev and Stravinsky.
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Paraphrase
A transcription or rearrangement of a vocal or instrumental composition for some other instrument or instruments, with more or less brilliant variations.
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Parlando
Accented; in a declamatory style; in a recitative, or speaking style.
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Parody Mass
Polyphonic mass in which each movement is based on the same polyphonic model, normally a chanson or motet, and all voices (or more than one) of the model are used in the mass.
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Partita
Baroque term for a set of variations on a melody or bass line.
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Passacaglia
Baroque genre of variations over a repeated bass line or harmonic progression in triple meter.
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Pasticcio
A medley made up of songs or pieces by various composers.
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Pavane
A grave, stately dance, which took its name from pavano, a peacock. It is in 4/4.
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Pedal Point
(Pedal Tone) Any sustained tone during which the harmony changes.
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Pentatonic Scale
A scale of five notes; the most widely-known pentatonic scale is similar to a major scale with the 4th and 7th degrees omitted. Common in eastern music.
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Perfect Pitch
Best described as “permanent pitch memory” the ability of some listeners to discern musical notes without eternal references, also called “absolute pitch.”
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Phasing
A technique in which the same part (a repetitive part/phrase) is played on two instruments, in steady but not identical tempi. The parts gradually shift out creating an echo.
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Picardy third
The substitution of a major third for a minor third in the final tonic triad of a piece or movement in a minor key.
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Pizzicato
Italian. Pinched; meaning that the strings of the violin, violencello, etc. are not to be played with the bow, but plucked, with the right-hand fingers, producing a staccato effect.
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Plainsong, plainchant
222. Plainsong, Plainchant- Sacred, monophonic vocal music typically notated only in pitches, allowing the rhythm to follow the natural prosody of the liturgical words. Also called plainchant, this also includes the specific repertoires known as Gregorian, Ambrosian, and Byzantine chant.
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Polonaise
French. A Polish dance in triple time, with frequent runs and skips in the melody, and syncopation occurring freely in both the melody and the accompaniment.
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Polychoral style
A musical texture involving alternating groups of singers.
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Polychord
A sonority consisting of two distinct, often contrasting, chords occurring simultaneously.
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Polymetric
The use of different meters simultaneously or in alternation.
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Polyphony
A texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice which is called monophony, and in difference from musical texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords which is called homophony.
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Polyrhythmic
The simultaneous use of two or more contrasting rhythms.
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Sul ponticello
Italian 1) The bridge of a string instrument. 2) The direction of bow near the bridge is sul ponticello, and the result is a nasal and scratchy, yet incisive tone.
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Portamento
Italian. From portare, to carry. This indicates a carrying or gliding of the tone from one note to the next, but so rapidly that the intermediate notes are not defined, as would be the case in a legato passage between two principal notes. The expression occurs frequently in vocal music, but may also be found in instrumental music.
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Prelude
1) A short introduction composition to prepare the ear for the succeeding movements. 2) A composition, of a free and improvised character. Esp. Baroque for keyboard instrument.
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Program music
Instrumental music, which either by its title, or by description printed upon the composition, gives a definite picture of events or objects. Ex: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
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Proper
The portions of the Roman Catholic Mass that vary depending on the specific occasion or time of year.
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Psalm tones
A melodic formula for singing psalms in the Office. There is one psalm tone for each mode.
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Quodlibet
Latin. A light-hearted composition combining several melodies, often popular tunes, in counterpoint.
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Ragtime
Musical style that features syncopated rhythm against a regular, march-like bass.
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Recitative
A passage or section in an opera, oratorio, cantata, or other vocal work in a speech-like style. Can be secco (many notes over a sustained chord, with somewhat free rhythmic declaration of the voice) or accompanied (in time with full accompaniment by the orchestra).
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Relative
The ability of a musician to aurally determine the intervals between given notes.
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Requiem Mass
Latin. A mass, or musical service, for the dead. It traditionally contains the following sections: Requiem aeternam, Kyrie, Dies irae, Domine Jesu Christe, Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and Lux aeterna.
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Responsorial singing
Call and response in liturgy, where a soloist or group of soloists alternates with a choir.
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Retrograde
Backward statement of a previously heard melody, passage, or twelve-tone row.
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Rhythmic modes
System of six durational patterns (for example: mode 1, long-short) used in polyphony of the late 12th and 13th centuries, used as the basis of the rhythmic notation of the Notre Dame composers.
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Rhythm section
The group of instruments in a jazz or popular music band that establishes the rhythmic and harmonic structure of each piece or song; this can include drumset, bass, piano, and guitar.
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Ricercar
Italian “to seek out” or “to attempt” 1) In the early to mid-16th century, a prelude in the style of an improvisation. 2) From the late 16th century on, an instrumental piece that treats one or more subjects in imitation.
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Riff
A memorable, “catchy” phrase or ostinato pattern played by the rhythm section in a jazz or popular music band; the pattern may be melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic.
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Ripieno
Italian “full” In a solo concerto or concerto grosso, the full orchestra, or tutti.
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Ritornello
A reoccurring instrumental passage played by the full orchestra, or tutti, in the first or last movement of a Baroque concerto. It also divided sections in Baroque opera, letting the listener know when the aria was beginning and separated sections of the ABA da capo aria.
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Rondeau
French. One of the French formes fixes of the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance, featuring rigid rules for the repetition of verse, refrain, and music.
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Rondo
A composition, vocal or instrumental, consisting of one prominent theme which reappears multiple times in alternation with other contrasting themes. Ex: ABACADA
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Rubato
Italian. Robbed or stolen time; irregular time, meaning a slight deviation to give more expression by retarding one note, and quickening another, but so that the time of each measure is not altered as a whole.
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Sarabande
1) Originally a quick-dance-song from Latin America. 2) In French Baroque music, a slow dance dance in binary form and in triple meter, often emphasizing the second beat; a standard movement of a suite.
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Scat singing
Technique in jazz in which the performer sings non-sense syllables to an improvised or composed melody.
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Schenker System
Musical analysis of tonal music based on the theories of Heinrich Schenker. The goal of a Schenkerian analysis is to interpret the underlying structure of a tonal work and to help reading the score according to that structure.
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Scherzo
Italian “joke” A joking or particulary fast movement in place of(?) minuet and trio form.
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Scordatura
Italian. An alternative tuning scheme for string instruments.
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Sequence
Sequentia “something that follows” 1) A category of Latin chant that follows the alleluia in some masses. 2) Restatement of a pattern, either melodic or harmonic, on successive or different pitch levels.
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Sequencer
A device or software application designed to store and play back computer-generated music.
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Serenade
Italian “serenade” A semi-dramatic piece for several singers and small orchestra, usually written for a special occasion.
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Serial music
Music composed in the twelve-tone method; used especially for music that extends the same general approach to series in parameters other than pitch.
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Siciliano
Italian. A dance of the Sicilian peasants; a graceful movement of a slow, soothing, pastoral character in 6/8 or 12/8.
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Sinfonia
1) Generic terms used throughout the 17th century for an abstract emsemble piece, especially one that serves as an introduction to a vocal work. 2) Italian Opera overture in the early 18th century. 3) Early symphony.
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Singspiel
German “singing play” German genre of opera, featuring spoken dialogue interspersed with songs, choruses, and instrumental music.
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Sonata da camera
“Chamber sonata” Baroque sonata, usually a suit of stylized dances, scored for one or more treble instruments and continuo.
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Sonata da chiesa
“Church sonata” Baroque instrumental work intended for performance in church; usually in four movements: slow-fast-slow-fast, and scored for one or more treble instruments and continuo.
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Sonata form
Form typically used in first movements of sonatas, instrumental chamber works, and symphonies during the classical and romantic periods. An expansion of rounded binary form, it is described in the 19th century as consisting of an exposition, development, and recapitulation based on a limited number of themes.
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Song cycle
A group of art songs performed in succession that tells or suggests a story.
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Sprechstimme
German “speaking voice” A vocal style developed by Arnold Schoenberg in which the performer approximates the written pitches in the gliding tones of speech, while following the notated rhythm.
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Spectral music
A compositional technique developed in the 1970’s, using computer analysis for the quality of timbre in acoustic music or artificial timbres derived from synthesis.
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Stabat Mater
Latin “The Mother Stood” The first words of a latin hymn of the Crucifixion.
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Steel pan
A pitched percussion instrument made from a 55-gallon oil drum and tuned chromatically. It is used in tradition Caribbean music. With an origin in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, it is also known as steelpans or pans.
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Stretto
- Italian. 1) Literally, narrow or close; formerly used to denote that the movement indiciated was to be performed in a quick, concise style. 2) In fugue writing, that part where the subject and answer overlap each other. 3) With growing excitement, as a stringendo.
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Sturm und Drang
German “Storm and Yearning” A musical and literary movement in the 1760’s through 1780’s, characterized by strong emotions as subjectivity.
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Suite
A set of pieces that are linked together into a single work. During the Baroque, a suite usually referred to a set of stylized dance pieces.
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Suspension
Dissonance created when a note is sustained while another voice moves to form a dissonance with it; the sustained voice descends a step to resolve dissonance.
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Symphonic poem
Or Tone Poem. Term coined by Franz Lizst for a one-movement work of program music for orchestra that conveys a poetic idea, story, scene, or succession of moods by presenting themes that are repeated, varied, and transformed.
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Tablature
English. A style of notation, usually written for plucked string instruments such as lute and guitar, in which a table is used to assign specific fingers to specific string and frets.
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Te Deum
(Te deum laudamus) Latin. “We praise Thee, O God” A canticle, or hymn of praise.
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Temperament
The division of the octave into twelve equal semi-tones, in defiance of the law of nature, which demands a different proportion. The introduction of equal temperament was a modification of the scale of nature that alone made music on keyed instruments practicable.
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Ternary form
A three-part musical form, labeled ABA, where the B material contrasts with the A material and is usually conclusive enough to stand on its own; the traditional form of the minuet and trio or scherzo and trio.
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Theramin
An electronic instrument invented by Leon Theremin in the late 1920’s; it consists primarily of two antennas that control pitch and volume based on the relative proximity of the performer’s hands.
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Toccata
Italian. A form of composition for keyboard instruments, most popular during the late Renaiisance and Baroque period. Getting its name from the word “toccare” (to touch), it is a technically demanding work often containing one or more fugal sections.
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THorough bass
Figured Bass. A system of harmony involving a bass line notated with numerals (figured) that, indicate chords for a keyboard player to add above the bass. The numerals indicate an interval from the bass note to a note above, significant in the harmony. Originating as a form of musical shorthand employed in the 17th and 18th Centuries. It is used in the present day primarily for the study of harmony.
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Tonal and real
In a fugue, an answer that modifies one or more notes in the process of transposing the subject to the dominant, to prolong focus on the tonic.
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Tone cluster
(Cluster) A group of notes a 2nd apart that are played simultaneously; clusters may be diatonic or chromatic, and the term generally describes the dramatic denseness of such a sound more than precise relationship between notes.
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tone poem
(Program music) Instrumental music, which either by its title, or by description printed upon the composition, gives a definite picture of events of objects.
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Trading fours
(Trading fours/eights) A jazz technique in which several soloists alternate playing every four or eight bars.
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trio sonata
Common instrumental genre during the Baroque Period, a sonata for two treble instruments (usually violins) above a bass continuo. A performance featured four or more players if more than one was used for the continuo part.
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Trouvere
Old French “trouver” “to composer a song” A poet-composer of North France who wrote monophonic songs in Old French (langue d’oil) in the 12th and 13th centuries.
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Troubador
Occitan “Trobar” “to compose a song” A poet-composer of Souther France who wrote monophonic song in the Occitan (langue d’oc) in the 12th and 13th centuries.
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Trope
An addition to existing chant, consisting of 1)words and melody; 2)melisma; or 3)words only, set to an existing melisa or other melody.
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VErismo
Italian “realism” 19th Century operatic trend that presents everyday people in familiar situations, often depicting sordid or brutal events.
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VEnetian school
A group of composers in Venice at the end of the 16th Century and beginning of the 17th century including Adrian Wilbert and Andrea and Gabrieli; a major style trait of this school is polychoral antiphony, with the architecture and acoustics of the Cathedral of San Marco often cited as a major influence.
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Virelai
French forme fixe in the pattern AbbaAbbaAbbaA, in which a refrain (A) alternates with stanzas with the musical for (bba), the “a” using the same music as the refrain.
