Final Definitions Flashcards
(129 cards)
1
Q
Sequence
A
A pattern repeated at a higher or lower pitch
2
Q
Diatonic
A
Chords builtt from the seven tones of a major or minor scale
3
Q
Homophonic texture
A
A melody with accompanying harmony
4
Q
Patronage
A
Sponsorship by the aristocracy or the church
5
Q
Theme
A
A musical idea used as a building block in the construction of a composition
6
Q
Thematic development
A
The expansion of a theme through varying its melodic outline, rhythm, or harmony
7
Q
Motives
A
The smallest melodic or rhythmic units, composing a theme
8
Q
Ostinato
A
A short, repeated musical pattern
9
Q
Absolute music
A
Music with no program
10
Q
Multimovement cycle
A
The three or four movement form favored by Classical composers
11
Q
Sonata-Allegro Form
A
A movement form where drama is presented in two opposing keys through an exposition, development, and recapitulations
12
Q
Exposition
A
First section of sonata-allegro. Presents the two opposing keys and their themes.
13
Q
Theme group
A
A theme of several related ideas
14
Q
Bridge
A
A transition into a different key
15
Q
Development
A
Modulation between keys, the conflict of the movement. Builds tension before the return to the home key.
16
Q
Recapitulation
A
Return to the first theme in the tonic
17
Q
Coda
A
Closing ideas leading to a final cadence in the home key
18
Q
Theme and Variation
A
A common form for second movements where the theme is stated the varied through the piece. Variation can be melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic.
19
Q
Minuet and Trio
A
Two dances usually presented as the third movement of a Classical symphony.
20
Q
De capo
A
“From the beginning;” refers to replaying the first section of the piece after the second section, as in A-B-A.
21
Q
Rounded Binary Form
A
The return of the main theme at the end of each section of the minuet and trio
22
Q
Scherzo
A
Literally “jest.” Introduced as a replacement for the minuet by the anti-aristocratic Beethoven.
23
Q
Rondo
A
A style based on the recurrence of a musical idea between contrasting episodes
24
Q
String quartet
A
Two violins, a viola, and a cello
25
Divertimento and serenade
Light chamber genres played for evening occasions in the Classical period
26
Rocket theme
A quick, aggressive rhythmic theme rising from the lower to higher register
27
Steamroller Effect
A drawn out crescendo
28
Monothematic
A work or movement with a single theme
29
Modified sonata-allegro
A sonata-allegro movement with no development
30
Countermelody
A new melody arising after the main melody
31
Inversion
The turning of a motive or theme upside down
32
Cadenza
A virtuosic solo passage in the manner of improvisation towards the end of the movement
33
First-movement concerto form
Sonata allegro-form with a double exposition
34
Requiem
A mass for the dead
35
Secco
"Dry," with spare accompaniment
36
Opera seria
Serious or tragic Italian opera
37
Opera buffa, ballad opera, opera comique
Comic opera
38
Viennese School (first)
Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
39
Folk song
Traditions songs and dances from native peoples
40
Exoticism
The interest in the music and culture of distant or foreign lands
41
Lied
A German solo art song, usually with piano accompaniment
42
Song cycle
A collection of art songs with a common theme
43
Through-composed form
A piece of music that proceeds from beginning to end with no repetition
44
Character piece
A short, lyrical piano work, the instrumental equivalent tp the song
45
Mazurka
A traditional Polish dance, famously composed by Chopin
46
Rubato
"Robbed time." Where certain liberties are taken with the rhythm without upsetting the basic beat.
47
Ring shout
An extended call-and-response fed by religious fervor practiced by black slaves in the US.
48
Pentatonic scake
A five note scale
49
Program music
Instrumental music with literary or pictorial associations
50
Incidental music
Music accompanying a play, often including an overture
51
Symphonic poem
A one movement programmatic orchestra work designed by Franz Liszt. Also called a "tone poem."
52
idée fixe
The "fixed idea," a recurring musical theme unifying a multi movement work. Famously used in Symphony Fantastique
53
Thematic transformation
The changing of a theme by altering the harmony, rhythm, meter, temp, etc.
54
Pedal point
A sustained pitch over which harmonies change
55
Bel canto
"Beautiful singing;" A hallmark style of Italian opera.
56
Singspiel
A light, comic drama (in German) with spoken dialogue
57
Melodrama
Scenes with spoken dialogue but striking orchestral accompaniment
58
Music drama
The Wagnerian understanding of opera as the "total work of art," with music, drama, art and poetry all masterfully commanded in the hands of a genius.
59
Leitmotif
Lit. "leading motive." A recurring theme throughout a work meant to indicate something.
60
Grand opera
A French style of opera focused on epic historical themes for propagandist purposes.
61
Naturalism
Based on the writings of Emile Zola, an art form focused on the realist and relatable rather than the wild or fantastic.
62
Habanera
A Cuban dance-song from Havana, showcased in "Carmen"
63
Verismo
Post-Romantic operatic trend. Focused on the realism, a progression of naturalist trends.
64
Whole-tone scale
A scale composed only of whole steps, with no half steps. Lacks the pull towards a tonic.
65
Part songs
Songs with three or four voice parts
66
Melodie
A late-Romantic French art song (self-consciously separate from the German lied)
67
Ballet
A French court dance that evolved to be part of scene transitions in French opera, and then into its own genre
68
Pas de deux
Lit. "Dance for two."
69
Impressionism
A movement in reaction to realism that desired to capture the emotion of moments through light rather than capturing a detailed picture
70
Symbolism
A movement that attempted to show things or ideas through suggestion rather than depiction
71
Futurism
Declared an alienation from established institutions and focused on the dynamism of the 20th century
72
Dadaism
Reacted to the horror of WWI by refusing to see art a something to be admired and making works of absurdity.
73
Surrealism
Explored the world of dreams
74
Cubism
Painting in geometric patterns (Embodied by Pablo Picasso)
75
Expressionism
German movement which tried to dig deep into the psyche and uncover its darkest tendencies
76
Second Viennese School
Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, Anton Webern
77
Neo-Classical style
Return to the balance and order of the Classical era and to absolute music
78
Formalism
The valuing of the formal above the expressive
79
Avant-garde
The cutting edge of the artistic community, pushing the bounds of what is possible and/or permissible
80
Changing meter
The constant shifting of the metrical flow
81
Polyrhythm
The simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns
82
Polychords
Highly dissonant chords of six or seven notes
83
Polyharmony
The playing of two or more streams of harmony against each other
84
Polytonality
The contrasting of two keys by presenting them simultaneously
85
Atonal music
Music with on tonic
86
Serialism
Refers to the twelve-tone system developed by Schoenberg, based on twelve chromatic notes in a "tone row."
87
Dodecaphonic
A Greek term meaning "twelve tone" sometimes used to refer to Schoenberg's system.
88
Transposed row
Same intervals, but different pitch
89
Inversion (tone row)
Movements of the rows notes in the opposite direction
90
Retrograde (tone row)
The arrangement of the pitches in reverse order
91
Retrograde inversion
Turns the row upside down and backwards
92
Sprechstimme
Speech-like melody
93
Klangfarbenmelodie
Tone-color melody
94
Total serialism
Webern's expansion on Schoenberg's idea of serialism to induce harmony, meter, timbre, etc.
95
Ethnomusicology
The study of musical in its cultural and global contexts
96
Vaudeville
A musical comedy show centered around making fun of immigrants
97
Tin Pan Alley
Turn of the century commercial music tradition, derived from a street in Manhattan
98
Strains
Regular sections from a march, each of which is repeated.
99
Ragtime
An African-American piano genre popularized by Scott Joplin
100
Blue notes
Notes in jazz/blues that focus on pitch blending
101
Scat-singing
An instrumental-like approach to singing
102
Chorus
A single statement of a melodic-harmonic progression
103
Swing/Big Band Era
The successor to jazz; primarily in the Depression era
104
Shakes
Shaking the lips to fluctuate between pitches
105
Bebop (Bop)
A jazz style characterized by fast tempos and complex harmonies.
106
Cool jazz
A laid-back style characterized by dense harmonies
107
West coast jazz
A small-group jazz form with contrapuntal improv
108
Riff
A short, melodic ostinato
109
Underscoring
Music that is outside the drama, coming from an invisible orchestra
110
Source music
Music within the drama
111
Rhythm and Blues (R&B)
A genre of dance music with its roots in jazz
112
Rockabilly
A combination of rock and roll with more "hillbilly," country themes
113
Soul
A blend of gospel, pop, and R&B
114
Motown
A black-owned record label from Detroit
115
Chance or aleatoric
Music which is based off a chance, like the rolling of dice
116
Musique concrète
Uses sounds made by any natural source and then recorded onto magnetic tape to create music
117
Tape music
Music built on musique concrete where music natural or electronic is recorded onto tape and then manipulated to create new music
118
Synthesizer
The second (but most widely used) electronic musical instrument
119
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
The program/means for talking to synthesizers and creating music
120
Glissandi
Where a pitch slides up and down through frequencies that lie between pitches in the standard Western scale
121
Flutter-tonguing
Moving the tongue quickly as if rolling and R while blowing into an instrument to create a distinctive sound
122
Process music
The repetition of a simple musical idea over and over with gradual change and variation
123
Phase music
Playing of tape music (usually) at different speeds to the music moves in and out of sync
124
Polyrhythm
A style of music where each musician plays a unique rhythm
125
Minimalism
A musical style which favors consonant harmonies and simple melodies that are combined and recombined over long periods of time
126
Tintinnabulation
Shimmering, bell-like timbres
127
Spiritual minimalism
A branch of minimalism focused on spiritual themes
128
Microtones
Tones in smaller than half steps
129
Drones
Continuous pitches held while other musical lines interweave
