Higher concepts Flashcards
(50 cards)
Acciaccatura
An ornament which sounds like a crushed note played very quickly on the beat or just before it
Added 6th
Root , 3rd, 5th of a chord with the 6th added (e.g. CEGA). This chord is used frequently in jazz and popular music
Augmentation:
An increase in the length of notes. The music will sound slower when imitated or repeated
Basso Continuo
Baroque- Bass line played by cello, bass, viola da gamba or bassoon. The harpsichord, organ or lute player was expected to fill in harmonies built on that bass line
Chamber Music
Music written for a small instrumental ensemble with one player to a part
Coloratura
High, florid vocal singing involving scales, runs and ornaments. Sometimes these passages were written down but were often extemporised by the performer. SOPRANO ONLY
Concertino
In a Concerto Grosso this is the name given to the small/solo group of instrumentalists as opposed to the main group, the Ripieno
Concerto Grosso
A type of concerto in which a group of soloists (Concertino) is combined and contrasted with a larger group (Ripieno)
Da Capo Aria
An Aria in Ternary form (ABA) found in opera and oratorio in the 17th and 18th centuries. The third section isn’t written out but the instruction Da Capo (from the beginning) is given instead. The repeat of the A section is performed with the solo ornamented
Diminished 7th
A chord consisting of 3 intervals of a minor 3rd built one on top of the other. The interval between the lower and top note being a diminished 7th.
Diminished chord
A chord consisting of two intervals of a minor 3rd built on top of each other.
Diminution
A decrease in the length of notes. The music will sound faster when imitated or repeated
Dominant 7th
Chord built on the dominant (5th) note of a key which adds the 7th note above its root. It is sometimes written as V7, or in the key of C major, G7 (GBDF)
Exposition
The first section of a movement in Sonata form (Exposition-Development-Recapitulation) or the first section of a Fugue where each voice has played or sung at least one entry of subject or answer.
Harmonic minor
Scale which shares the same key signature as its relative major but raises the 7th note by a semitone. ALADIN
Harmonics
The high eerie sounds produced on a bowed or string instrument by lightly touching the string at certain points. Bell like on guitar
Impressionist
A term from painting in which brief musical ideas merge and change to create a rather blurred and vague outline. Debussy was an important composer of this style.
Interrupted Cadence
Usually formed by chords (V-VI) In the key of C major, chords G to Am. This is known as the surprise cadence as the listener expects V-I which has a final sound.
Irregular metres
Often in modern or rhythmically based ethnic music, groupings of notes change, but the underlying pulse remains constant. Groupings of 2 and 3 produce irregular accents and metres.
Jazz funk
A combination of the Jazz improvisation and the amplified instruments and characters of rock
Lied
This term (German word for song) refers specifically in the Romantic era to works for solo voice and piano. The text is in German, the structure of the verses is Strophic and Through Composed. An important feature is that piano and voice are equally important.
Mass
In the Renaissance era the Mass was a sacred choral work using the 5 main sections of the Roman Catholic liturgy. Features of the mass include Latin text and polyphonic texture and it is usually sung Acapella.
Melodic Minor
Scale which shares the same key signature as its Relative major but raises the 6th and 7th notes by a semitone ascending, and similarly lowers them descending.
Modal
Term used to describe music based on a mode eg Dorian mode. It can also be used more generally as a reference to major mode (in a major key) or minor mode (minor key)
