Definitions

Question 1

Define Programatic writing

Answer 1

Music with a descriptive element that is inspired by extramusical associations, like a story or painting

Question 2

Define Concerto

Answer 2

a popular instrumental genre of the Baroque era for soloist(s) and orchestra
• generally in three movements: fast–slow–fast
• frequently employs ritornello form
• intended to showcase the virtuosity of the soloist(s)

Question 3

Define ritornello form

Answer 3

a structure employed in the first and third movements of a baroque concerto

Question 4

Define ripieno

Answer 4

Italian for “full” or “complete”
• a term used to denote the use of the full orchestra in the Baroque concerto
• often juxtaposed against the concertino

Question 5

Define idiomatic writing

Answer 5

highlights the unique technical capabilities of an instrument through the style of writing
• developed in the Baroque era

Question 6

Define ostinato

Answer 6

A continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm

Question 7

Define pedal point

Answer 7

a note, or a series of notes, sustained through harmony changes in other parts

Question 8

Define subject

Answer 8

the initial statement of the main theme of a fugue

Question 9

Define answer

Answer 9

the second statement of the main theme of a fugue

Question 10

Define countersubject

Answer 10

a recurring countermelody, accompanies entries of the subject and answer

Question 11

Define real answer

Answer 11

an exact transposition of the subject

Question 12

Define counterpoint

Answer 12

a combination of two or more melodic lines also referred to as polyphonic texture

Question 13

Define tonal answer

Answer 13

a statement of the subject in which one or more intervals is adjusted to accommodate the harmony

Question 14

Define Clavier

Answer 14

A clavier is a German word for any keyboard instrument but the organ

Question 15

Define equal temperament

Answer 15

a method of tuning keyboard instruments
• the octave is divided into twelve equal semitones
• facilitated the composition and performance of music in all keys

Question 16

Define French Overture

Answer 16

a Baroque orchestral genre, often the orchestral introduction to an opera or oratorio
• first developed at the court of Louis XIV by Jean-Baptiste Lully
• generally in two parts
• first part—slow tempo, homophonic texture, features dotted figures
• second part—fast tempo, imitative texture

Question 17

Define recitative

Answer 17

a speech-like style of singing used in opera, oratorio, and cantata
• follows inflections of the text, resulting in rhythmic flexibility within the music (to accommodate the text)
• usually used to advance the plot or storyline; moves through text quickly

Question 18

Define recitativo secco:

Answer 18

Italian for “dry recitative”
• a speech-like, declamatory style of singing
• supported only by continuo
• employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata

Question 19

Define recitativo accompagnato

Answer 19

Italian for “accompanied recitative”
• a speech-like, declamatory style of singing
• supported by instrumental ensemble or orchestra
• allows for greater connection with the text
• employed in opera, oratorio, and cantata

Question 20

Define word painting

Answer 20

musical pictorialization
• the music mirrors the literal meaning of the words
• achieved through melody, harmony, or rhythm

Question 21

Define libretto

Answer 21

the text of an opera, oratorio, or cantata

• usually written by someone other than the composer

Question 22

Define melisma

Answer 22

a group of notes sung on a single syllable/vowel

• demonstrates vocal virtuosity and often serves to highlight key words

Question 23

Define aria

Answer 23

Italian for “air”
• a solo song with accompaniment, heard in an opera, oratorio, or cantata
• highly emotional and often virtuosic
• may have lyrical or dramatic qualities; often serves to reveal the characters’ most intimate emotions

Question 24

Define oratorio

Answer 24

a large-scale work for soloists, chorus, and orchestra
• serious subject, generally based on biblical texts
• consists of recitatives, arias, ensembles, and choruses
• developed in the Baroque era

Question 25

Define chamber music

Answer 25

Chamber music is music for small ensemble (two to ten players) In chamber music, there is one player per part Chamber music is usually performed without a conductor

Question 26

Define String quartet

Answer 26

String quartets are the most important chamber music genre of the Classical era The performing forces in a string quartet are: first violin, second violin, viola, and cello String quartets are usually in four movements: fast–slow–moderately fast–fast

Question 27

Define theme and variations

Answer 27

a work featuring a statement of a melody (theme) followed by a series of transformations (variations) • changes can be made to melody, harmony, rhythm, or (orchestration)

Question 28

Define serenade

Answer 28

a multi-movement orchestral genre • for small orchestra or chamber ensemble • popular instrumental genre in the Classical era • often performed in aristocratic circles

Question 29

Define rondo form

Answer 29

Classical formal structure often used in sonata cycle • Section A recurs after each alternating section, creating contrast • Section A is heard three times or more in the tonic key • ABACA or ABACABA

Question 30

Define menuet and trio

Answer 30

menuet: a stylized dance of French origin developed in the Baroque era in triple meter with a graceful, elegant character • trio: contrasting middle section • ternary form (ABA or Menuet–Trio–Menuet)

Question 31

Define sonata-rondo form

Answer 31

combines elements of sonata form and rondo form • typical section order: ABACABA (ABA functions as the exposition, C functions as the development, second ABA functions as the recapitulation) • also known as “rondo–sonata” form

Question 32

Define rocket theme

Answer 32

rapidly ascending melody outlining an arpeggio | • often used as a dramatic opening motive in Classical-era works

Question 33

Define rounded binary form

Answer 33

two-part form: A || B + A1 || • opening material from Section A returns after B material • key structure similar to binary form

Question 34

Define symphony

Answer 34

a multi-movement orchestral work originating in the 18th century • usually in four movements: fast–slow–moderate–fast • at least one movement is in sonata form

Question 35

Define cyclical structure

Answer 35

material heard in one movement recurs in later movements | • creates structural unity in a multi-movement work

Question 36

Define motive

Answer 36

a short melodic or rhythmic fragment used to build a melody

Question 37

Define scherzo and trio

Answer 37

Italian for “jest” or “joke” | • Beethoven substituted the scherzo in place of the menuet as the third movement in the sonata

Question 38

Define cycle

Answer 38

also in triple meter, but generally more dramatic than the elegant menuet • could be humorous or ironic • as with the menuet and trio, it contains a contrasting middle section

Question 39

Define art song

Answer 39

the musical setting of a poem | • for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment

Question 40

Define Lied

Answer 40

plural Lieder • the musical setting of a German poem • for solo voice, generally with piano accompaniment • flourished in the 19th century

Question 41

Define durchkomponiert (through-composed)

Answer 41

a song structure that does not repeat entire sections of the music • as a result, melody, harmony, and piano accompaniment are able to reflect the meaning of the text as the story unfolds

Question 42

Define polonaise

Answer 42

stately Polish dance in triple meter, transformed by Chopin into a virtuosic piano composition • often proud and majestic in character • often includes characteristic rhythmic figures called “polonaise rhythms”

Question 43

Define nationalism in music

Answer 43

important element of 19th-century musical style • patriotism expressed through music • is influenced by folk song and dance, myths and legends, landscapes and historical events

Question 44

Define rubato

Answer 44

Italian for “robbed time” • rhythmic flexibility—speeding up or slowing down • an expressive device for interpreting music

Question 45

Define idée fixe

Answer 45

French for “fixed idea” • devised by Berlioz • a recurring theme that undergoes transformation • serves as a unifying thread in a multi-movement composition • in Symphonie fantastique, it represents “the beloved”

Question 46

Define Dies irae

Answer 46

Latin for “day of wrath” • a monophonic chant melody dating from late Middle Ages • drawn from the Roman Catholic Requiem (Mass for the dead) • 19th-century audiences would have associated the tune with funeral services

Question 47

Define program symphony

Answer 47

a 19th-century multi-movement orchestral work • modeled after the 18th-century symphony with programmatic elements • includes a descriptive title • the accompanying text often outlines the program

Question 48

Define col legno

Answer 48

Italian for with the wood • novel string effect used by Berlioz • players tap on the strings with the wooden parts of their bows

Question 49

Define Habañera:

Answer 49

Cuban dance–song | • characteristic rhythmic motive, often used as an ostinato

Question 50

Define exoticism in music

Answer 50

important element of 19th-century musical style • fascination with foreign lands and cultures • evoked through melody, rhythm, harmony, and orchestration

Question 51

Define modal scales

Answer 51

the use of scales (modes) in which the pattern of whole steps and half steps is different from conventional major and minor scales; for example, Dorian, Lydian, and Mixolydian • common in music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance; rediscovered by 20th-century composers

Question 52

Define whole-tone scale

Answer 52

a non-traditional scale employed by composers of the late 19th and 20th centuries • consists of six different pitches, all spaced a whole tone apart

Question 53

Define pentatonic scale

Answer 53

scale consisting of five different pitches Major- 123, 56 Minor- 1, 345, 71 • common to the folk music of many European and Asian cultures

Question 54

Define Symbolism

Answer 54

a French literary movement of the late 19th century • symbolist writers include Paul Verlaine and Stéphane Mallarmé • authors sought to suggest subject matter rather than specifically depict it • stresses the beauty of the word itself

Question 55

Define symphonic poem

Answer 55

one of the most important forms of orchestral program music • a single-movement work, generally free in form, with literary or pictorial associations • invented by Franz Liszt

Question 56

Define impressionism in music:

Answer 56

paralleled the French movement in visual art • employs expanded harmonic vocabulary: whole-tone, modal, pentatonic scales; parallel chords • suggests images rather than directly depicting them • features innovative orchestral colors, including individual treatment of instruments and use of muted instruments • metric pulse is frequently obscured

Question 57

Define primitivism

Answer 57

an effect created largely through rhythm, in particular polyrhythm • uses strong accents, heavy syncopation, expanded percussion section • is clearly demonstrated in Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring

Question 58

Define ballet

Answer 58

a highly stylized type of dance that often interprets a story • first developed in the 17th century at the court of Louis XIV • flourished in the 19th-century Russian court • many significant composers, including Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Debussy, and Prokofiev, composed music for this type of art form

Question 59

Define choreography

Answer 59

the art of designing the dance steps and movements in a ballet (or musical)

Question 60

Define expanded tonality

Answer 60

the use of extremely chromatic harmony while still maintaining allegiance to a tonal center

Question 61

Define polytonality

Answer 61

the simultaneous use of two or more tonal centers

Question 62

Define atonality

Answer 62

the total absence of any tonal center | • characterized by unresolved dissonances

Question 63

Define musical

Answer 63

a unique genre developed in the United States • a play with spoken dialogue but featuring musical numbers: songs, dances, choruses • staging (sets, costumes, lighting) is often spectacular

Question 64

Define jazz

Answer 64

a musical style that developed in the early 20th-century United States • combines elements of African, popular, and European music • based on improvisation

Question 65

Define hemiola

Answer 65

a temporary shift of the metric accents | • notes grouped in threes are momentarily grouped in twos or vice versa

Question 66

Define verse–chorus structure

Answer 66

a common song structure in popular music | • verses develop the characters and the storyline, while the chorus acts as a tuneful refrain

Question 67

Define minimalism in music

Answer 67

a musical style that evolved in the late 20th century | • characterized by the repetition of melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic patterns with little variation

Question 68

Define fanfare

Answer 68

a loud ceremonial tune or flourish • features brass instruments • used to herald the arrival of an important person, at the launch of an event, or in commemoration of someone

Question 69

Define Ritornello

Answer 69

The refrain, or recurring passage which makes the movement instantly recognizable. This refrain is called the ritornello, and is played by the full orchestra Eg. Vivaldi's 'Spring'

Question 70

Define Concertino

Answer 70

In "Spring", the solo sections, called concertino, are contrasted with sections played by the full orchestra, called the ripieno.

Question 71

Define Baroque

Answer 71

The term Baroque comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning irregularly shaped or misshapen pearl. Today we use it to refer to the period between 1600 and 1750.

Question 72

Define homophonic texture

Answer 72

a single line of melody supported by a harmonic accompaniment

Question 73

Define polyphonic texture

Answer 73

two or more lines of melody combined

Question 74

Define basso continuo

Answer 74

generally involves two performers—one playing the notated bass line and one realizing the harmonies as indicated by the figured bass • harmonies usually played on • provides harmonic framework

Question 75

Define figured bass

Answer 75

a musical shorthand developed in the Baroque era. numbers are placed below the bass line to show harmonic progression. performed or realized by the basso continuo. provides the structure for guided improvisation

Question 76

Define Terraced Dynamics

Answer 76

Terraced dynamics is a Baroque practice of changing volume levels abruptly Terraced dynamics result in stark contrast rather than gradual change

Question 77

Define major-minor tonal system

Answer 77

major–minor tonal system: • music based on major and minor scales • gradually replaced the modal language that had been favored before the Baroque era

Question 78

Define the Affections (from Baroque music)

Answer 78

the Affections: • also referred to as the “Doctrine of Affections” or “the affects” • a Baroque philosophy inspired by ancient Greek and Roman writers and orators • refers to emotional states of the soul • in Baroque music, a single “affection” or “affect” (one clear emotion) is usually projected through an entire composition or movement

Question 79

Which city was the center of Baroque music?

Answer 79

Venice, Italy

Question 80

Which city was the center of Classical music?

Answer 80

Vienna, Germany

Question 81

Define Chromatic harmony

Answer 81

``` chromatic harmony: • from the Greek word for color, khroma • extensive use of notes from outside of the prevailing key signature • increasingly used for heightened expression in 19th-century music (Romantic Era) ```